Program Proves 'Paws'itive

How therapy dogs' unconditional love help children with special needs

All eyes are on Emma when she walks into the room.

She draws stares from the group, along with hands reaching out to rub her back, pet her belly or shake her paw.

Emma is a 140-pound English mastiff and a certified therapy dog. She and owner Don Davis make regular visits to the J.D. McCarty Center for children with developmental disabilities in Norman.

Emma's appearances are through the center's animal therapy program that began a year ago. The program gives children at the center the opportunity to interact with animals and learn some life skills.
Davis is excited about the positive impact that Emma is having on the kids, such as the dog's interaction with a boy who is autistic.

At first, the boy avoided the gentle dog and wouldn't touch her. But, after a few visits, he began to recognize and respond to Emma and now puts her paw in his hand and pets her belly when she lies on the floor.
The child has also displayed a longer attention span when he is around the animal and has improved his ability to wait his turn, such as to pet or walk the dog. He has developed a connection to Emma when he is usually drawn to inanimate objects.

That type of positive interaction with an animal is one of the benefits of the program, notes Maria Greenfield, the center's occupational therapy director.

Greenfield and Stacy Angermeier, an occupational therapist, worked together to start the program that offers small groups of children at the center the chance to spend 45 minutes to an hour with an animal each Friday.

Dogs are the most frequent visitors, but the program has also featured animals from the Little River Zoo in Norman, including a turtle, gecko and snake.

Greenfield said one of the reasons she wanted to start the program is because she believes animals have therapeutic value, such as the unconditional love they offer and the ability "to bring kids out of their shells." There are also the life skills that can be learned from animals, like the responsibility and financial costs of caring for them.

In addition, animal-assisted therapy can promote improvement in a person's physical, social, emotional or cognitive function, according to information from the American Veterinary Medical Association.

Greenfield and Angermeier say the interaction between the children and the animals can help enhance physical movement, such as when the children reach out to pet the dog, and their verbal skills, such as saying the dog's name, asking the handler if they can walk the dog or giving the animal commands.

There's also the sensory sensation of being around a dog, such as the smell and feel of the fur.

Angermeier, a dog owner herself, says the program also gives children the chance to learn how to approach a dog safely.

The dogs and handlers in the region who participate in the center's program are with the Human Animal Link of Oklahoma Foundation (H.A.L.O.), which offers animal-assisted therapy and activities, and A New Leash on Life Inc., which trains service, therapy and shelter dogs.

Davis is a volunteer and member of H.A.L.O. He and Emma visit the McCarty Center at least once a month, and Davis says the dog's easy-going temperament, patience and desire to please others help suit her for therapy work.

He also has taken Emma to community events and to visit assisted-living and memory care centers.

"It's rewarded me so many times over," he says about their volunteer work.

Davis knew about the McCarty Center after growing up in Norman, and says he wanted to volunteer at the center because he enjoys working with kids.

He also is inspired by the interactions he sees between Emma and the kids when they begin to bond with the dog.

"That's what keeps me coming back," he says. "It just makes me feel good to contribute."

Greenfield also enjoys watching those interactions.

"I love seeing the kids open up and become more responsive to something other than themselves."

Sharla Bardin is the public information manager for the J.D. McCarty Center for children with developmental disabilities in Norman. Prior to that position, Bardin worked for more than 12 years as a reporter for newspapers in Oklahoma, Arkansas, Pennsylvania and Virginia.

PHOTOS: (top) Emma spends some time with Brandon, a patient at the J.D. McCarty Center for children with developmental disabilities in Norman. Emma is one of the dogs that participates in the center's animal therapy program, which gives children the opportunity to interact with animals and learn some life skills. (right lower) McCarty Center patient Audrey gets to know Patience, another therapy dog that participates in the animal therapy program, which began a year ago at the center.