Pets as Therapy

Pets as Therapy: Read2Dogs scheme
Your Area Needs You (or more specifically, your friendly dog/cat)!

Pets As Therapy (P.A.T) is a national charity that was set up by Lesley Scott-Ordish in 1983. Little could she have known that today it is the largest voluntary organisation in Europe to use domestic cats & dogs in its work.

The charity now has over 5,000 dogs and 109 cats registered that visit such establishments as nursing homes, hospices, hospitals and schools to bring comfort and happiness to those in need. These speciallyassessed pet dogs and cats are accompanied by their owners, and also work alongside medical professionals in such areas as dementia and chronic phobiawork.

Pilot

More recently in 2010, a pilot scheme was launched by P.A.T called Read2Dogs. Supported by the Kennel Clubs' 'Bark & Read' initiative, this is a reading scheme aimed at primary school children, where a P.A.T dog will go into a school and sit with children who otherwise might find reading difficult and be reluctant to read out in front of others. The dogs do not sit in judgement of the child's reading ability, but rather sit patiently and offer a relaxed environment.

This type of scheme has been running in American schools since 1999, and research has shown that the more relaxed the child is and the less pressurised they feel, the easier and more enjoyable it is to learn.

Wrenbury

Wrenbury Primary School was the first school in our area to become part of the Read2Dogs scheme.

Mrs Victoria Wright,a Teaching Assistant at the school first heard about the scheme in an article that she read in a National newspaper. She approached her Headteacher Mrs Justine Joule with the idea and 'Ruby the P.A.T dog' was contacted. Ruby is a Grande Basset Griffon Vendeen who has been a registered P.A.T dog along with Sally, a poodle cross that she lives with who visits Corbrook Court Nursing Home every Friday, since 2007.

Both are Rescue dogs and have followed in the'paw-steps' of their P.A.T dog predecessors, all Rescue dogs, that owner Berny Lunt has registered with the charity over the years since first finding out about it in 1996.

Mrs Wright has noticed a great improvement in all the children that have been involved in the Read2Dogs scheme at Wrenbury since 2011. The children love seeing Ruby and can't wait to tell her about the stories that they have been reading since her last visit. At the end of each term, Ruby attends an awards assembly where she hands out certificates of achievement to all the children taking part.

Of Ruby's school visits, Headteacher Mrs Joule said: "The children are always excited when Ruby arrives and have become very keen readers. Berny and Ruby are an asset to our School Family."

Desperate Need

Since moving to the Nantwich area 3 years ago, owner Berny Lunt has noticed that there is a desperate need for more P.A.T dogs in our area. There are numerous establishments waiting for P.A.T dogs or cats in Nantwich and the surrounding areas.

These special animals do not need any special training, can be mixed breed or pedigree, the only requirement is that they have a laid back, friendly disposition and an owner who is keen to bring a bit of 'sparkle' into the lives of others.

Frequency of visits is entirely at the discretion of the owner, some people visit once a week for an hour, some once a month for half an hour, others visit every day. It really is up to you. Every little helps, as they say!!

Interested

If you are interested in finding outmore details about Pets As Therapy please click here where you can see a video by Roy Barraclough of Coronation street fame, explaining all about the work of our pet dogs and cats.

This article is from our news archive. As a result pictures or videos originally associated with it may have been removed and some of the content may no longer be accurate or relevant.