A Moment with Mazal—Rescue Dog Turned Therapy Hero!
Last Sunday, I had the pleasure of meeting Mazal, a beautiful young lady with a very gentle spirit. Mazal’s Mom, Allison Harrison, was happy to take a few moments out of her day to tell me about Mazal and her experience in passing the test to become a Tiger H.A.T.S Therapy Dog.
Mazal came from very inauspicious beginnings. In fact, she was a stray that was found tied to a park bench and taken in by a good samaritan who then posted her on Craigslist. About this time, Allison had started looking for a dog and Mazal exactly fit the bill! But, they almost didn’t find each other-a day before Allison was to get her, Mazal escaped from her “foster’s”house and ran away. All hope was not lost though, because she is
such a friendly girl, she was found by approaching and playing with other dogs
in the downtown Baton Rouge area and Allison got the call. All of this adventure is responsible for Mazal’s name, which means “Luck” in Hebrew.
Allison’s grandma in Atlanta is very involved with a group called Canine Assistants and Allison’s pretty much grown up around therapy dogs and training since she was about 6 years old. That’s how she realized that Mazal really had a great personality for this kind of work! And, her experience with her grandma’s involvement is how she was able to use training to encourage certain behaviors and skills necessary for Mazal’s therapy career.
While most pet therapy organizations seek out similar behavioral patterns and comfort levels of the potential participants, each therapy is a little different and may be more or less strict than the next one. For Mazal’s “try-outs”, typical tests of her reactions included making loud noises, such as a human yell of surprise and dropping balls or bowls. Sometimes a dog may be lightly touched from behind. This is all done to make sure the potential dog can maintain a calm temperament and demeanor around loud noises or sudden movement.
Needless to say, our friend Mazal passed with flying colors and now gets to wear the Tiger H.A.T.S. Purple and Yellow Bandana (H.A.T.S. stands for Human Animal Therapy Services and is a program sponsored by LSU). Once you become a H.A.T.S. dog, there are 17 locations that you might visit, depending on scheduling and other factors, including Baton Rouge General, Our Lady of the Lake, St. James Nursing Home, and others. There’s a facility for every type of dog and every type of interest.
The physiological benefits of animal companionship are well-documented and include: lower heart rate/blood pressure, less stress and/or volatility, increased interest in communications, less feelings of introversion, and more efforts to be physically active, just to name a few. It is truly a wonderful experience to watch an unresponsive patient come out of their shell when touched by a therapy pet—a touch that goes straight to the soul!
Mazal-we are so proud of you! We know you’re going to do great at your new “job” and bring so many people so much happiness!
**For more information regarding the Tiger H.A.T.S. program and to see if you and your dog qualify, please contact the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine**
Adoptable Pet of the Week!
Hey, Girlfriend...
ADOPTED!!! 5/14/2012
Hey, Girlfriend...
ADOPTED!!! 5/14/2012
Kodiak was in a high-kill shelter in Many, LA. He was rescued on April 22, just 3 days before he was scheduled to be euthanized.
Kodiak stayed here in Baton Rouge in foster care with a very loving family and got a forever home!
Christy, his new mom, says as soon as she met him, the bond was formed instantly! He climbed into the back seat of her
car and now, just 4 days later, he is an indoor dog that is self trained and is being given all the love that he wants. His new Mom just adores him and makes room for this sweet heart on the bed at night where he stretches out and sleeps like a baby.
Without rescues and without fosters, Kodiak and his new mom would never have gotten this opportunity!
Kodiak stayed here in Baton Rouge in foster care with a very loving family and got a forever home!
Christy, his new mom, says as soon as she met him, the bond was formed instantly! He climbed into the back seat of her
car and now, just 4 days later, he is an indoor dog that is self trained and is being given all the love that he wants. His new Mom just adores him and makes room for this sweet heart on the bed at night where he stretches out and sleeps like a baby.
Without rescues and without fosters, Kodiak and his new mom would never have gotten this opportunity!