‘A need in the county’ leads the Alliance of Therapy Dogs to visit the community
Published 1:27 pm Monday, February 13, 2023
1 of 5
Star Photo/Hannah Askew Annie (dog) and Stefany Kohli listen while Adalaya Williams reads "I am Inside Voice."
Star Photo/Hannah Askew Joanne Ames started the Alliance of Therapy Dogs nonprofit in Carter County; she is pictured with Kurt (dog) and Kate (dog).
Star Photo/Hannah Askew Kurt (dog) sits on Nathan Toler's lap while he reads "What Will Fat Cat Sit On."
Star Photo/Hannah Askew Kurt (dog) and Nathan Toler share their excitement to be working together.
Star Photo/Hannah Askew Travis Combs and Ella (dog) pose for a picture at the Elizabethton Public Library during Carter County's chapter of the Alliance of Therapy Dogs visit.
|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
By Hannah Askew
Star Correspondent
On Thursday, Carter County’s chapter of the Alliance of Therapy Dogs visited the Elizabethton Public Library for children to read with the pups.
The nonprofit, started in Carter County by Joanne Ames, has 11 dogs that go to different locations offering their services. Some of these locations include nursing homes, assisted living facilities, hospitals, veteran’s organizations, schools and college campuses.
ATD is actively seeking to expand its number of therapy dogs along with its services to more places in the community.
“It’s bringing joy. Like her — she doesn’t have a dog; it gets her acquainted with dogs because these are calm,” said Ames, referencing Adalaya Williams, a young girl reading to Ames’ pup, Kurt. Ames has been working for ATD since 2003 and has tested more than 150 dogs, only 25 belonging to Carter County.
“The kids walk up to me and the teachers have walked up to me and said, ‘my child has developed such an interest in reading now after reading to the dogs,'” Ames said. ATD is at the Elizabethton Public Library on the first and third Thursdays of every month and is at the Elizabethton Boy’s and Girl’s Club on the second and fourth Thursdays, both at 4 p.m.
ATD is a strictly nonprofit volunteer-based organization.
Kathy Norton is a new member of ATD who has big dreams for the organization. “I think there is so much potential. I wish there were more opportunities. There’s obviously a need in the county. We need to socialize,” Norton said.
Norton also expressed interest in partnering with the families of foster dogs to make the dogs more desirable for adoption. She suggests training the pups in basic commands, helping them build relationships with people, and finally certifying them as therapy dogs after completing the required observations. This partnership would be especially beneficial to the lives of rescue dogs.
As a former elementary school principal, Norton is particularly passionate about getting therapy dogs into schools, including middle schools and high schools. She explains that ATD could be beneficial for kids who are struggling to connect with their peers. She believes that including therapy dogs at school would greatly decrease stress and anxiety for students of all ages.
“Ultimately, I would love to see every school adopt a therapy dog. There are so many great incentives you could do, not just reading but the kids can learn about the therapy dog program and then write a story about it. You can incentivize coming to school five days and on Fridays at lunchtime you get to meet with your therapy dog buddy,” Norton said.
It is important to assimilate therapy dogs into schools because kids are often busy with extracurriculars in the afternoons when the pups are visiting the community. “It’s at four o’clock. There’s music practice, soccer practice, baseball practice … Once upon a time, I said ‘what about Saturday morning?’” Ames said.
Registered therapy dogs are different from service dogs and must go through testing and observation to get certified after meeting basic qualifications.
ATD is extremely interested in certifying more eligible dogs and expanding the uses of the registered pups. The organization is also available upon request to visit locations in the community.
“As a retiree, I wanted to give back to the community. God has been good to us and we are grateful for all the blessings we have. I love dogs. There’s not a dog I don’t love. This is like a win-win. You get to be around dogs you love, you get to be around kids. You feel good because you’re helping others, and I just feel like we need to expand this program. It is such a good program,” Norton said.
If you are interested in having your dog certified as a therapy dog, please visit therapydogs.com. If you would like to have Carter County’s ATD visit your school or organization, please contact Joanne Ames at jfames@yahoo.com or Kathy Norton at kanorton2020@gmail.com.
