Therapy Dogs, Singapore

March 2008 Visits

Visit on 29 March 2008 - Bishan Home for the Intellectually Disabled (BHID)

Hi fellow volunteers,

PAT session was held at the canteen as the auditorium is still under renovation. The area at the canteen is a bit small for a large group of PAT volunteers, their dogs and the residents. However, we had a good time interacting with the residents. To-day's visit was a special one as we were celebrating Pepper 's 10 years Birthday ... Happy Birthday Pepper and Many Happy Returns! Can you imagine how the birthday song was sang by the residents collectively in English, Chinese and Dialects ... well it turned out pretty good. Mummy Evangeline Koh baked a large birthday cake for the residents and also a special cake for Pepper's fellow 4 legged buddies. The doggie cake must be very tasty as the lean and hungry Stallion had 3 helpings!

A big thank you to the following volunteers for your valuable time which was greatly appreciated

Amanda Richardson with Tixi / GSD
Louiza Chan with Grace & Beatrice / Spoodle
Vincent & Anna Ho with Gigi / Beagle
Elaine Lui , mum Soo Fen, dad Tuck Yew with Polar / Samoyed
Patricia Koh with Brutus / English Bulldog
Pearly Cheong with Gabriel / Rough Collie
Joshua Koh with Sammuel / Burnese Mountain Dog
Monique Hsu, hubby Moses, sons Malcolm, Mark & daughter Mariam with Nani / Maltese
Evangeline Koh, nephew Harrison, Sebestian with Pepper, Perdi, Pongo / Shetland Sheepdog
Mabel Ho with Silky / Golden Retriever
Charlie Ho with Stallion / GSD

A warm welcome to Yvonne Lim and Tan Kai Pheng, and Corrinne Choo with hubby, who came as an observer. They will be sending their dog to us for temperament assessment shortly. We look forward to having them to join our PAT team in action in due course.

We had a short flash card play of numbers with 3 residents with the help from Soo Fen. It seemed that they enjoyed it. It can be more exciting when our therapy dog can join in the play by picking the right number on command. I plan to play this game in May when the auditorium's renovation is completed at that time.

Our achievements are:

Cognitive / Communication / Socialisation Therapy
- encourage residents to call and remember the names of the dogs.
- flash card play to develop mental abilities
- stimulate conversation

Motor / Physical / Sensory Therapy
- walking exercise with therapy dogs
- encourage residents to stroke and touch the dogs

Please take note that our next visit is to AWWA Special School for Children. Please check out our website for the details.

Warmest regards
Charlie Ho

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Hello fellow volunteers,

It's the 4th Friday of the month once again and our regular Friday-ers made it to MINDSville this afternoon. As usual, the excited staff and patients greeted us with much enthusiasm. We were greeted with lots of excited patients and equally excited staff members today. It was a thrill to see that some patients have settled into a routine and remembered why we were there - when we came into the room, they were asking for the dumbells, balls and dog toys to be thrown and to be taken around the room for their 'dog walks'. We are making progress with introducing more therapy type work with specific goals tailored to the group - be it motor skills, cognition skills or verbal skills.

The fantastic Friday-er team for today - hip-hip-hurrah for another job well done!

1. Charlie Ho with Silky / Golden Retriever & Stallion / GSD
2. Vincent Ho with Gigi / Beagle
3. Melinda Ann Michael with Chewy / Catalan Sheepdog & Cleo / Dachshund
4. Alicia Chue with Diva / Labrador Retriever
5. Sabine Schex with Stella / Australian Shepherd
5. Monique Hsu with Nani / Maltese and father-in-law
6. Louiza Chan with Grace-pie / Spoodle & Beatrice-Bear / Spoodle

A summarised version of what we've done today:

Cognitive / Communication / Socialisation Therapy
- The oh-so-popular flash card exercise where the patients are encouraged to speak, remember commands and naming the dogs. There were much encouragement between the patients and loads of laughter. I believe we've also found some budding dog trainers amongst the group :)
- Communication amongst patients and with the staff and volunteers providing a distraction and an alternative focus to day-to-day life.
- The best medicine - laughter :D

Motor / Physical / Sensory Therapy
- Patients taking dogs for a walk either on foot or on a wheelchair
- Patients throwing balls and toys for the dogs to exercising their arms, strengthen their grips and practice eye contact and focus
- Encouraging patients to stroke and touch the dogs
- Introducing some extra daily life skills such as holding a brush to brush dogs

Much thanks to the fabulous staff! Your enthusiasm and patience are inspiring.

My sincere apologies on behalf of Beatrice to Stella and Chewy - Sorry, the ball was just too irresistible compared to my boring now-not-so-pink wubba kong! Mommy said she will bring my ball thrower next time...

The next Friday TDS visit will be to AWWA - stay tuned for Melinda's reminder! For other TDS visits, please check our website.

Sprinkling good-doggy fairy dust to all till next time

Louiza, Grace the disgrace and Beatrice the ball-thief.

Hi fellow volunteers,

Our weather man forecasted raining day this afternoon but we were blessed with nice cool sunny afternoon - well, as a saying ... never trust a weather man!

We had a wonderful one hour PAT session with our aunties and uncles of TTHSC with added value coming from our very young volunteers - Malcolm, Mariam, Harrison and Sebestian. The children together with the dogs gave an impromptu entertainment to the residents.

A Big Thank You to the following volunteers for their valuable time in cheering up the residents who eagerly await our visit and always enjoy and benefit from our helping hands and healing paws.

Alicia Chue with Diva / Labrador Retriever
Monique Hsu, son Malcolm and daughter Marian with Nani / Maltese
Evangeline Koh with nephew Harrison and Sebestian with Pepper & Perdi / Shetland Sheepdog
Louiza Chan with Grace & Beatrice / Spoodle
Paola Ng - helping hands
Mabel Ho with Silky / Golden Reteriever
Charlie Ho with Stallion / GSD

A warm welcome to Alicia Chue and Diva on their 1st visit to TTHSC. They interacted very well with the residents like a pro. I hope to see them on our next visit and beyond.

I had a good time talking with uncle Lee (63 years old) in hockien about our good old kampong days. I shared with him the joy when I was a kampong boy ... playing marbles, fighting fish and spider, flying kites with string coated with powdered glass, etc...etc... this conversation brought him back the happy memory. A 93 years old aunty joined in the conversation, spoke in cantonese, that she enjoyed playing the "5-stones" game. It seemed that my "half-pass-six" hockien and cantonese dialects were understandable as they joyfully petted Stallion.

To-day, PAT session achievements are:

Cognitive/Communication /Socialisation Therapy:
-- encouraging the residents to talk about their good old happy days. Through conversation, elderly residents maintain mental agility
-- testing some of the residents' memory skills by asking them to recall the name of our therapy dogs.

Motor/Physical/Sensory Therapy:
-- encouraging the residents to throw dumbbell, doggie toy, for our dogs to retrieve - this is a form of physiotherapy
-- motivating and assisting the residents to move their hands to carry, cuddle and stroke the dogs
-- getting the residents to feed treat to the dogs;
-- encouraging residents to shake paws with the dogs

I believe you know that our next PAT visit is to IMH this Sunday, March 16th. Please check out our website for the details.

Warmest regards

Charlie Ho

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