So...I've been thinking about the idea of a therapy pet for Sharkbait for a while...
Part of the reason we got the kitty was for him, and a cat-as-pet works in an apartment more than a dog-as-pet would...cats are normally fairly easy pets to own (in terms of training and maintenance), if they have play time they are ok on their own and all with less issues that dogs who really *need* people. And his behavior around the cat is almost a 180--he's calmer, and when he's upset the cat is pretty mellow and lets him hold him and pet him, etc. Plus, he can focus to play with the cat in a way he really only does at certain high-stimulation activities.
The problem is that cats aren't dogs. They don't have the same intuition when it comes to people (as a species), in terms of emotion and behavior, and they don't have the same skill set in dealing with people (as a species)...with a cat, its hit or miss. So far, Smitty (Smittens) and Sharkbait are A-ok, but when it comes to actually helping him with some of his challenging areas, a cat isn't going to cut it (and, tbh, somehow this cat ended up being mine and Phee's, though he plays with Scott and puts up with Collin).
The process for a therapy dog takes a long time...we aren't even close to the application stage or anything, more in the consideration stage (for us) if its something to persue, something we can manage, and if it would help our situation. I'm pretty sure we qualify for these folks...but darn! Expensive...
Does anyone have experience with working (therapy) dogs? Or the organizations that work with them? Any ideas?
Part of the reason we got the kitty was for him, and a cat-as-pet works in an apartment more than a dog-as-pet would...cats are normally fairly easy pets to own (in terms of training and maintenance), if they have play time they are ok on their own and all with less issues that dogs who really *need* people. And his behavior around the cat is almost a 180--he's calmer, and when he's upset the cat is pretty mellow and lets him hold him and pet him, etc. Plus, he can focus to play with the cat in a way he really only does at certain high-stimulation activities.
The problem is that cats aren't dogs. They don't have the same intuition when it comes to people (as a species), in terms of emotion and behavior, and they don't have the same skill set in dealing with people (as a species)...with a cat, its hit or miss. So far, Smitty (Smittens) and Sharkbait are A-ok, but when it comes to actually helping him with some of his challenging areas, a cat isn't going to cut it (and, tbh, somehow this cat ended up being mine and Phee's, though he plays with Scott and puts up with Collin).
The process for a therapy dog takes a long time...we aren't even close to the application stage or anything, more in the consideration stage (for us) if its something to persue, something we can manage, and if it would help our situation. I'm pretty sure we qualify for these folks...but darn! Expensive...
Does anyone have experience with working (therapy) dogs? Or the organizations that work with them? Any ideas?
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