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Community E-Newsletter                                                                                   Early May 2019
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PAWS in the Workplace



"My dog Cooper, a Cockapoo, has been accompanying me to my workplace since I 'rescued' him nearly 5 years ago. 

"I work about an hour from home at a farm museum in Lancaster and I knew he would need potty breaks and would not be happy being left alone for up to 10 hours a day - neither would I!  So, with my boss's permission, I began bringing him to work with me. 

"At first, he had a large crate (like a pack and play) and I left him with our bookkeeper in her office away from the general public and I would take him for a long walk on my lunch break.  Very quickly, I found that the bookkeeper was not keeping him in the crate because they both preferred to have him at her feet at her desk. Soon many co-workers and my boss were spending their breaks visiting him and 'DeStressing' or just getting a little puppy love. So, he graduated to the front offices. He naps and greets visitors when requested. He is an ambassador and makes many people happy who are traveling from far away places and may be missing their own dog. There have been occasions where someone afraid of dogs comes iin, but after a discussion with us, a respectful visit or display of good behavior, and fun tricks, they leave with a new outlook on dogs.
 
"He makes my commute bearable, is a welcome distraction to my colleagues and most visitors, and is extremely quiet when not visiting. I am so grateful I can bring him with me and can't imagine it any other way.  In fact, he has opened the door for a few other dogs that now visit from time to time with co-workers, although he is the only resident canine."
 
- Lynn Trouba, PAWS Member
Making Connections
Please Join Us - RSVP by Tomorrow, May 8


All PAWS members and friends are invited to join us on May 18 or 19 for a fun, friendly party where we will be celebrating our members and PAWS' 14th anniversary.
Therapy Companions that behave well at parties are welcome to attend.

Saturday, May 18, 2-4 PM
St. Mark's United Methodist Church
1700 Limestone Rd
Wilmington, DE 19804

Sunday, May 19, 2-4 PM
Delaware Mentor Day Program
28417 Dupont Blvd
Millsboro, DE 19966

RSVP by Wednesday, May 8th
PAWS will be back in action at the Christiana Barnes & Noble for special gift wrapping events for Mother's & Father's Day.  

For these projects, we need both PAWS Pet Therapy Teams & 
Gift Wrappers:

Mother's Day Event - May 10, 11
Father's Day Event - June 13-16

Sign Up to participate online:   https://signup.com/go/EAepAwD
Get Your Tickets by MAY 14th
Please come out and join us for 
PAWS for People's Family Night at the Blue Rocks
Tuesday, June 11, 6:35 PM

This will be a great night to meet other PAWS members and enjoy a great baseball game.  This is one of the Blue Rocks Doggy Days In the Park so ALL Friendly, well-mannered dogs are welcome!

This event is open to everyone, so please invite your friends and family to join you.
Tickets are $10 for this special game
And it is $1 (hot) dog night from 5:30-7:00 PM

To reserve seats in the Special PAWS for People Section, 
tickets must be purchased by May 14th 
t hrough the link below.
PAWS Group Seating:   www.ticketreturn.com
At the very top in the customer log in box enter the following:
First Box:  PFP (must be all capital letters)
Second Box:  PAWS2019 (must be all capital letters)
Then Click on the event:  Lynchburg Hillcats on 6/11/2019 at 6:35 PM.
Click on the icon to choose your seats (you can choose as many as you like).
Click confirm selected tickets and complete the sale.

Pets in the Park
Exciting News!  This year Concord Pet has chosen PAWS for People as one of 2 beneficiaries of its 5K at Pets in the Park.  There is a 5K Event (humans only) and a 2-mile Dog Walk.

Friday, June 7th
5:30 PM - Registration Opens
6:30 PM - 5K Race Start
6:45 PM - 2-Mile Dog Walk Starts
 
Glasgow Park
2275 Pulaski Hwy
Newark, DE 19702
 
The proceeds of the 2019 5K will go to PAWS for People and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
 
Register today and share the event with all your family and friends.

Many Thanks to Our Spring Fundraisers
We are very grateful to some wonderful companies and organizations who held fundraisers for PAWS for People this Spring. 
Newark Natural Food
Newark UMC Preschool
Delaware HOSA
Barnes & Noble - Christiana & Concord Locations
AEPi Fraternity at the University of Delaware
City Tap House University City
Garnet Valley High School
Orangetheory Fitness
J. McLaughlin
 
The combined efforts of all of these wonderful folks raised a total of over $7,000 to support the programs of PAWS for People.  We are truly amazed by your generosity!

Thank you also to all of the PAWS Teams who joined us at these events.











If I Fits, I Sits
If It Fits, I Sits - The Supercut
Canine Antidote for Anxiety
Rebecca Voelker, MSJ
JAMA. Published online April 24, 2019. doi:10.1001/jama.2019.2026

D.Wade Providing Pet Therapy
As part of the Wild Health article Dogs and Bats and Chickens, Oh My!, Rebecca Voelker, MSJ reported on the benefits of Pet Therapy.

"Emergency department (ED) patients with low-risk chest pain can be an anxious lot, but many ED physicians offer no anxiolytics. They're concerned that patients might feel they've been labeled as anxious and their ailments won't be taken seriously.

"But now researchers have  reported in PLOS One that they may have a solution to calm these patients: therapy dogs.

"Investigators at the Indiana University School of Medicine and the Center for the Human-Animal Bond at Purdue University compared therapy dog visits with usual care among 80 ED patients at downtown Indianapolis' Sydney & Lois Eskenazi Hospital, which has an animal therapy department.

"More than half of patients in each of 2 study groups sought emergency care for chest pain, another type of pain, or a psychiatric condition but didn't require immediate attention. While patients in the therapy dog group met with the dogs and their handlers for about 15 minutes, those in the control group received usual care for the same duration. All patients were evaluated for anxiety, depression, and pain 3 times-before care, half an hour after a dog visit or usual care, and shortly before their discharge. 

"Compared with patients in the usual care group, those who saw a therapy dog had a 35% lower anxiety level 30 minutes after the encounter, and the lower level lasted through the third evaluation. Patients in the therapy dog group also had significant decreases in pain and depression compared with patients who received usual care. In addition, 2.5% of patients in the therapy dog group compared with 17.5% of those in the usual care group received opioid pain medication after the interventions."
Congratulations
Congratulations to Kathryn Meloni and Frangelica who were recently presented with Delaware County's 38th Annual Victim's Rights Week Award by the Victim's Rights office of the District Attorney's office as well as Domestic Abuse Project, CASA Youth Advocates, WAR (Women Against Rape), Children and Youth Services, COSA, Family Support Line, Juvenile Court Victim Services, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, Parents of Murdered Children, and Senior Victim Services.

Shining Stars
Vince Sgro & Carlo
Vince joined PAWS for People in February of 2017 with his charismatic Papillon, Carlo (also known as CH InVolo on the Down Low when competing). Having had 20 years of experience with dogs in confirmation, obedience, and agility, Vince was inspired to contact PAWS after seeing a newspaper article about learning to train therapy dogs. Since becoming members, Vince and Carlo have been regular visitors at Friends Home in Kennett and Bowling Green Brandywine Treatment Center, where Carlo is a big winner with the patients in their progress through hope and healing. Vince and Carlo also bring their special charm to The County of Delaware Courthouse, where they interact with children, adults, caseworkers, attorneys, and courthouse staff at Dependency, as well as PFA (Protection From Abuse) Courts. Vince also shares Carlo at many community events including DeStress events, Barnes & Noble, and Special Needs visits. Many PAWS members will recognize Vince from New Team Orientation and Training as he is part of PAWS Training Team! Many thanks to Vince and Carlo for spreading unbridled joy to the lives you touch! 
Tish Gallagher & Zeke
Tish and her handsome Siberian husky, Zeke, joined PAWS for People in May of 2011 and completed their Masters Certification in June of 2014. They participated in the PAWS for Reading program at the New Castle Public Library and visited at A.I. duPont Hospital for Children| Nemours. Tish has offered her time and talents over the years on various PAWS committees and is a New Team Trainer as well as a PAWS University Trainer for our PAWS for Reading and Nemours Prep programs. Thank you, Tish, for always lending a hand and going above and beyond with your dedicated contributions to PAWS.  And thank you, Tish, for sharing Zeke with us for an amazing 8 years!

We celebrate the life of Zeke, who passed away suddenly early yesterday morning at home. Zeke, who was 13 years old, was a lucky pup to have had Tish as his human and we were so lucky to have had him as a PAWS dog! He touched the lives of so many just by being himself - a gentle and loving furry friend to all he met. Zeke, thank you for encouraging and comforting so many children over the years and sharing your snuggles with those who needed you!