Freckles' Friends

Freckles is part of a growing number of dogs and other pets whose owners volunteer their time in hopes of making a difference in the lives of others. Dogs, cats, gerbils, rabbits, birds, horses, and many other animals are being used to help people in hospitals, elderly people, children, and people with physical and emotional problems.

So what is it that the animals do?  Quite simply, be themselves.

The simple act of holding an animal in your lap and stroking its fur can make you feel better. Pets are great listeners, too. They never talk back or tell you that you’re wrong. They can even make you smile and laugh sometimes when you’re feeling sad. Importantly, many animals can sense when you’re hurting or upset. They often just curl up next to you to let you know that they’re there, that they love you, that they would do anything to make you feel better. What more could anyone ask?

Pet-assisted therapy can help children establish healthy, nurturing, and long-lasting relationships with other living creatures.  "Pet therapy teams offer unconditional love, teach respect, empathy, and trust," says Pam Gaber, founder of Gabriel’s Angels, the group Freckles volunteered with in Phoenix. "The power of these therapy dogs is amazing. They have an uncanny way of helping everyone, especially the children cope with what might be going on in their lives."

What Freckles does in North Carolina

Besides going with Paul when he speaks at schools and libraries, Freckles has some very special jobs in her new home in the mountains of Western North Carolina.  Here is a list of some of the things she's doing with youngsters here:

• She visits a local elementary school where helps in a special program in which first graders improve their reading skills by reading aloud to her.
• She visits with teenage girls who are living in a residential facility and shows them by example what true unconditional love is.
• She is scheduled to visit with prisoners here in North Carolina, as part of their dog care program.
• She also visits with youngsters experiencing long stays in an Asheville NC hospital.  Here are some photos (taken by Dr. Jim Lawrence, a Paws with a Purpose volunteer) of Freckles "at work" recently with some of her newest and best friends.

Pet Therapy

If you’re interested in learning more about pet therapy, check with your local library. You can also place the phrase "animal-assisted therapy" or "pet therapy" in a search engine and see all the websites on the subject that the Internet has to offer. For more information about what it takes to become involved in animal-assisted therapy, check out the Delta Society (www.DeltaSociety.org) on our "Cool Animal Links" page.

Freckles "speaks"

Author Suzanne Stasser recently asked if Freckles could provide a quote for her upcoming book about dogs, The Dog Corps. (Suzanne has just finished a fantastic book about felines titled Cat Whispers.)  Freckles, unlike a lot of dogs and other animals you might see in movies, is not much of a talker.  But I believe these to be her thoughts: