A HELPING PAW
Therapy dogs lend a paw to those in need
By Makenna Mays
INDIANAPOLIS— Transforming your backyard into a dog rescue may seem far-fetched to some, but for Dr. Michelle Roberts-Schneider, executive director of Bear and Friends, it was just another step to ensure all her rescue animals enjoy a happy life and a second chance.
“We’ve always taken in the dogs nobody else wants, or the animals that have lost their way in life,” said Roberts-Schneider.
Roberts-Schneider and Drew Schneider, treasurer, created Bear and Friends in 2013. Bear and Friends is a nonprofit that takes in rescues and either helps them get adopted, live out the rest of their lives in a kennel-free environment or trains them to be therapy animals. Roberts-Schnieder, a self-proclaimed animal lover, saw potential in these animals where others just saw strays. She decided to open this non-profit not only because of her love for animals, because she saw the opportunity for some of these animals to help people.
The use of therapy animals is becoming increasingly popular in classroom settings, senior centers and hospitals. These animals are proven to help lower blood pressure, anxiety and stress levels and bring back memories in the elderly. In some cases, therapy dogs are seen as effective substitutes to some modern medicines.
According to the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, a service animal provides assistance to a person’s specific disability. These animals go through extensive training and have broad access to public buildings. Therapy animals provide people with therapeutic contact to help improve social, emotional and physical functions.
Roberts-Schneider and Schneider adopted their first dog, Bear, in 2010 because their daughters wanted a dog. Schneider was initially a little hesitant about adding another member to their family.
“I grew up on a farm in Michigan and had animals my whole life, so when the girls were wanting a dog, I was hesitant because I knew how much work was involved,” said Schneider.
However, Bear turned out to be the perfect match for the family. Bear went through beginning, intermediate and advanced training to become a therapy dog. After Bear, the Schneiders adopted Johnny and Louis. Together these three make up the Bear and Friends logo.
In 2015, Roberts-Schneider, who has a Ph.D. in education, was conducting research that allowed her to observe schools across the state.
“I saw firsthand in schools across the state how the dogs are used in classrooms and how they are able to help the kids, staff and the administrators, and I came home and told Drew this is amazing we have to do something,” said Roberts-Schneider.
Bear and Friends supplies everything for the dogs including medical care, food, vitamins and any other supplements the animals may need. They decided to stay in Franklin County not only because there is an abundance of stray animals, but because the county has a high-kill shelter.
“These animals don’t have to be purebred and they can still make a difference, and they’re being killed because they were born—that’s a problem,” said Roberts-Schneider.
Opening a nonprofit with a focus on animals has not been the easiest task. Jayme Bender-Miller and Kari Duncan assist Bear and Friends with collecting donations and arranging events. Both agree that animals are equipment and not pets mentality, as well as Franklin County being one of the poorest counties in Indiana, are some of the barriers that Bear and Friends has had to overcome.
“In general, people look at their animals as livestock instead of as pets,” said Bender-Miller.
Duncan said that the mindset that purebred animals are the best also put these dogs at a disadvantage.
“The reality is, you can take any dog and you can train it to be a service or therapy dog in the community,” said Duncan.
Duncan is working with some of her connections in veterans affairs to bring therapy dogs from Bear and Friends into post-traumatic stress disorder clinics.
“The research is out there for depression and things like that and with dogs, it’s through the roof with what they can do psychologically to help people through hard times,” said Duncan.
Dogs must possess certain characteristics to train to become therapy dogs including good temperament and health and age requirements. Roberts-Schneider and Schneider, have been trained by someone from Canine Good Citizen, a program developed by the American Kennel Club.
The training begins by teaching dogs manners and to follow commands to sit, stay, and being able to approach strangers without jumping. The dogs will then be trained to accomplish harder tasks such as becoming accustomed to odd noises from wheelchairs, walkers and other unfamiliar sounds they may encounter in hospitals.
“Anything that can help anybody relax or work with their social/emotional issues, we’re there to help,” Roberts-Schneider said.
Bear and Friends has worked with All 4 Kids, Sunman Dearborn Middle School and the Southeastern Indiana YMCA. Roberts-Schneider and Bear visit the YMCA on a bi-weekly basis to work with children with social/emotional issues, reading issues and two children on the autism spectrum.
Karen Moore, childcare director for the Southeastern Indiana YMCA, invited Roberts-Schneider and Bear to the YMCA last summer to see how the children would react.
“At the beginning of the school year, we noticed some kids who could use a little extra something,” said Moore. “I remembered she [Roberts-Schneider] had the dogs, so I contacted her to say, 'Hey what about bringing Bear in for some of our kids?'"
Roberts-Schneider and Bear have individual agendas depending on each child’s needs. She and Bear meet with a child for one-on-one time, where the child will pet the dog or even read to him.
“[The child is ]Reading to Bear instead of reading to a human, who might give you negative feedback. Bear just sits and listens,” Moore said.
One child has made quite an impact on Roberts-Schneider. When she first met Lukas, he was very serious, had some social/emotional issues and could, at times, be very closed off.
“When Bear is there, he [Lukas] opens up, he loosens up, he relaxes, and he talks,” Roberts-Schneider said.
According to Roberts-Schneider, Bear has made such an impact on Lukas, that Lukas is taking what he is learning from his time with Bear and practicing it at home.
“His mom said that he’s come out of his shell, and that’s huge when he’s out of his shell now at home because it has carried over,” Roberts-Schneider said.
Therapy dogs may be useful in classrooms and other settings, but a large barrier is getting the dogs into classrooms.
“To get dogs into classrooms is like pulling teeth because you have to get past the gatekeeper, if you will, and explain to them and educate them first,” Roberts-Schneider said.
Moore said that therapy dogs would be a great addition to schools around her area because there is a lot of trauma and need for mental health support especially with children.
“It’s important for our area that the kids have somebody they can go to and talk to even though it’s an animal to offer that support for them,” Moore said.
The impact of therapy dogs is even being seen outside of the classroom. Because these animals have a calming presence, they have been known to lower blood pressure to the point where doctors are able to get good readings, as well as create an environment where people are able to open up to therapists according to Roberts-Schneider.
“Kids, when they’re talking to therapists, they don’t need to have medicine to relax them when there’s a dog nearby because the dog does that,” Roberts-Schneider said.
Therapy dogs can't be a substitute for all medications, but in some instances, they are able to do things that neither humans nor modern medicine can. Sometimes all the help you need comes from two listening ears, four paws and a wet nose.
“I don’t always think that modern medicine is needed,” said Roberts-Schneider. “When you have a dog that is able to help for instance the elderly, they can bring thoughts back to the forefront when you, me, family members, and doctors can’t do—but that dog can.”