Families of Super Kids had a wonderful and warm evening with visitors from CCI-Wasatch Champions: AJ (coordinator of the visit) and presenters Marilyn, Connie, Dan, and Brady along with two of their very special dogs. We also had visitors from Therapy Animals of Utah with two dogs as well. The families and children were so excited to meet our new furry friends! As children pet the animals, fed one dog treats, and even got a few wet kisses, smiles and giggles were plentiful.
We learned about the abilities and differences between therapy and service dogs. Therapy dogs go through a training, learning obedience and skills which enable them to interact with multiple people. They must also be certified to be therapy animals. A therapy dog's effect, just in a touch, can be very calming and healing.
Service dogs, particularly at CCI, are raised by trainers who teach the dogs basic commands from the time they are puppies. The dogs pass off obedience training and learn to be socialized into public settings. Once this is done, dogs go on to learn specialized trainings, such as how to pick up dropped items off of the floor or how to open doors by pressing a button. Not every dog passes service dog training. CCI focusses on breeding for tempermeant and also on matching the right dog to the right person. Their amazing services add up to a dog being worth about $45,000, however, they give the dogs to qualifying individuals on their waiting list with no charge. Once a family is up on the waiting list, they travel to California-usually at their own expense, where the individual is matched to a dog and the individual is trained on how to maintain obedience/service commands as well as ongoing care for their dog. Service dogs can make an incredible difference in the life of an individual with special needs.
To learn more, visit: www.cci.org or www.therapyanimalsofutah.org
