PAWS of CNY has been pleased to partner with the LeMoyne College Liberty Partnership Program (LPP) and the LeMoyne College Science and Technology Entry Program (STEP) to help teach this year’s LPP students about the benefits of pet therapy work. On July 23, the students from LPP had an opportunity to observe one of PAWS of CNY’s nursing home visits at James Square Health and Rehabilitation Centre in Syracuse to see first-hand the benefits that pet therapy interactions can have on the elderly population that PAWS of CNY services.
Four PAWS of CNY volunteer teams, including Karin Laskowki and Piper, Jessica Marabella and Blue, Anna Mayerhofer and Lumpi, Martina St. Leger and Dory, and Sylvia Taub and Benny, visited with a roomful of excited and friendly residents at James Square. The students from LPP were encouraged to observe the human-pet interactions and ask questions of the PAWS of CNY volunteers and meet the James Square residents. The students were eager to better understand how a dog can be certified, how individuals can begin pet therapy work, and what pet therapy visits in other settings are like. The residents were pleased to not only meet with PAWS of CNY volunteers, but also the students from LPP.
The students from LPP will next have an opportunity to meet with Danielle Basciano, PAWS of CNY’s President and a certified dog behavior therapist and trainer, to learn about the training and evaluation that PAWS of CNY requires for their therapy dog certification.
If you are interested in learning more about PAWS of CNY’s educational programs, visit our programs page.