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About the Caring Canines Calendar
Pets--including dogs--have been visiting nursing facilities and other health care settings for many years. Over time, these visits have made such a difference in the lives of patients that an actual field of study—animal-assisted therapy—has evolved. Research studies have documented the many benefits of this for elders and others.
2016 Caring Canines Calendar - A Retrospective Milestone - is Here!
Over the past 6 years, we have received hundreds of photo submissions of dogs and other pets that live or work in post-acute/long-term care (PA/LTC) facilities such as nursing homes and assisted living facilities. For our 2016 edition we chose to do a retrospective of the most popular photos of caring animals that enrich the lives of PA/LTC residents.
2014 Caring Canines Featured on TV News
Congratulations to Doly and Domo and their mom Linda Kuhn from Acacia Health Center in Phoenix, AZ. Doly and Domo were chosen as the cover pups for the 2014 AMDA Foundation Caring Canines calendar. In addition to the attention they receive from their friends at the nursing facility, Doly and Domo have made appearances in both print and TV. Check out the news story on Fox 10 and the article in the North Central News.
To preview the 2014 Calendar click here. To order your calendar click here.
2013 Calendar Cover Canines Tells All
Abby, the 2013 Caring Canines and Furry Friends calendar cover dog, is more than just a pretty face. We sat down with Abby, and she shared the details of her amazing journey from drop-out pup to superstar.
2012 Caring Canines Cover Dog Receives a New Honor
Penny, a therapy do
g who visits nine facilities in her Minnesota community, is a model canine-literally. Not only did she pose for a picture that became the cover picture for the 2012 Caring Canines calendar; but more recently, she appeared on a mural of therapy dogs that visit kids and their families at the Ronald McDonald House in Rochester.
Learning Lessons about Life and Death from a Little Dog
I lost my best friend last month. Dash came to live with me when he was only 8 weeks old--just a tiny ball of fur with a squeaky little bark and a big attitude. For 10 years, he was my confidante, my faithful companion, and my protector. When he was diagnosed with cancer recently, I had to make some hard decisions. Afterwards, I realized that the way we treat our pets can teach us much about how we deal with our human loved ones at the end of life.
Four Things I Learned from My Stay in Assisted Living
My name is Bongo, and I recently spent several days in an assisted living community with my mom, who was visiting her mom, a resident there. The community, located in North Carolina, allows residents to keep pets as long as they are able to care for them. Several residents have cats, and some have dogs (mostly small dogs, probably because they require less exercise and are physically easier to manage). During my stay, I walked around with my mom; and we met several of the residents. Through these interactions, I learned four key things about people in LTC settings:
The Practitioner and the Parrot
Birds of a feather not only flock together; but in the case of Eric Tangalos, MD, CMD, and Sam B. the parrot, they also make rounds together. Sam B. and Dr. Tangalos "worked" together at Bethany Nursing Home about 15 years ago. "He would sit on my shoulder and let the wind blow in his face with outstretched wings as we moved along," said Dr. Tangalos. He added, "He had a penchant to pull out pens from my pocket, so patients thought he was assisting me." Sam also had quite a set of pipes on him. As Dr. Tangalos noted, "Even our deaf patients could 'hear' the vibrations from his squawk."