@ IMH with Therapy Dog, Singapore
Well, here's the update on what I told ya in the last entry. I went to the Therapy Dog, Singapore Pet assisted therapy session at IMH. The incharge brought both his dogs, a german sheperd and a golden retriever. I was ask to handle the golden retriever. So up we went to this ward with female residents. We went around with the dogs, trying to make conversations with the residents. Some of them had been very quiet, and does not open up to other people. We try to do so with the help of the dogs. Sometimes it's easier to communicate through a dog then directly to people. However, some of the residents are afraid of dogs. What I did was, I like them stroke the back of the dog rather than the head. The teeth can be quite frightening to some people. Haha.

I realise that for pet assisted therapy, having just a obedient, friendly and likable dog is not enough. The person handling the dog and the dog must work as a team. The human must help to pull out the full potential of the dogs. Some volunteers are new and I realise it can be quite hard when you are new to the situation and don't know how to communicate with these people. Lucky for me, I'm a therapist and more or less know how to go about conversing with patients. And I'm really glad that the lady the golden retreiver and I interacted with was actually opening up very well with both me and the dog. She even sang to the golden retriever.

I see the benefits of pet/ animal assisted therapy and the potential of it. I hope in the neat future, with my knowledge in therapy and with the assistance from the wonderful companion, we can help even more people.

Animal Assisted Therapy
After I started working since graduation, I seem to forget my dreams and aspirations. Hai... how sad. And one of them is Animal Assisted Therapy. I love animals, I like being an OT (for those who know me and doesn't know what OT is, go bang your head on the wall! For those who just happened to come across McMug's blog, OT here stands for Occupational Therapist, for details as to what occupational therapists do, please visit the WFOT website). Anyway, my dream is to combine both things that I like togather. To share with the others the wonders of animals and to help them at the same time.
So I happened to know about the Therapy Dogs, Singapore (TDS) 3 years ago when I was a fresh graduate from NYP and went to one of their pet assisted therapy (PAT) session. That was the beginning of my dream of integrating Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) with Occupational Therapy. But like I mentioned earlier, what with the adapting to my new career and stuff, I forgot about my dreams. 2 years plus later, my bond with the organisation is finishing and I'm planning to go for my further studies in the field of OT. And it's with this I'm reflecting upon what I've learned and achieved so far and planning for my future. AAT came back into my mind. I wanted to go into AAT, but I don't want to just think about it and show no actions. That's always stopping me from moving forward. Too much thinking and nothing gets done.

So what has all this got to do with McMug and why am I putting it here? First I'm going to observe one of their activities this month. And secondly, since 3 years ago I didn't own a dog and 3 years later I owned McMug, I'm going to let him try for the temperament test done by the animal trainer from TDS.. Although JRT is famous for being hyperactive, McMug is one friendly and active guy who can be controlled. The first step to know animal assisted activity (AAA) better! (Difference between AAT and AAA, please go to Delta Society website) Yes, as the saying goes a thousand mile journey begins with a step.Wish me and McMug luck people. Hope he can pass the test! Ohhhh... before that, I need to get a health certificate for McMug from the Vet. hee hee