Orion was born March 1, 2020 at Guiding Eyes for the Blind; she went to Dr.P. ‘s home on April 15, 2020 with Dr.P. as her puppy raiser. Orion was released from the Guiding Eyes for the Blind program in December 2020 due to ear infections, and was adopted by Dr.P.
On 7/25/21 Orion and Laura Poleshuck become a registered Pet Partners therapy team!
Steps included
Team evaluation (from http://www.petpartnerscny.org/evaluations/):
The purpose for the evaluation is to help determine if a team is ready to be a calm, friendly, reliable team that can instill confidence in others and be a positive representative for Pet Partners. Evaluations take approximately 30 to 45 minutes and is divided into two parts, PPST and PPAT. The Pet Partners Skills test (PPST) looks at your pet’s basic good behavior skills. It is similar to the Canine Good Citizen test developed by the AKC. The Pet Partners Aptitude Test (PPAT) determines if you and your animal have the ability, capacity, desire, and potential for participating in team therapy work. It is a combination of scenarios in which the individual exercises flow from one to another. The order of the exercises allows for escalation of stressors during testing. During the PPAT, the handler and animal should interact (i.e., role play) with the evaluator and assistants as though they are people being visited at a facility. The handler should be able to work with the animal while at the same time interacting socially with the "client" (evaluator and assistants) as if on a visit. Evaluations are required every 2 years to ensure the highest standard of therapy animal teams.
For more information, please see petpartners.org/
Steps included
- The Pet Partners Handler Training Course (Laura)
- An Animal Health Screening (Orion)
- A Team Evaluation (both)- please see details below
Team evaluation (from http://www.petpartnerscny.org/evaluations/):
The purpose for the evaluation is to help determine if a team is ready to be a calm, friendly, reliable team that can instill confidence in others and be a positive representative for Pet Partners. Evaluations take approximately 30 to 45 minutes and is divided into two parts, PPST and PPAT. The Pet Partners Skills test (PPST) looks at your pet’s basic good behavior skills. It is similar to the Canine Good Citizen test developed by the AKC. The Pet Partners Aptitude Test (PPAT) determines if you and your animal have the ability, capacity, desire, and potential for participating in team therapy work. It is a combination of scenarios in which the individual exercises flow from one to another. The order of the exercises allows for escalation of stressors during testing. During the PPAT, the handler and animal should interact (i.e., role play) with the evaluator and assistants as though they are people being visited at a facility. The handler should be able to work with the animal while at the same time interacting socially with the "client" (evaluator and assistants) as if on a visit. Evaluations are required every 2 years to ensure the highest standard of therapy animal teams.
For more information, please see petpartners.org/
