That hard work is paying off!

We are happy to share the photos of the children who were able to run in today's Paws & Effect Summer Sizzler NADAC dog agility trial! These children have worked hard and overcome some very significant obstacles.



For many of the children who participated today, just being in public is an achievement on its own.

You'll see from the pictures some genuine smiles coming from children who are often at odds with the world. For those of us who volunteer with Paws & Effect, capturing the children at their very best is rewarding in incomprehensible ways.

We know with assurance that two of the children have significantly shortened lifespans; several others have made such dramatic improvement it is hard to recall the difficulty with which they started their journey with us.

For just a few minutes today, we lived in the present and had the joy of experiencing the very best life has to offer. 

While those minutes are fleeting, the memories will last forever for both the children, their families and the dog handlers.

If ever we lived up to our motto, today we really did take a moment and make a difference!

Summer Sizzler is this weekend!

Paws & Effect Summer Sizzler Agility Trial

August 9 - 10, 2008
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Raccoon River Park
West Des Moines, IA
PDF of Directions

Judge - Matt McCarter Overland Park, KS

ENTRIES OPEN June 16, 2008

ENTRIES CLOSE 8:00 AM, August 9, 2008

Summer Fun Run

You know that being outside is a refreshing change to those indoor facilities. We had a crowd of on lookers develop that were just passing by on the Raccoon River Park trail system. We even had a few new handlers give agility a go and had great success. Congratulations to all that gave it a shot. We are finding that the dogs are getting better at handling the great outdoors and all it has to offer. 

Part of the overall experience is getting to know what it takes to up on a fun run. One of those items is the joyous times we have picking up and returning the rental truck that carries the tons of sandbags and equipment from our storage facility to the park. We have gotten to know the rental system all together too well. We have learned that you can't rent a truck for more then a day on the first and last weekend of the month and when ever else they decide that the need more trucks for all the reservations they have. Quite the system that they have. We have learned that you must make light of the stagnantly long lines and horrible waits while the staff checks in the vehicles at the same time they are trying to prep and check out the same vehicles. At the same time they are juggling the million questions on the million phone calls that they get by those who don't know the system. We could be a support base but don't really want to provide that kind of social work to the community.

It was a good show and great times.

Pet Partner Training Course - St. Lukes Part Two

Our biggest Pet Partner class to date. It shows that Delta's Pet Partner program is catching on and people are showing interest in the common goal of making people's lives better whether it be just a smile or giving them the motive to take that first step in recovery and applying guidelines of common practice in the process. The group had plenty of experience with AAA and AAT at St. Lukes hospital. Some have been visiting for several years to those who are just getting into it. This helped us keep the two day training course rich with personal and practical experiences. This class of St. Lukes volunteers was paid for through an endowment at the hospital. We all thank them for providing us the facility, breakfast, lunches and the opportunity to get to know one another. Helk, I even met a former Rocket, a clown and so many others that all bring interesting backgrounds and reason for wanting to provide therapeutic animal sessions. Not often do you see so many people want, and I mean really want, to share themselves and their dogs to brighten the day for others.

Let it be clear that some went into the weekend with reservations about the Pet Partner Program and clearly we all hit it out of the ball park. Great networking and resources were tapped and smiles of the non-dog related therapeutic sort were provided by many. Animal training tips and handling skills were reviewed which will all make us better at what we share in common.

Chris Montross kicked off the house keeping on Saturday morning that set the stage for the next fourteen and a half hours of learning. As with many seminars you tend to get started a few minutes late as people trickle in for whatever reason. Let it be known that all the attendees were on time if not 30 minutes early. This speaks tons for the eagerness of the group to get to know more about the human-animal bond. If there is any question out there as to filling a two day training course, this group showed us that not only will they participate but they would recommend that others do as well. We wrapped up the weekends events with some clicker training and service dog techniques show and tell by none other then our Catahula Leapord, Cadence. In the process of getting her to do one thing she nailed a skill that we most likely couldn't have captured without her offering it up to us. It was rewarded and has now become part of her skills repertoire. This skill was accomplished in less then 10 mintues!

As everyone learned, you can teach any dog new tricks!

Thanks for the great weekend and positive feedback. Looking forward to a long and successful future with this group.

A painting on "American Gothic" on the side of the barn just outside of Cedar Rapids.

Pet Partner Training Course - St. Luke - Part One

A historical set-up to success.
This story started a ways back at one of our other Pet Partner training courses. It was a memorable class for several reasons. One, we were disappointed by the numbers that had interest in taking the time to understand the animal-human bond in the Des Moines area. The gloom was short lived as the four attendees had more then a great deal of interest in the field of Animal Assisted Therapy.

So for the second point, each were professionals in professional fields and brought as much to our experience as be were able to provide back to them. One had traveled down from the Mayo Clinic, another came to us from Iowa city and she was using this course to boost her PHD thesis, she was studying and documenting the effects of AAT on teams in a literacy program, one was formerly with FEMA and had experience a great deal of knowledge of adversity. As the count would have it I did mention there were four in this class.

We were struggling with the idea of only having three for the class that day and dealing with the amount of time it takes to train three, the financial cost of hosting this for only three. We have already invested a great deal of money in our Des Moines dog programs and had a difficult time deciding were we needed to cut our losses financially. We (my wife and I) discussed canceling the course until we could get more interest. The final person was someone that had contacted us late in the week and expressed an especially enthusiastic interest in animal assisted therapy. This person was Chris Montross. How could you turn that down. She was bubbly and you could tell by the tone of her voice, she shared the same passion for others as we do.

We couldn't and honestly cancel the class, we didn't want to disappoint anyone that has the interest.

I could go on and on about everyone there that day but the one person that really stood out was this Chris person. Let me tell you that I haven't ever met a real live clown. No really, she mentioned it in the opening and I couldn't let it go. As a matter of a fact, she was so excited the class was the weekend that it was as it might have interfered with the clown training up on Lacrosse Wisconsin. that she was so interested in. No matter what the topic being discuss she had a new idea or direction to add to the already overwhelming amount of material. No matter when she chimed in those two days, everyone listened intently. Her vast knowledge of the medical field was precise and vast. She announced that she was thinking about initiating a full Delta program at St Lukes Hospital in Cedar Rapids. OK, one last point from me was the week following we received a hand written Thank You note that was so eloquently and beautifully written. This struck me as an outstanding.

From Nicole:

Since that class, Chris and I have spoken regularly. She wanted to put together a succession plan to ensure that the program she had started would always be present at the hospital. And we wanted to address risk management issues that would be alleviated by making sure everybody had a volunteer liability policy separate from the volunteer homeowner's coverage. I can't tell you how many hours we've spent putting this together. And Chris was always the voice of enthusiasm, despite many obstacles. The hospital covered the costs for their volunteers and we managed to recruit three more people from the local community. Seventeen total! SEVENTEEN! WOW! Despite recent floods, the combining of St. Luke's and Mercy after the floods, difficulty in finding a hotel room and my oversight in planning this course on the same weekend that RAGBRAI started, we pulled it off. And it was our best course yet.

Let me tell you as I am telling everyone that we are the lucky ones that Chris took the time to search out our Pet Partner training. She brings so much. She brings so much! St Lukes Hospital is exceptionally lucky that she is behind the surge to excellence with their Pet Partner Program.

St. Lukes - Cedar Rapids

Heading over out to Cedar Rapids for our largest Pet Partner training course to date. We are thrilled to be able to help St. Lukes establish a Delta Society Pet Partner program. The enthusiasm we have received has been overwhelming. Thats not to say there wasn't a few speed bumps along the road but that is understandable. St. Luke's has had a Animal program for years and this opportunity to structure the program around Delta's standards and will take them down new avenues. 

July Fun Run

If you haven't experience the world of agility and have been itching to get into the sport (note: I called it a sport) then head on over to Canine Craze's indoor facility July 26, 2008. We will be running NADAC-style courses and it is open to all breeds of canine. Lamas are welcome and we would love to see them run. 

Come and give it a try, learn what NADAC is all about and help support our community effort through Paws & Effect's Animal Assisted Therapy programs.

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Mark of Distinction

Paws and Effect is a finalist for Markham Vineyard's Mark of Distinction grant of $25,000. This grant would help our agility program expand. Your vote could help determine the winner.

You are invited to go to www.markhammarkofdistinction.com and vote for Paws and Effect today!
You may vote once per day through July 21.

Please follow the link to vote and encourage your friends to do the same!

Summer Sizzler

Paws & Effect Summer Sizzler Agility Trial

August 9 - 10, 2008
Download the Premium

Raccoon River Park
West Des Moines, IA
PDF of Directions

Judge - Matt McCarter Overland Park, KS

ENTRIES OPEN June 16, 2008

ENTRIES CLOSE 8:00 AM, August 9, 2008

June R.E.A.D Workshop

Paws & Effect was pleased to host a workshop FREE (well nothing is really free) to all of the current members. We filled up the workshop with teams from all over the state on Sunday June 8th. Despite the heavy storms, sheets of rain, damaging winds and flooded basements of our homes we braved it all to learn more what the program materials could offer. The event was hosted in the new addition of The Integer Group's Butler Mansion. What a fantastic learning opportunity and fantastic facility. 

We also hosted several Pet Partner evaluations in the morning to the success of everyone who participated. Having evaluated several of the Pet Partners, I am amazed at the level of handling skills these teams exhibited. Congratulations to all that were involved.