THERA-PAWS is a group of dedicated local volunteers who team up with their dogs to provide emotional support, education and other aid to various groups. We visit schools, especially concentrating on those children with handicaps, we visit nursing homes to help bring warmth and smiles, Alzheimer units to help with memory, and various other skilled nursing and occupational and physical therapy facilities as well. Our chapter has a wide array of dogs, from Great Danes to Yorkies, and a variety of skilled volunteers, from therapists and counselors, to experienced dog trainers and multi-talented moms & homemakers.

This chapter has recently (2004) changed Directors. Dina Whitehouse, a certified TDI Evaluator & long-term therapy dog handler now runs the El Paso. Each year for a decade (before relocating), the former Chapter Director (& Certified TDI Evaluator), JP Yousha, gave a lab to the College of Heatlh Sciences about the use of animals in various therapy situations, attends the various health fairs to sponsor a booth on animal therapy, and she is also often invited to give lectures to a variety of local groups on the value of therapy and assistance animals. Dina Whitehouse will continue this work in the El Paso area, while JP Yousha will help out in the Permian Basin region (of West Texas). There is quite a bit of data that has accumulated to reinforce what we all intuit: that pets can make many people lives better in many different ways. We in THERA-PAWS share our beloved pets (properly groomed, trained, insured and registered) with others, in the hopes a little of their special qualities can bring some joy to those we meet. For more information on the parent organization; email is: tdi@gti.net and url is: www.tdi-dog.org. For a long list of resources, click here. Some more data on AAT is provided here. TDI ALSO PROVIDES A NATIONAL TRAINING PROGRAM FOR DISASTER RELIEF DOGS.

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