TUE, OCT 1ST @3.

04PM
Oct 01, 04:04 pm - 04:50 pm (0 Hours, 45 minutes)

ATTENDEES:
bret.wydysh@gmail.com
You know. As part of our program is different learning strategies and a capstone. On vacation. Capstone.
They have been improving debate there.
The skill. That we've learned, it's basically through our graduate studies.
So, myself, my partner Joe and a third team member, Michelle, we elected to.
To do our capstone with inner mountain therapy animals Kathy.
Had a presentation and that's what we, that's what we chose to do. Okay.
So. One of the first steps we have to do.
Developing education materials is basically a needs assessment. You figure out. What.
What is needed by the learning population and. You know, contacting subject matter experts is kind of the first step,
because we don't we don't have much content knowledge ourselves. So we need to get that from, you. Okay.
So. First. Can you tell me how you got into training animals in therapy specifically?
I think it was.
Meeting.
Caring.
Back at the time.
Great.
Wow.
Going through our workshop at the volunteering. Time, we didn't have nearly.
That we do now.
Training session would evaluate your thinking. Yeah, that's great. That's a big deal. Organization
With training.
So, they tested myself and my dog, it was a little bit shot, and they said, okay have a fit and she said. And
Then they said, okay, every day, and I said she doesn't do that.
After the attack we went on. Somebody and it turned out to be Kathy Clark.
Took me out and said, well, you have a very nice dog, but we can't pass you tonight. And I guess. What do you
mean? You can't pass me I should've known what was going to be. On the test. And
So.
Okay. Um, another choice.
So, I then went on to take the workshop.
Trained my dog.
She passed the test the second time.
And that was in nineteen, ninety eight. So, I am now on my fourth. There'll be talk and I just basically. I went into the
office and said, okay, this is where I want to be. So, I started volunteering in the office and then I became a workshop
instructor. I eventually moved from me back up to both men.
Okay, great.
So, tell me in your opinion.
How. Friends
From other organizations.
Organizations that do the same thing we do.
Yes. Yes. So there's others there. Okay.
Okay, I am not as familiar with the other organizations, but I know. Do
We test every two years? And I know. Does that. That
Used to be the delta society. I don't know if any other organization does that.
I don't know, because I said, I know some do not, but I can't speak for all of them. We do not.
Except. Course
For a workshop. We insist that we meet the people first. We do Pre workshop interviews. We gauge the interest. And
to the commitment and visibility of the dog. Before we. Basically, accept them into the training program, and it saves
them time and money. If it's not gonna work out for them. Then
We have the workshop, we have the evaluation, we then have a required orientation. We do hold meetings meetings.
Here every other month I try to have a guest speaker. That is relevant to people working with Adam. If we just had
Marilyn, who is. Practice
Slash. Acupuncturist for dogs.
I've had people I've had trainers.
I have something interesting. For the volunteers to come. The
Meetings.
There. In terms of ongoing training.
That's a little bit of it. There's only so much people are willing to do.
It's always. Always.
Challenge ticket tiers to continue. I know we have a really pretty good rate of people who do retest after two years.
Excuse me.
The statistics initially that Delta society, I can't quote them to you. I'm sure. Kathy, could the people who did not have
a local supporting.
And who to retest, or not request a free signup.
You know, I'm I'm in Bozeman. We now have a chapter in Hannah.
Wrestling running right? But prior to about three or four years ago, we were the only ones that would have people
come from. Great. And
I would not see them again after two years.
You know, it's hard to do it on. Yeah. Yeah. It really is. I think that's the beauty. Organization is that we try to support
that number as much as we can, especially. Awesome.
So getting into the members.
Qualities you look for in a potential volunteer. I know you mentioned commitment level.
Yeah, yeah.
Willingness to learn.
The way they treat their. Much work, they do. Looks
At that, and that's pretty obvious when you sit down and talk to them.
A lot of it is, you don't want to volunteer that goes into visit somebody.
So, what we look for is, is there. Interest. And meeting other people and exploring other people.
We do a lot of that in the workshop. We talk a lot about that in the workshop. No, it's not just about you. That's not just
about your dog.
So. Time commitment is expensive initially. We've also found that the few times in the past we've.
I want to say.
Scholarship.
Somebody.
It's never worked out. Okay. People it's perceived value.
Pay for it, they don't think they need to convert as much energy and commitment to us. Okay. Really? So we don't we
don't do that.
So, let's see.
Opinion on what kind of prerequisite knowledge you want those teams to have for. They start the process of
becoming a team.
I want to say prerequisite, say prerequisite training.
It can be emotional.
Educational.
The therapy Eco, I guess now they're, they're having a bunch of them. Right. That's a degree, but. By the time we
see them the people who want to take the workshops. We don't do the training of the animals. They need to already
be. Appropriate. Their basic of beauty and skills.
Most people.
Come see us a little bit on trend book.
Loving a year and a half laugh.
And.
Come see me in two years.
Needs to grow up basically. Yes. Have you read through.
Information we send out to volunteers, I've gone through the majority of the information.
The volunteer section of the website. Yes. Yeah, and I think that. Detail and hopefully people read it.
Yeah. Everybody
Knows they read it.
Well, and I think that's kinda one of our goals is to take some of that information and. Repackage in a way so they
kinda have to go through it in a little more depth.
So. Because having looked at it.
Like, the one of the PDFs was was pretty expensive and.
I think that.
Thinking, what's that?
No, no, I, I think the information is fantastic.
I just think the presentation might be, we might be able to play with the presentation of a little bit to make it a little
easier to go through.
And that's one of the things we're kind of exploring it's just kinda like, okay, how can we present this in another way?
So, I was, I was pleased to see that several of the books that I own appeared on the reading list.
I adopted a secretary terrier about ten years ago. And I'm sorry, a staff retired terrier.
Sure. Okay. And I. I spent a very great amount of time training him with a local dog trainer and.
Came on the recommendation of another trainer in the area who happens to own his brother.
Oh, nice. Yeah, and his brother was actually trained by that trainer as a service dog.
Because she broke her back or needed back surgery and so she before she did that, she trained him to do things for
her. And, yeah. It was just those both of those trainers recommended reading to me above and beyond the training
that they helped me do with him. And so I was really, pleasantly surprised to see some of those. Those materials also
mentioned on site.
Yeah, I'm looking at it now. You have. So, don't shoot the dog. Which
I have. I've read several times and I've gifted that book at least three times to other dog owners. Is that Patricia? Yes.
Okay, yeah, she's great. And then dog sense.
It's a wonderful book. I gave my books to my my groupmates so they could review the material.
Right. Right.
Yeah, yeah, I've been a convert for a long time now. I didn't have it any other way. Nice
I still have to we still worked on the springs and his feet when he meets new people.
But he's a very well behaved dog.
See, now he's ten, I think. Wow, I got an arrow. He was five to six months old. Oh.
Okay. Little
Poppy. Yeah. So.
Kind of building on what you just told me about. The knowledge question. What
Qualities do you look for. In the team are there, can you build on that? A little more. Screening.
Screening.
I like to see. a person who.
Relationship with her dog, treats it cheerfully.
Response looks to her for her, usually because ninety nine percent.
For q. And. You know, I'd like to see. We
Just had, um, I have a workshop coming up in another ten days.
We just had some interviews in the last few weeks.
The quintessential retriever. big lots. just sat there during the night.
His person and yet read it directly to the other people.
That's. get that.
Sometimes you'll have a dog who. needs a little bit of work but i look at the handler and i see the hammer is
committed. Adam wants to do the right thing ask the right questions do the right training yeah. I tend to pass that
team. Okay. I don't do the workshops that frequently. I do them about every eight months here.
So, I don't want the person to get frustrated and have to wait.
But sometimes when I'm doing the testing. And I have a gut feeling. About not wanting to pass that buck.
It's hard to explain gut feelings. Something will usually come up that will allow me to not pass the animal.
The team. Usually.
Maybe it's.
Down and come during the test and that's that's one of the hardest things. People are nervous. Pick up on it. And
that's where you'll see. An animal. And the personal.
Huh. But
He's not. And he won't be.
Right. So. Because that needs to be comfortable. In other places. Usual
Place yes, they will get better, but there's always going to be that initial time that they're calling for right now. Right.
So.
When I meet the dog for the first time, and the person. Yeah.
Savvy the person is. And with the concept of caring and much willingness, she has to spend the time and spend the
money. Cause it is a commitment, right? Does
That answer the question? Yes, that's absolutely perfect. Thank you. Some
Of the. One of the things you said, kind of provided answers to other questions.
Let's see.
Anything more specific you can tell me about what you look for in the volunteer other than what you just told me.
Okay.
Sometimes.
People and. You know. And it really. Correct.
Okay. Workshop at the beginning, but we run around saying, well, how did you know about this? I met Nancy and.
This
Thing with NASA and so, but now for the most part. It was just a little side. For
The first time. Sometimes I spoken to them sometimes I emailed them.
Is.
Two.
Maybe the way they're dressed. Fact that the animals clean.
I have never been. Her golden retriever and the golden retriever have a little high color. And she said. I thought he
should be appropriately. The interview. And.
Roman wonderful God, and they turned out to be a great volunteer team. As someone who takes it seriously like that.
Maybe a little bit. Lindsay.
Okay, and how about the job. What qualities do you look for in the dog? Hit
The thirty.
To want to engage with me right?
And a lot of meet me and what I, what I do is we do our interviews. Bookstore.
We will. Back in the area, and there are people that go. We'll ask some time to ask them to take a dog. That person.
To see how.
Rocky animal to be. Right. And
Obviously it's going to respond to it sooner, but I want to. To
Me, I usually do an interview with one another. Person I wanted to meet bait and engage with me.
Yeah, I don't want it jumping on me.
Give you an example of someone we just interviewed.
Sean, I'm partial to the shot. My first two therapy. Yes.
I do. Okay. And so of course, I was already without even having talks. Oh, yes. With
Cute friendly. Then she showed me a trick or something with a treat. After that. Not come near me. It was not
interested. Interacting
With me with my colleague. It was a treat. To
Engage with the. Huh. Two different dogs here.
We do go into great detail about the use of treats during visits because it can ruin a lot of therapy dogs. Oh, yeah.
That
If you crash. May not get the dog back.
For example, my second.
Be shot. Very
Trade oriented.
She, I wasn't watching her for about a year. Become less and less engaged. That
Turned out to be our last visit. I put her on somebody's lap. She jumped off, I put her next to them on the couch. She
moved away. I
Put her hand down. Said sorry, Casey, I don't have any treats. I got turned around and walked away.
She was great.
She was great.
I now have a second standard poodle with my first standard poodle. We would go to school. Reprogram.
We're finished, we would go down the stairs to the principals about this, or the secretary would give him a treat. It got
to the point where he started dragging me down the stairs.
Somehow.
Right on my knees.
These two boys came over.
Are you okay? Cool.
Switch there.
I'm sorry, I digressed on that.
That's right where trades can be. A blessing. So
You have to be so careful. So.
Okay, so that. I did not suggest you take the workshop.
Because again, she had two different dogs I thought that was interested. Care less. And
I have other people whose dogs, you know, they've got. Wonderful. To them. The
Dog. Is just way too much into other ducks.
I mean, they can, they obviously have a dog now, but no, if everybody had left every dog. I'm
Having. She's a little bit too ambitious. She hasn't been a therapy dog that long. And she's distracted, she's active.
About
Your talk jumping up.
They say no problem. So, yeah, I looked at dot com and appropriate and truly wants to meet people.
Nice polite way to.
Going to be golden retrievers.
I know that. Every dog.
Every bleed had, it has its. Characteristics
My older pool who is now retired. Was more reserved. We
Used to visit at the hospital and people around us. Hit because at that point, the thing.
But then when we'd be in the cancer center, he would let anybody. He
Didn't rush off, he didn't give kisses he gave though he never would have thought of jumping in his life. Very different,
but yet he was a very good therapy dog. He was a wonderful dog. The
Only time he ever mixed with little boys ears.
My mind will look everybody, but me.
Yeah.
Everyone's that's interesting. Yeah. Every, once in a while, I may have some salt on my list of seven. He might, but
she usually doesn't at all.
And. You really answered I was gonna ask you.
Like, how do you conduct the interview and you really just you answered that and. The last question. So, it's always
in a bookstore that you hold your interviews.
Because I used to work there. It's a good central place.
This year.
It works, there's distractions, there's. For a lot of the dogs.
So, yeah, it makes perfect sense. Yeah, and it could be anywhere. Complaint years ago I held them in my bed.
Because they have a nice staff from upstairs. But that's not fair. Right.
That way, there's no marrying credit. Yeah. That's right so right. Yeah. What dog is not nervous at that.
Correct. Is
There anything else that you do with these animals? During the interviews that you haven't mentioned yet. Show
Me the dance. I asked them to. Around. I
Also talk about, we send out.
Sheet.
I talk about it with them, you know, this is the workshop. This is the evaluation. This is the orientation. These are the
steps and the costs. Make sure that they know what the steps and costs are.
Answer any questions they have.
Dynamics learned with the dogs.
Um, and I'll get a little rough because that's what we do in the evaluation. Horribly rough and I never hook the. Trying
to scare the animal, but I just want to see. Steady.
They are.
Okay. And maybe retreat.
No, but it's always a half that interview. Sure. That makes perfect sense. Find
Out about the person's background.
Training made.
So, but that's fine. Yeah. How much how much.
Yeah, I've never been downtown.
So.
Uh, that's that's gonna be different for them. Right?
How how well did they adjust to that? So
That's fantastic.
Well, Nancy, I think you have satisfied all of my questions. Oh, good. Yeah. Good. Really. I just want to really try to
develop a. Sure of basically your point of view of the process.
From.
And how you encounter people who have already filled out their self assessment and.
Have prepared for the interview.
Right and we did not yes to do it.
We started doing interviews.
Years ago.
I'm not positive of the date.
Huge difference. In terms of.
Getting to the workshops, and also how many people are passing evaluation. Huge difference. Awesome.
Yeah. There was one piece of advice you could give anybody who wanted to be.
Use their dogs, as part of the therapy dog team, what would it be? Wow.
One thing I would say. Satisfying things.
Right.
You need to believe that your doc is really going to enjoy it.
So many. People who want to do it.
And that's a tough one. That's a tough one. But if the dog is not gonna enjoy it, you're not gonna try it. Yeah. So. I
Need to really believe that that.
Know yourself as well.
Yeah. Very clear.
Okay. Give you another example. Twenty two years at various dogs.
Standard. We would go to the cancer center. We're usually there. Most
Of it. About an hour. It's fifteen minutes. Looking at. Walking out the door. It's like it's a, it's a therapist. He would have
done after fifty, fifty minutes. Interesting. Yeah, yeah, I just. This
Plastic distress thing here. Are you familiar with that? No. It's.
Shooting it now.
Universities in the country. Contacted by the state university library probably seven or eight years ago. And during
finals. For
Two weeks, you know, the week of the week, and then the week of finals, just as the stress for the students. And it
was hugely popular. The students loved it. The relevant styles. People that would.
Those two weeks. And so it's really cool. I mean, you know, you might have two or three teams sitting.
Separated. Students around them. Just taking a break from studying and visiting with each other talking.
Thirteen sixteen hands on the dogs at any given time.
This time we were scheduled for two hours.
Three minutes.
Now.
So. and after that we would go for an out of perfect so you need to know your dog need to respect.
Parameters.
Amazing. thank you so much kathy.
Sorry no thank you this is this has been perfect absolutely thank you. i'm sorry nancy. okay.
I've had a variety of notes up on my computer's last name.
I looked at. Okay.
Okay. That's.
Hearing how this goes. And you'll probably hear for sure.
This whole semester is mostly. Planning stages for us as far as.
Research and. Trying to figure out what we're gonna do. And then our next semester will be design and that's when
we'll be going into. More the hands on of. Just
Creating all the content. So.
If you need any more information. Feel free to contact me. Thank you, Nancy. I really appreciate that. Any
Resources are good resources for us.
Obviously, I love the program I've looked at for years.
About it. Well, that's wonderful because that's what we need.
Good, but we just want to make sure that whatever we deliver on the other end is. In line with. These
Beliefs and. Core values and we want to make sure that serves. The clients of the handlers and their dogs. Well.
Great I appreciate that.
Kathy will let, you know. Pretty
Much.
Everything.
Yeah, she is the heart and soul of the organization.
And never tell you, she is. One
More thing before you go and this is yes, this is just more informational for me. You
Have a document that you kinda that you filled out during these, these, your interviews to kinda. Keep things in mind,
or you just kinda do it all in your head.
Yeah. It's not really a document. It's just. Pretty
Simple. No name date.
And then I just fill in my observations. Okay. Who
Does. It's really nice to have two people. Sure. So, yeah, so you can kind of feed off each other and she'll do the
same. Okay. Perfect yeah, and before we used to tell people right away.
Okay.
Um, and then the other rooms. Retriever, I told you about, I felt no need to wait. Detail, but I probably should have.
Just to keep it consistent, but now.
Twelve people. A few days, and I think that's what they do, which makes more sense. For the first time, actually. This
time.
There are two or three that were.
You just didn't know.
It was so hard to determine.
We ask them to come back for a second interview.
No, she's not going to, which was fine. That was the shot I told you about. The other two.
One of them same thing and it was.
The second run was weird.
There was a mother daughter. Mother. At the top. It was good. It was perfect. It
Will be interesting to see what happens.
Because we said, yes to them.
And that's the first time I've ever asked somebody to come back. Okay. That's funny. Yeah, I was just about to say,
you know.
How do you if a dog doesn't pass their first interview, can you do let them know to come back and then you go ahead
and you answer for me, which is fantastic. Yes.
Or no. Okay. We ask them to come back a few days later. Ask them to come back. Workshop time.
Right.
A lot of energy. Ask them maybe next time, right? I will do another interview with you and that's happened. This was
the first time I asked him to come back three days later. Okay. Okay. Yeah. For this because this workshop.
Usually it's for a future workshop.
Awesome. Okay. We got that straight. Yes.
Just popped into my head. You think that, as part of the Pre interview materials.
Like, with the self assessment that they do.
Do you think it'd be wise to.
Communicate to them that if their dog doesn't pass the initial assessment interview with that, the future, they may be
able to.
Yeah.
Sure.
Sure. Yes. It was a possibility. But it really depends on. Okay. I felt the dog would not be appropriate for this one.
So you may you may be getting yourself into more of a can of worms. Okay if you open that up. Sure, sure. And this
is exactly why we do the interviews because. Hadn't asked that question I wouldn't have that answer and I might put
some information in there and wouldn't be good.
Yeah, because we can determine that at the interview.
Right? Exactly. Yeah. Okay. Awesome. Well, thank you very much. Nancy. I really, really appreciate the time. No, it's
not. Thank
You so much.
Bye bye.
That was tested.