Help Kids & Rescue Dogs
Having a dog can provide a child with many benefits. He or she can experience the special bond of affection that exists between a pet and a child. In addition, the child often learns to be more responsible as he or she cares for the pet.
We all know that many pets are destroyed each year because there are not enough good homes to go around, homes that provide a great deal of love and caring for an animal. But a good home also requires a fair bit of money. Even basic routine veterinary care has become expensive and may be out of reach for many families. If the animal becomes sick or injured, these expenses become even more prohibitive. At the same time, millions of animals that would make loving pets perish each and every year.
The aim of The Ananda & Johnny Program is to find good homes for such animals by pairing a companion dog of suitable temperament and size with a particular child. In addition, the child and his or her family must be involved at other levels. The child and dog should participate in a program of obedience training.
Perhaps they could be involved in a training program for therapy dogs. Therapy dogs are privately owned pets. After the training, the dogs and children can visit such places as hospitals, including pediatric hospitals, and nursing homes. This will be of great benefit both to those hospitalized and The Ananda and Johnny child. Other possible activities for dog and child are being explored.
The Ananda and Johnny program began with a small seed money grant from Human Rights for Women, Inc. Now that we are a non-profit corporation, we plan to find families through the Children’s Aid Society, which will publicize the program among their families. Our clinical psychologist will test the children for an increase in self-esteem, empathy, sense of civic duty and sense of responsibility. Social workers will screen families to see if they can provide suitable adoptive homes; a school of social work will provide an intern to make home visits in order to ensure that the dogs and adoptive families are doing well. The ASPCA is providing us with dog friendly space for meetings. Finally, a rescue group will help us locate and temperament-test dogs.
So far, we have been able to rely on volunteer help. But much remains to be done. We need to hire an experienced dog trainer to help with both the basic obedience training, and training beyond the basics. We need supplies for the families and vets to provide care for the dogs. We need cash donations. We need your help.