For as long as I can remember, I have always had this overwhelming love for being around and working with animals. My parents were never really animal enthusiasts, but they did allow both my sister and I to bring the stray’s home and make them our pets. Growing up we had animals of all kinds - cats, dogs, birds, horses - you name it. I guess growing up in a houseful of pets has lead me to where I am today - living in a houseful of pets. A lot of people I meet ask if I am married or have kids, and I usually respond with "I have kids of the furry persuasion". Usually a chuckle ensues, but most people don’t really understand what having a pet as a companion can be like. Sure, they have the family dog who has a fenced back yard and a dog house to sleep in, but most don’t take that extra step and allow their pets to become a part of the family. To some, the fact of having your dog or cat sleep in your bed is just too much - with the hair, the slobber - whatever. So why is it every night when I curl up in bed, all 4 of my "kids" jump right in with me? For me, they are my security blankets. They expect nothing from me but a pat on the rump and to be told "good doggy" or "nice kitty". These animals, at least mine, just want to know I will feed them, love them and give them a home. In response, they give me so much more in return. I get companionship and love, but I also have an avenue to release pent up stress and anxiety that the world brings to me everyday (this is of course through being with them, petting them, etc). By just sitting with Mona at my feet or petting Patton on the back, I just cant help but smile and begin to feel the worldly horrors start to fade away. Nothing really seems so horrid when I have a soft furry "child" within my reach. They also have this keen seventh sense that lets them know when I need for them to just be a quiet soul sitting with me when I am upset. I find myself at times just laying with Mona on the bed and just thinking about how life would be without having her or any of my animals in my life. Each one brings something special to the table that is unique and helpful to me in one way or another. It’s basically a partnership between me and them that seems so uneven. They expect so little from us, and they end up giving me so much more in return. So, after stating all of this, it is no wonder that I did my master thesis on the effects of pet therapy. At the time (a whopping 4 years ago!), a lot of people were still unsure about the whole pet therapy business. Most felt it was too much work and that someone would have to clean up behind them. Hospital situations were even more difficult to think about using animals in. What would happen with keeping the environment sterile when a dog hair could be set free!? So within the information, I found that very few people utilized pet therapy in any type of a situation. The little that was being done was proving to be very successful, but the stereotypes of pets being unsanitary stopped many in their quests to help people. A nursing home in New York was established that was basically the first place to use pets in a therapy type setting. When home was up and running, they used a wide variety animals (including children) that were in abundance throughout the home. Fish tanks, dogs, cats, birds - you name it! Critics would say that these tactics would have detrimental effects, but the research proved them wrong. The patients AND the staff accepted these animals as an integral part of their program - and enjoyed it. The issues that were of concerns (cleaning up, walking a dog) all went to the wayside and were not considered a problem by the staff - they just felt it was part of life. The even more amazing thing was how the patients responded. I know with my love of animals, the last thing I could imagine would be to have to go into a home and not be able to take my animals with me. What would be the point? Since they have been such a large part of my life, why should I be denied them in my golden years? The thought of it just frightens me! After this nursing home set the precedent, many different program popped up all over. Animals have been used in almost every type of situation as tools to help bring people out of their shells - either mentally or physically. Utilizing animals in burn units, schools, reading programs - you name it, animals can fill it. In my opinion, animals are such a calming influence on people. You could go into all the medical research about what animals do for us - such as decrease heart rate - but basically - animals make us feel better! I don’t need a medical doctor telling me that my stress reduces when I pet Mona or listen to my horse breathe into my ear. I know what it feels like to be calmed and content! I guess because I have a higher level of anxiety than most people, this is probably one of the reasons I have so many pets. Once I graduated from my masters - I thought long and hard about what I wanted to do with me new-fangled counseling degree. I had my mind made up! I was going to become a junior high counselor. What could be a more perfect job for me? I already work with the age group population - so the transition was to be a fine one. It kept me connected to students - yet allowed me to pursue my dreams of helping people. It all should have been a smooth sail from the point I graduated. But, we all know that planning is great, but life takes us on a different path. 2 years passed and I was not where I had planned to be. Life threw a bunch of things at me, which is a normal occurrence in anyone’s life, and before long, panic city. So, for almost a year - the stress of life caused me to have horrible panic attacks. I could go on and on about it, but it is now a part of my history. I don’t mind talking about it, but that is not the point of this writing. What IS a point here is how I managed to climb out of the shadows and return to an inkling of my normal self. In the midst of it - I thought for sure I would never be "normal" again - and had come to terms with what was happening and said OK! I will adapt and allow this to be a part of me. I guess the universe said that I needed to fix things, because it sent me a horse named Patton. To make a long story short - he helped me and I helped him. I fell in love at first site. I ended up spending more and more time with him, and my black cloud began to lift. I didn’t do much with him at this time - except spend time with him. We basically spent most of the summer just hanging out and kind of taking care of each other. The panic began to subside, and things returned to normalcy. During this past summer, I also watched a summer camp program that dealt with kids and horses. It was basically in tandem with what Patton and I were doing. It was the most amazing thing to watch! There was one kid in particular that reminded me so much of the population I teach. She was a goofy little girl who had no confidence in herself. She was awkward, rude, yet completely willing to do what she could to stay at the camp. The twist with her was she was also bi-polar. This put a kink in to the summer program, but luckily I work with these kids almost exclusively, so I basically took her under my wing. This really wasn’t needed after too long. The change in this girl from the first day to the last was like two different people. By the end of the camp she was walking tall and acting like she had accomplished something. Of course she was the same girl who would most likely fall back in to old habits once school began again - but she will always take with her that accomplishment of what she did at horse camp. Of course I can take NO credit for it (not that I would) because a horse named Taz was responsible for boosting her soul. I really hope she will remember how great it was at camp - and not think of it as a "counseling" type time. I hope she will just remember that she cantered Taz, and that made her feel GREAT! After the summer - I realized that this is a HUGE opportunity. I saw that pet therapy really truly works (for me and kids) and it does not take much to help a child in need. I understand that this is not a cure all for everything (although I wish it were), but it can help and DOES work. So, my mind started turning. I took what I learned and saw -both with my changes and those with the kids - and decided that what I really wanted was to intertwine the two things I am passionate about together - kids and animals. The epiphany struck and I knew I wanted to use horses to help kids in need. Of course at first I had huge plans to do every type of EAT. I wanted to help both mentally and physically challenged kids and use horses to give them self confidence! When reality sunk in, I realized I should focus on a smaller scale of what I know best. Since then my goal has been to define exactly what I would like to do. I want to see more successes like that of the girl and Taz. I focused my population to kids and realized its an untapped market to help these kids with special needs to gain self confidence and to give them that warm fuzzy feeling I can get laying around with the dogs or the cats or the horses. It doesn’t have to be a stuffy junior high counseling office with group sessions and direct questions (not that these are bad!) coming at you from every way. This could be FUN and could be as simplistic as picking up a hoof. That may not seem like much, but when a shy boy is able to move a large animal who is trusting him, this is HUGE! The littlest things that these kids can do with these magnificent animals can help so much - and can be something no one can give them but the horse. When adding responsibility to the mix, who can say that isn’t beneficial to anyone? Most kids who come out to take a lesson or two, generally get the horse bug and want to do it everyday. With the way kids work, this means they will pester and pester until you take them to see Patton or Taz or whoever. Before long they are spending all their time with them. What are they doing during this time? Usually manual labor, but they are also learning what it is like to have something in their care. The horses require little, but they also must have it in order to give back - hence how responsibility can be built. The relationship that builds through this is what is ultimately the most important thing. Kids at this age are dealing with so many cruel and negative elements, isn’t it about time they have something reliable? So -t his is my story. Its short and to the point in conjunction with how lengthy I can normally get!!!!