GILDA RADNER ONCE SAID, “I THINK DOGS ARE THE MOST AMAZING CREATURES; THEY GIVE UNCONDITIONAL LOVE. FOR ME, THEY ARE THE ROLE MODEL FOR BEING ALIVE.” THIS STATEMENT RINGS TRUE IN THE CASE OF BALTIMORE RESIDENT STEPHANIE COOPER-GREENBERG, WHO KNEW THAT HER FOUR-LEGGED FRIENDS WOULD MATURE TO BE MORE THAN TYPICAL HOUSEHOLD PETS.
Two years ago Stephanie decided that her two Dalmatians were not going to lie around on the sofa all day. 
While most dogs provide unconditional love to their owners, Stephanie wanted her dogs to be different — she realized that the love her dogs provide could make a difference in the lives of so many others, especially children with special needs.
Stephanie trained her dogs, Mattilda and Willamina, to become therapy dogs. Therapy dogs are trained to provide love, assist with normalization and hospital adjustment and encourage increased motivation and participation to people with special needs.
Mattilda and Willamina became certified through the Delta Society, a premier human-services organization dedicated to improving people’s health and well-being through positive interactions with animals.
The Delta Society is based in Washington state but has chapters nationally and internationally, as it has the most rigorous training program in the country involving very simple, basic dog obedience.
Following certification, Stephanie introduced Mattilda to the children at the Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore, while Willamina became a regular visitor to the Johns Hopkins Hospital psychiatry units. Mattilda has been visiting children with special needs at Kennedy Krieger Institute on a regular basis for a little over a year now, meeting with children one-on-one and in larger groups.
Internationally recognized for improving the lives of children and adolescents with disorders and injuries of the brain and spinal cord, Kennedy Krieger Institute serves more than 13,000 individuals each year through inpatient and outpatient clinics, home and community services and school-based programs.
Mattilda provides love and affection to children at Kennedy Krieger and also visits nursing homes and hospitals in the area. Stephanie refers to their 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. inpatient visits at Kennedy Krieger as “Happy Hour” because all of the children are so happy to see Mattilda, and in Stephanie’s words the reaction from the children is “jaw-dropping wonder.”
“Parents of the children at Kennedy Krieger are also pleased to have Mattilda visit, as they appreciate the joy she brings to their children,” Stephanie said. “There is a real bond between therapy dogs and children, which is apparent when the children from Kennedy Krieger interact with Mattilda. Both of my dogs inherently know when to comfort someone if she is having a tough moment, and know how to approach people of all ages to make them feel better.”
Mattilda and Willamina give the patients at Kennedy Krieger and Johns Hopkins an opportunity to feel connected to something that reminds them of home, as well as offering a sensory experience that makes them more focused and aware of their surroundings. According to Stephanie, the children’s eyes light up as they hug Mattilda and begin to tell stories about their pets at home.
Mattilda is also a certified Reading Education Assistance Dog (R.E.A.D.). R.E.A.D. is a program that improves children’s reading and communication skills while using dogs as reading companions. R.E.A.D. dogs are registered therapy animals that volunteer with their owner or handler as a team to visit schools, libraries and many other settings as reading companions for children. The R.E.A.D. program provides children at Kennedy Krieger’s Lower/Middle School with the opportunity to read out loud to Mattilda. To Stephanie’s surprise, children who previously did not enjoy reading in the classroom and/or to their family read out loud to Mattilda.
“During the R.E.A.D. sessions at Kennedy Krieger, all the adults in the room melt away and the dogs serve as non-judgmental companions who provide a relaxing environment for the children to practice their reading skills,” Stephanie noted.
Stephanie considers having therapy dogs and visiting Kennedy Krieger and Johns Hopkins the best job in the world. She believes that through therapy dogs, you can reach people in a special way that would not otherwise be possible.
“Kennedy Krieger Institute is one of the happiest places I have ever been, and I mean that with all of my heart,” says Stephanie. “This wonderful institution has amazing children and compassionate staff who offer a loving, caring and fun environment. I am honored that Mattilda plays a role in the lives of these children.”
For more information on Kennedy Krieger, visit www.kennedykrieger.org.
** This post was originally published in the August 2010, Kids and Pets addition of Your Health Connection
