Dr. Susan Smyth, Director of the Gill Heart & Vascular Institute join Kim and Michelle to discuss the therapy dog program being used to rehabilitate heart and stroke patients. Michelle trained both of Susan’s dogs, Carmine and Saleh, that work at the hospital three days a week. Carmine is one of a select few of therapy dogs, (if not the only one) that is trained to walk with heart patients on EKMO. Listen to discussion on how this program was created, implemented and managed. Gives detailed information on the training involved for not only the dogs, but the human owners and handlers. Discusses the policies and procedures developed for the Gill Heart Institute to allow therapy dogs in the hospital, including the legal and insurance side of the process. Fantastic and fascinating insight into a therapy dog program done right.
Michelle McCarthy, CDBC, has been the Owner and Director of Training for K9 Home Schooling since 1999, which provides force free/clicker training methods in southeast Michigan. She is a nationally recognized Certified Dog Behavior Consultant and Certified Therapy Animal Consultant with the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (IAABC). She has completed advanced certification programs in canine behavioral studies and has 18 years of experience working with complex behavior problems. For the past 10 years she has worked closely with medical professionals and educators who utilize a Therapy Dog at their work place or in Animal Assisted Play Therapy. She has raised, trained and placed Therapy Dogs who work in medical facilities and private practices around the US.
Kim Merritt is a serial entrepreneur who started her first company, Kim’s Khocolate, at eleven years of age. As a teenager, she was discovered by Guy Kawasaki who invited her to make custom Khocolate for Apple. Kim went on to do business with The Rolling Stones, AT&T, MCI, Becton Dickinson, Bausch & Lomb, and Range Rover. Her second company, an e-commerce play, sold brand name dinnerware and home decor items across North America. She founded Good Dog in a Box with her sister, professional dog trainer Jenn Merritt, CPDT-KA. Her love of dogs and kids has pushed her to develop and co-develop a number of products, online training courses, and curriculums revolving around dog bite prevention and dog safety. Her latest endeavor, Good Dog Pro, is a subscription based online education system and community for dog professionals.
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