Delta Society Beyond Limits Awards - Sarah Allen & Alfie

SARAH ALLEN of Tumwater, WA, and her 11-year-old, 10-pound Miniature Poodle, Alfie, are one of five finalist teams for the Delta Society's 2007 Beyond Limits Award as Pet Partners Team of the Year. They have been visiting Providence St. Peter Hospital in Olympia, WA, for nine years. They visit mainly in pediatrics, where they make a difference for the young patients, their family members and staff. Frequently parents will say that it is Alfie who has elicited their child's first smile since being admitted to the hospital. They occasionally volunteer in the intensive care unit, where having a small dog makes it easier to visit immobile patients with various tubes crisscrossing their bodies. They also have made doctor-ordered visits on nearly every unit in the hospital, touching patients of all ages and backgrounds. Sarah calls her volunteer work "creating a brief window of happiness." She also calls it magic: "What else can you call a program that makes my couch-potato dog spry, causes grown men and women to coo at a little dog, makes crying children laugh, and creates a special bond between me and my dog?" To vote for any of the five finalists, log on to www.deltasociety.org before November 5. Videos of all five finalists (Sarah Allen, Maggie Crawford, Connie Gates, Monica Payson, Karla Rose) can be viewed on YouTube.

Category:

Pets & Animals

Tags:

• Delta
• therapy dog
• poodle
• bullmastiff
• golden
• retriever
• cavalier
• gates
• allen
• payson
• crawford
• rose

[Alleebratz]

I got to meet him just a few weeks ago.. he's great!!

[TheNeonHippie]

I have a rabbit who I really want to make delta. I recently got on the website, but the only instructor nearest me had all of their information private :P Any suggestions?