Photo: Courtesy Dr. Risë VanFleet
Jake the pit bull is working to solve the world’s problems with play.
But the rescue dog’s life wasn’t about fun and games until recently. According to Best Friends Animal Society, Jake moved into one of the animal welfare organization’s shelters this year after being pulled from a crowded, open-admission shelter that put Jake on its euthanasia list.
To give the dog a second chance and to make space at Jake’s original shelter, Best Friends Animal Society took over the pit bull’s care and promised the dog he would never be placed on another kill list again.
At Best Friends' rescue and sanctuary in Utah, Jake received a “quieter environment” where he had “time and space to unwind” and learn about the pleasures of personal space. The environment also allowed Best Friends shelter workers to observe Jake’s behavior and learn more about what caused the canine to act out.
Courtesy Dr. Risë VanFleet
With this information, Best Friends created a training plan for Jake that had the dog learning basic commands and being more respectful of boundaries in just a few weeks. Jake’s progress was eye-catching to those working at Best Friends, including volunteer Susan Fishbein, who took Jake home for a sleepover and brought him back, thinking he was perfect for her friend, Dr. Risë VanFleet.
VanFleet is a psychologist, play therapist, and president of theInternational Institute for Animal-Assisted Play Therapy. In her animal-assisted play therapy sessions, VanFleet elicits the help of her trained therapy dogs to encourage clients to connect with and express their feelings through lighthearted activities.
After her slumber party with Jake, Fishbein reached out to VanFleet in Pennslyvania, told her that she had her next play therapy dog, and sent the psychologist videos and photos of Jake in action.
“The more I saw, the more I liked. I also trusted her judgment … Usually, I like to meet the animals in person, but I’m in Pennsylvania (and Jake was in Utah) — not exactly a day’s trip,” VanFleet shared in a statement.
Not long after her virtual introduction to Jake, VanFleet decided to adopt the dog and worked with Best Friends to arrange a pick-up in Indiana — a halfway point for Best Friends and VanFleet.
Since arriving at VanFleet’s home, one-year-old Jake has dedicated himself to learning as many new things as possible. He has already befriended the play therapist’s dogs and cats and is working through his play therapy training.
“I try not to overtrain my dogs, but obviously they need to learn how to live politely with other dogs and cats, and us,” VanFleet said of Jake’s training so far. “Those are the main things we’ve worked on because most of the time is (spent) observing him, playing with him, having a good time, and understanding where his limits are when he does kind of lose his mind a little bit with the over-enthusiasm.”
After four months of work (and play) with VanFleet, where Jake has learned about self-regulation, patience, and approaching people with calm enthusiasm, the pit bull took part in his first job.
Jake joined VanFleet, and his canine siblings at the first level of the Animal Assisted Play Therapy: Theory, Research, & Practice program to learn more about the values, principles, and processes used in play therapy work. The dogs, including Jake, served as teacher’s assistants for the workshop.
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VanFleet said Jake performed excellently at his first gig. He was patient, approachable, and happy to soak up any attention someone offered.
“I’m really pleased with how he’s doing so far,” she added. “I think he’s going to be a great play therapy dog.”
To help other at-risk pets get an amazing second act,learn more about Best Friends Animal Society’s work at the organization’s website.
source: people.com
