Casper the Therapy Dog Needs Therapy
Dear friends,
Dogs are known as man’s best friend for good reason. Not only are they tremendously loyal, ever ready to serve and always by your side through thick and thin, they can also relieve depression, anxiety and stress. Today, they have even become an integral part of the healthcare industry, saving peoples’ lives and bringing them joy.
I hope you enjoy this heartwarming article and share it with your circle of friends. Please help them understand that dogs are not creatures to be used then discarded after they are no longer useful. They are sentient beings who feel happiness, anxiety, pain and fear just as we do, and we should repay their loyalty by being there for them when they are old, sickly or unwell.
Tsem Rinpoche
Beloved Therapy Dog Needs Help of His Own
By Samantha Bresnahan, CNN
Updated 1208 GMT (2008 HKT) February 8, 2017
Or view the video on the server at:
https://video.tsemtulku.com/videos/CasperTherapyDog001.mp4
(CNN) – Casper has spent his life, all 63 dog-years of it, serving others.
With every tail wag and wet-nose kiss, he has spread love and happiness in a place that can feel desperate: Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, where kids are often confined to their hospital rooms for months on end.
Though their families try to stay optimistic, they are scared. The doctors and nurses do their best to remain upbeat, but even they too grow weary sometimes, which is when Casper comes in.
But in November, Lisa Kinsel, Casper’s handler, noticed something wrong when he was at home: His left side was weak, and he couldn’t stand or walk properly.
Casper had suffered a stroke from a blood clot in his brain. Everyone’s favorite therapy dog was in need of therapy himself.
Casper cheers up patients at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.
Unconditional Love
Thoughout his life, Casper had loved unconditionally; he’s a dog, so that’s what he does. Visiting patients in their rooms on his daily rounds, he can put a smile on the face of almost everyone he meets.
There’s something magical about Casper in particular, which is why, despite a fleet of service pups at the hospital, he is the star.
Or view the video on the server at:
https://video.tsemtulku.com/videos/CasperTherapyDog002.mp4
“He’s like a big sponge,” Kinsel said. “I think that’s what makes him work so well with the patients. He knows that the child is maybe anxious, maybe in pain, and so when he’s there to help them, he sort of soaks that all in. And it helps eliminate their stress.”
Casper began his therapy work in 2009, and whenever his service vest goes on, he knows it’s time to do his job. A full-time employee at Children’s Healthcare, he even has his own badge.
Small plush versions of Casper, complete with green vest, are clutched in little hands throughout the hospital. He’s an integral part of the community, and the recovery, for sick and injured children in their hospital beds.
He’s also important to the staff.
“That was one of the things we really didn’t think about when we started this,” Kinsel said. “It was all about the patients and families. And then more and more, we were finding that the staff were calling and saying, ‘We’ve had a really rough day in Intensive Care today. Will you please bring him up? Because the staff need to see him.’ “
Kinsel added that the hospital is not an easy place to be sometimes, and the staff recognized how much Casper was doing for them.
But, for all he’s done, Casper now needs some love and care in return.
Recovering from a Stroke
Since December, Casper has been doing physical therapy with Dr. Kimberly Neff at Georgia Veterinary Rehab. “We don’t know what predisposes dogs to strokes, just like we don’t know for humans,” Neff said. “Of all the things neurologists see, it’s not that common in dogs.”
Casper has unconditional love for the patients at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.
Casper’s stroke created a deficit on his left side, which was weakened, leaving him unsure where his front left paw was hitting. Neff worked with him every week to regain his muscle strength.
Part of Casper’s therapy included an underwater treadmill, providing exercise without putting too much pressure on his joints. A swipe of tasty peanut butter on the glass in front of him kept him motivated.
Kinsel senses that Casper feels lost without his hospital work, and she holds out hope that he can return to work soon. As he’s grown stronger, she has taken him for some short visits to the hospital: The doctors, nurses and administrators need their dose of Casper love just as much as he needs to give it to them.
On one visit, when he was too weak to walk in, his friends in the radiology department brought out his usual treat of cooked egg yolks to the curb. Casper joyfully gobbled up his yolks, back where he belonged, even if just for a short time.
With his condition improving, Casper was recently able to celebrate his 9th birthday with a party at Children’s Healthcare. Numerous patients and hospital staff members turned out to sing to him. He made his way around the lobby, greeting each and every person. Casper was feeling the love, and it helped him progress through his therapy.
In late January, Neff graduated Casper from physical therapy after he made a full recovery.
“Physically, you’d never know anything happened,” Neff said. “Dogs really are incredible.”
Source: http://edition.cnn.com/2017/02/08/health/casper-hospital-dog-therapy/index.html
For more interesting information:
- Don’t Abandon Senior Pets!
- The Father of 735 Dogs
- Sylvester Stallone’s Best Friend
- 7 Signs Your Dog Is In Pain And Trying To Hide It
- These Dying Dogs Need Your Help Urgently
- Inside the World’s Most Dog-Friendly Office
- Dog Funerals Held By Kechara
- A kind woman
- Heroes Behind the Scenes
- I heard her voice!
- Compassion in action
- We are their only world
- What Tsem Rinpoche did in L.A…
- Super cute
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Animals show love for humans! Cow, lions, apes, dogs, bears, parrots and more can all be very affectionate and show surprising emotions when it comes to expressing their love for people. An emotional animals hugging humans video.
https://video.tsemtulku.com/videouploads/comment-1546455946.mp4
You guys are going to have a cute attack with these two super adorable videos of Tsem Rinpoche’s doggies Oser and Dharma.-
https://youtu.be/JX1UdH7IjQ8
And
https://youtu.be/YGD7CtNmnuI
The videos JUST came out!
Enjoy!
H.E. the 25th Tsem Rinpoche loves animals and is passionate against their harm, torture, and abuse.
The few minutes a day we spend on social media creating awareness for animals who cannot speak is purely spiritual and humanistic practice because we are trying to alleviate pain from another sentient beings and that makes us more spiritual, and that makes us more spiritual and more humane.
In addition to the inspirational and beneficial aspect of Casper’s contribution in brightening the days of the other patients and even the staffs, this article also goes to show the universal value of compassion. Compassion is felt and positively impacts both the recipient and giver regardless of form. For those who believe in karma, this incident also serves as an inkling of how it works. It can be said the generosity of Casper’s in giving love indiscriminately and care created the cause for Casper to be receiving love and care in return, especially during his blot clot ordeal. Kindness does beget kindness. Another lesson from Casper is his eagerness to get back to his hospital “work”. Whilst it is likely due to his liking for attention, judging from Casper’s dedication and resilience, one can’t help but wonder if his driving force is because Casper realised the truth that a life worth living is in being of help/benefit to others. Thank you for such a heart-warming article.
Such a lovely story. Casper is so loving and lovable, really man’s best friend. I hope his care-takers will take care of him well, make him as comfortable as possible with lots of good company for the rest of his life.
Thank you Rinpoche sharing this article about Casper. It is amazing how dogs like Casper can be a theraphy dog to the sick patients in the hospital. Probably when the sick patients see Casper they would have forgotten about their sickness and able to recover must faster. It is sad to see that Casper himself is also sick but luckily he is able to recover so quickly. Thanks to the love and care of the people around him.
With folded palms,
Vivian
Thanks Rinpoche and the blog team for sharing this wonderful dog, Casper.
A very heartwarming post that Casper not only help the patients, but the doctors and hospital staffs. The animal therapy works amazingly in many hospitals and rehab center. I believe human and animals in nature have good bonding, and animals tap into our very nature.
Personally, when I look at happy animals, immediately I feel happy. I think animals can bring this feeling out from us. And when we feel happy, the body recover faster from sickness, or they can distract from the pain the depression.
With animal therapy to be known widely, I hope this can also turn the rescued dogs in shelters to therapy dogs. It’s a win-win situation to all parties.
Thank you.
The story of Casper , the therapy dog, is both amazing and inspiring. What amazes and touches me most is that he was able to empathise with the sick children in the Children’s Healthcare facility in Atlanta, so much so that he would know when they needed his smile, his therapeutic kiss and touch. He would stop before the door of a certain room, and true enough, when he was allowed to go in, the young patient inside would be waiting and his tensions released by a wet-nose kiss from Casper, or just by his tail wagging and smiling presence.
Casper’s love for both the young patients and the staff of the Atlanta Healthcare was unconditional.He would bring a ready smile to almost everyone he met. Even the staff needed his therapy, especially, after a rough day at work for them. Thus did he spread love and happiness around.
Then suddenly, one day in November, Casper’s handler, noticed that he was weak on his left side and he couldn’t walk or stand properly. The it was discovered that he had a blood clot in his brain. Fortunately, when he needed it most, Casper was treated with loving care in return. He wa given all the care and physical therapy that he needed. So loyal and true a friend he was that, even in pain and sickness, he missed the Healthcare facility and his therapy work very much. He felt lost away from the Healthcare facility.
He got well enough to return to the Atlanta Healthcare for Children to celebrate his ninth birthday. To his great joy, many patients and members of the staff turned up for the birthday party for him. They sang for him. He went to everyone who was present at the lobby(where the birthday party was held for him) to greet them. He felt their love and this was what made him progress toward full recovery. When he was certified fit for duty , he returned to work. A happy ending for the lovely therapy dog and the children and staff of the healthcare facility.
So heartwarming reading this article. Casper eventhough is a dog is so compassionate towards all the patients. So dedicated to his work and knows how care for his patients who are suffering in pain.
It is great news that the hospital produced 11 dogs therapy for their patients. Dogs are good therapies and it create a strong bonding of human and animals.
Dog is really mans best friend.
Casper the dog, who has spent all his life serving people has now got a stroke from a blood clot in his brain. All these years it is acclaimed that he has made himself an important and unconditioned loved-dog to all staffs and patients in the Hospital at Atlanta, especially for the children. Incidentally, he has become an integral part of the community to the sick people, particularly for the injured children in their recovery. For the Casper’s stroke, the Hospital has very kindly assigned a specialist doctor to look after and to treat him to regain back his strength, through physical therapy treatments. It is indeed so marvelleous that the hospital is so kind to do such a compassionate thing, which brings to mind what I have once read what Gandhi wrote, Quote: “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.” Ghandhi. And as backed-up by what another said, “Expectations on animal welfare have been rapidly changing, and practices that were once commonplace for pets and farmstock are no longer acceptable or tolerated”. The speaker was none other than Dr. Steve Merchant, the President of the New Zealand Vetinary Association. Hopefully let us all pray hard that the whole World will follow this Lead! Om Mani Padme Hung.
Therapy dogs improve the lives of others and bring much joy and happiness, especially those who do the hospital rounds like Casper.
Casper is so committed to his work that he felt lost without his hospital work. What a compassionate, caring, and giving dog. Happy to know that Casper celebrated his 9th birthday with a party at Children’s Healthcare and that Casper made a full recovery in late January.
I’d like to share a story of Casper’s life-saving work here. A young boy named Creed Campbell spent most of his short life battling illness and spent half his life in the hospital. Creed was one of the first patients Casper worked with and they became best friends. One day, Creed was on the verge of death and when Casper came and put his paw on Creeds hand. Creed miraculously came back around. This was how strong the bond Casper had with Creed, and that therapy dogs are indeed precious.
I share here a picture of Casper with Creed, who had since passed away in 2012.
You can read more about Casper & Creed here: http://www.lifewithdogs.tv/2013/09/the-special-bond-between-a-dying-boy-and-a-therapy-dog/
Thank you Pastor Shin for sharing this story, just goes to show that animals bring so much benefit and help to animals who are ill and sick.
I feel that when you own a pet and we take responsibility, then one become less focused on ourselves, especially if we need to care for young animals when we first get hold of our pets. So there is always an upside to having a pet and caring for it.
很高兴Casper痊愈了。要在医院这样高度压力的地方工作，不管是人还是狗儿都不容易。Casper肯定是只特别的狗狗，能给那么多病人带来欢笑，消除他们的焦虑和不安。庆幸的是，曾经从获得Casper那儿获得力量和微笑的人们，没有在它生病时放弃它或抛弃它。除了医药，付出的耐心信心，关怀和爱是一个病人，包括这次的Casper，一只狗儿，从病中康复的关键。爱和忠诚用另一份爱与不离不弃回报，是世间最美好。感恩仁波切分享。
Thank you, Rinpoche for sharing. Tears welled when I read this article. The capacity of a dog giving unconditional love and expecting nothing in return is so much greater than that of the humans. And yet, all we humans do is betray this deep sense of loyalty towards the human species by abusing the dogs, skinning them alive or boiling them to satisfy human’s insatiable desires! It is a wonder that dog can continue to give love even though human had, again and again, failed to deserve that love. How nice if we can all develop some of this big love that the dogs possess.
Amazing …..what Casper the therapy dog did.What he does was fantastic visiting patients in their rooms to cheer them ,spread love and happiness on his daily rounds, putting a smile on the face of almost everyone he meets.He is a star to the hospital staffs and patients.Casper had suffered a stroke ,needed therapy to gain back his strenght.As Casper was recovering they had a 9th birthday celebration for him. The doctors, nurses and administrators needed Casper love just as much as he needs to give it to them.Thats wonderful .Dogs are known as man’s best friend..hence to got to love, care, kind to them and repay their loyalty. Not to abandon them when they are old, sickly or unwell.
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing this beautiful and amazing article.
According to research, engaging with therapy dogs triggers an uplift in oxytocin levels in the patient. Oxytocin is widely referred to as the love hormone, the hug hormone, cuddle chemical, moral molecule, and the bliss hormone due to its effects on behavior including relaxation, trust and psychological stability.
Some key points about oxytocin extracted from the source noted below.
Oxytocin is a neuropeptide produced in the hypothalamus and secreted by the pituitary gland.
Oxytocin is released during sex, childbirth and lactation to aid reproductive functions.
This neuropeptide exerts multiple psychological effects, influencing social behavior and emotion.
Oxytocin is prescribed for a variety of obstetric and gynecological reasons, including to aid in childbirth.
High levels of the “love hormone” have been observed in couples in the first six months of a relationship.
Oxytocin has an anti-anxiety (anxiolytic) effect and may increase romantic attachment and empathy.
Research shows that oxytocin may have beneficial effects for people with autistic spectrum disorders.
Oxytocin appears to play a role in protecting the intestine from damage, with potential for use in treatment of irritable bowel disease.
Source:
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/275795.php