Lexi’s Circle of Friends Pet Therapy Program
It is the goal of Lexi’s Circle of Friends Pet Therapy program to provide training & support for people who are involved in pet therapy activities. Many shelter dogs are awaiting their chance to bring joy and happiness they just need a chance.
Lexi’s Circle of Friends Program
Born in the year 2000 – Passed away June 3rd 2009 ... Rest in Peace Lexi…
Lexi’s Circle of Friends Pet Therapy Program
In August, 2008, Dynamic Dog Training/Behavior Services & The Little Rhodie Bully Breed Club Inc.
began their copy written Pet Therapy Shelter dog program with a sweet little homeless 9 year old pit bull/mix named Lexi. Lexi spent the first eight years of her life tied outdoors to a tree in Warwick, RI. Her family moved and left her tied behind. A guardian angel named Michelle found her and brought her to the shelter.Lexi's legacy begins from here.
Dog trainer and president of the Little Rhodie Bully Breed Club’s Lexi’s Circle of Friends Pet Therapy Program
Susan Parker began taking Lexi on regular visits to a local nursing home. Lexi became the first shelter dog to become a therapy dog, helping residents feel mentally stimulated, less lonely, and less depressed. The residents eagerly looked forward to their visits from her. She provided a welcome change for many. Most residents became more active and responsive both during and after visiting with Lexi.
Lexi’s visits offered entertainment and people often talked to her, and shared with her their thoughts, feelings and memories. Stroking a dog often reduces a person's blood pressure. Petting encourages use of hands and arms, stretching and turning assisting with range of motion exercises.
Lexi gave people a reason to come out of their rooms. She gave people a common interest and provided many residents with a focus for conversation. Multiple residents at the nursing home had had to give up pet ownership and they miss the love a pet gives them. The benefits of Lexi’s visits continued long after she went back to the shelter.
What made Lexi a good Pet therapy dog? She accepted people as they are. Pet therapy dogs must be social. The point of the program is the interaction between the dog and the residents they are visiting. If a dog does not enjoy the visits the interaction will be less than ideal. The person needs to feel accepted by the dog. A good therapy dog is calm, tolerant and friendly. Lexi enjoyed the time she spent with the residents and lit up like a Christmas tree when she walked into patients rooms. The balance between calmness and friendliness is a fine line. Even a well trained dog may not be a good pet therapy dog if it shows little interest in meeting people. An aloof dog may be calm, but may cause people to feel rejected. A very friendly dog may have the best of intentions but can cause injury. A dog that is full of energy may be too active for most situations. Lexi had the perfect blend to become a pet therapy dog.
Lexi’s temperament made her suitable to be a pet therapy dog and it was natural to her. Lexi was the reason Dynamic Dog Training/Behavior Services & The Little Rhodie Bullly Breed Club began a shelter dog pet therapy program. Doing pet therapy was also a great marketing technique for Lexi. Soon after she began doing pet therapy, she was adopted. Unfortunately, the man who adopted Lexi worked long hours and began spending less and less time with her. He wasn’t home often. Lexi began getting depressed, having accidents in the home (he also kept her crated for 12 hours
a day while he worked) and gained a lot of weight. It only took six months before he decided to turn little Lexi back into the shelter (he never looked back) and she was once homeless again.
Sadly, Lexi seemed happy to be back at the shelter. She was only at the shelter for one week when a lovely woman called wanting some info about her. The woman had a father with Alzheimer’s disease and also had wanted a dog with which to do active pet therapy. Lexi seemed to fit the bill. She came down to the shelter, met Lexi, fell in love with her and adopted her a few days later. Everything seemed great, Lexi of course made best friends with the woman’s father - she was finally home after nine long years. Everyone at the shelter and the nursing home was ecstatic. The nursing home residents
and staff also eagerly waited for her to come in with her brand new owner. Unfortunately, this never happened.
Less than three weeks after getting adopted, Lexi’s new owners realized that the weight she had gained wasn’t weight at all. It was fluid. She made an appointment with the vet and was told it was bad news. Lexi was in heart failure.
There was nothing anyone could do to cure little Lexi and the decision was made to humanely euthanize her on Wednesday, June 3rd 2009. How heartbreaking. No one could believe the bad news. Here was a dog who wanted nothing more in life but to be loved and have a family to love her, she gave her heart and soul to everyone. Lexi was
a little homeless pit bull that cheered the sick, brought happiness to the nursing home, gave people a reason to get out of bed in the mornings, and this was the hand that was dealt to her. It doesn’t seem fair. One can only imagine as to why Lexi passed away. She will be in our hearts forever. We hope and pray that she was happy in the end - even if it was for only three weeks in her new home. We do know that she very much enjoyed the time she was doing active pet therapy. The shelter staff, Lexi’s personal dog trainer Sue Parker and the residents of her home were her family. Lexi knew she was loved by all of us. After Lexi was adopted, two other pit bulls began doing active pet therapy. One is Bunny. She too is an elderly pit bull who was adopted by a woman, but her other dogs ganged up on Bunny and once again, Bunny is back in the shelter system. Alone, homeless and praying someone will someday love her. Bunny was finally adopted and is still very happy with her new family human and canine alike.
We also used 10 year old Phoebe, who was another homeless pit bull, that has had cancerous lumps removed from her body but is in total remission. She became another famous homeless pet therapy dog who waiting for someone to just love her as much as she loves everyone. Phoebe was finally adopted, very happy but her cancer came back. She peacefully passed away with her owner at her side.
We have decided to name our program in honor of Lexi.
