Angel Paws Volunteer Training & Orientation
Please click HERE for more information about prerequisites
Once volunteer candidates complete the Pet Partners Handler Workshop & pass the Pet Partners Skills & Aptitude Test it is time to pull it all together with Angel Paws Training & Orientation. Your diligent efforts to uphold our quality Standards of Practice will help to maximize benefits, minimize risk and ensure the future success, growth, credibility and reputation of quality AAA/T for all who stand to benefit.
1. CLASSROOM ORIENTATION (Handlers Only)
2. FACILITY SPECIFIC ORIENTATION (if necessary)
3. 1 OBSERVATION VISIT (without Pet Partner)
4. 3 SUPERVISED TRAINING VISITS (with Pet Partner)
5. SCHEDULE & BEGIN SOLO VISITS!
1. CLASSROOM ORIENTATION (Handlers Only)
2. FACILITY SPECIFIC ORIENTATION (if necessary)
3. 1 OBSERVATION VISIT (without Pet Partner)
4. 3 SUPERVISED TRAINING VISITS (with Pet Partner)
5. SCHEDULE & BEGIN SOLO VISITS!
"The multi-media and interactive role-playing during this workshop was not only comprehensive but also interesting.
It challenged my thinking and I considered it time well spent. This organization highly values the mutually beneficial relationship between volunteer, patient and pet, with a keen attention to safety, sensitivity and effective interaction."
- Richard R. Donnard, D.O., Medical Director, Hospice of Central Ohio
It challenged my thinking and I considered it time well spent. This organization highly values the mutually beneficial relationship between volunteer, patient and pet, with a keen attention to safety, sensitivity and effective interaction."
- Richard R. Donnard, D.O., Medical Director, Hospice of Central Ohio
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1. CLASSROOM TRAINING & ORIENTATION Our Angel Paws Volunteer Classroom Training (for handlers only, no pets) is provided free of charge and consists of a 1 day course from 1:00 to 6:00 pm (often shorter) - usually on a weekend. The workshop includes additional handouts & refreshments.
While the role playing exercises practiced during the Pet Partners Handlers Workshop took participants through the basics of a visit with an emphasis on proactively advocating for your animal our Angel Paws Workshop explores the variety of human interactions encountered on visits with various recipient populations in various environments even more deeply. The Angel Paws course also reviews the basics & elaborates on other information introduced in the Pet Partners Handlers Workshop and additional information that relates specifically to the Angel Paws organization, program, Policies, Procedures, Core Values, uniform requirements, grooming, Health Care and Educational facilities we partner with, other facility referrals, auxiliary volunteer activities, perks, etc. |
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The course includes an extensive multi-media Power Point presentation, discussion & roll playing exercises. Angel Paws Volunteer Materials are included. The course may take place in a comfortable homey setting - living room style comfortable chairs & couches around a fireplace with adjacent kitchen - at a private Community Center or more likely at OSU/Newark where the Pet Partners Handlers Workshop was held (directions & map at the bottom of this page). Refreshments are served. Every effort will be made to accommodate as many schedules of those who have passed the PPSAT as possible.
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2. FACILITY SPECIFIC ORIENTATIONS A brief orientation will take place at the assigned (or anticipated) or other facility before your animal Pet Partner accompanies you for the first time. Some facilities may require their own training &/or orientation &/or TB tests &/or background checks in addition to Angel Paws Training & Orientation. Facility requirements will be discussed in your Angel Paws classroom orientation (#1 above). Your Facility Specific Orientation may take place concurrent with your Observation Visit (#3 below) but additional orientations provided by the facility may be required or for various facilities you may choose to visit. |
3. OBSERVATION VISIT All Angel Paws volunteer candidates who complete all Pet Partners requirements and the Angel Paws Classroom Orientation (described above) are next required to observe an experienced Pet Partners animal/handler team on an actual visit. Observation visits are usually scheduled for 2 to 3 candidates at a time in a medical facility but may be offered to individual candidates depending on scheduling. Only the experienced team will include an animal. Candidates do not bring their animal partner to the Observation Visit! Pet Partners advises all Pet Partners Handlers to visit any facility they plan to visit first without their animal to familiarize themselves with the logistics of the facility before bringing an animal for the first visit. Facility Specific Orientations (#2 above) will usually be conducted concurrent with your Observation Visit but a separate date with a facility staff member may be required by some facilities. Those requirements will be discussed in your Angel Paws Classroom training (#1 above)
4. SUPERVISED TRAINING/MENTORING VISITS - Pulling it all together! Now it's time to pull everything together in preparation for your solo visits. Your on-site training visits with your animal Pet Partner helps us assure that each and every Angel Paws Animal/Handler Team is prepared to honor agreements made to facility residents, students and staff as well as to identify strengths and opportunities to excel in that or another facility.
There can often be a quite significant difference between passing a test in a controlled predictable setting after attending a few classes and actually pulling it all together for a real visit with all the social, visual, auditory, and olfactory distractions in what can often be chaotic and emotionally charged circumstances. Therefore, the final step in the Angel Paws Training & Orientation process are the Supervised Training/Mentoring Visits in a medical facility. Pet Partners Photo ID's (or temporary ID), Angel Paws uniforms and visiting kits are required for this visit. Sometimes facilities will require their own ID &/or uniforms. This training visit assures that comparable skills and aptitude demonstrated during the Pet Partners Skills & Aptitude Test are still present; that the volunteer is able to demonstrate a clear understanding and ability to apply all policies and procedures covered in the Pet Partners Handlers Workshop and Angel Paws Classroom Training; and it provides an opportunity for individual guidance as to how to most effectively apply those skills and aptitude effectively in the real life setting of the facility while visiting with real clients.
OBJECTIVES:
4. SUPERVISED TRAINING/MENTORING VISITS - Pulling it all together! Now it's time to pull everything together in preparation for your solo visits. Your on-site training visits with your animal Pet Partner helps us assure that each and every Angel Paws Animal/Handler Team is prepared to honor agreements made to facility residents, students and staff as well as to identify strengths and opportunities to excel in that or another facility.
There can often be a quite significant difference between passing a test in a controlled predictable setting after attending a few classes and actually pulling it all together for a real visit with all the social, visual, auditory, and olfactory distractions in what can often be chaotic and emotionally charged circumstances. Therefore, the final step in the Angel Paws Training & Orientation process are the Supervised Training/Mentoring Visits in a medical facility. Pet Partners Photo ID's (or temporary ID), Angel Paws uniforms and visiting kits are required for this visit. Sometimes facilities will require their own ID &/or uniforms. This training visit assures that comparable skills and aptitude demonstrated during the Pet Partners Skills & Aptitude Test are still present; that the volunteer is able to demonstrate a clear understanding and ability to apply all policies and procedures covered in the Pet Partners Handlers Workshop and Angel Paws Classroom Training; and it provides an opportunity for individual guidance as to how to most effectively apply those skills and aptitude effectively in the real life setting of the facility while visiting with real clients.
OBJECTIVES:
- Assure relaxed working knowledge & application of animal/handler basic skills, effective working (verbal &/or hand signals) relationship & aptitude while working on specific facility grounds with specific clientele.
- Assure understanding of and practice of appropriate policies & procedures.
- Identify individual strengths & opportunities for improvement.
- Establish a foundation to continue to apply & fine tune basic skills, policies & procedures to the individual animal/handler’s visiting process and effective interaction/positioning techniques suitable to the individual team with specific clientele in specific settings.
- Identify the best environment for the team to visit &/or environmental limitations.
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Written feedback will be provided to anchor the discussion following the first visit. Candidates may be required to take some time to work on essential issues (with a professional animal trainer if necessary) prior to the next visit. Most teams will complete 3 mentoring visits. If the team &/or mentor feels additional Supervised Training/Mentoring Visits would be desirable or required more will be provided.
Mentoring visits also provide an opportunity to assess the most appropriate environment for the team and/or identify any environmental limitations with regard to the Pet Partners complex/predictable matrix and other considerations (see Balance Scale on the right). Every effort to prepare teams to visit in the facility of their choice will be made but occasionally it may be determined that a team may not be suitable for specific facilities or environments within a facility in which case they would be assigned to the facility/environment most suitable for that team to be comfortable, confident, safe and effective. As always, Angel Paws is here to help all teams succeed in any way we can with whatever guidance or referrals for further training necessary or appropriate but it is important to accept that not every team is appropriate for every setting and additional training may or may not make the necessary difference. |
The Butler Balance Scale
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Although it is very rare it may be determined that the team is just not appropriate to be a therapy team and may not be allowed to continue with Angel Paws. This may be due, for instance, to either a handlers drug or alcohol use or an animal's excessive shyness, stress, aggression or avoidance behaviors and it would not be appropriate or humane to force the animal to continue no matter how determined or well intended the Handler is or skilled the animal may be. It is highly unlikely that that these issues would not be identified during the Skills & Aptitude Test in which case the team would not pass the test but occasionally a team might "perform" well in the test but later prove unsuitable for interaction with real clients.
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CONGRATULATIONS!
ONCE YOU HAVE COMPLETED THESE STEPS YOU WILL BE A FULL FLEDGED ANGEL PAWS/PET PARTNER!!! NOW IT'S TIME TO ... RELAX! - EMPOWER! - ENJOY! .... & SHARE THE LOVE! |
5. SCHEDULE & BEGIN SOLO VISITS! Once all of the above have been completed volunteers schedule solo visits for every other week in the 1 or more of the Health Care &/or Educational facilities Angel Paws partners with as preferred and appropriate - identifying the right fit for each team, as needed and available. If desired, Angel Paws can also refer to facilities we don't partner with but recommend as appropriate or Angel Paws can work with you to implement a program at a facility not on our current list. Visits may be scheduled for every week or even twice a week if desired and appropriate but because dogs must be thoroughly bathed and groomed within 24 hours of each visit (per Pet Partners Standards of Practice) Angel Paws only requires a commitment of 1 visit every other week. (R.E.A.D. programs may require a visit every week for limited or extended periods, more flexibility is available for library programs and school programs may offer some flexibility as well) Visits may be split between 2 facilities and flexibility is available but it is requested that volunteers generally stick with the same time and day of the week. This day/time may be changed, canceled or rescheduled from time to time but we try to spread visits apart so clients are not experiencing clumps of visits followed by an extended period of no visits so it is required that visits be coordinated through the Angel Paws program director (&/or volunteer director of facilities referred to). Facility agreements regarding scheduling may vary. Per Pet Partners requirements visits never last more than 2 hours and it's best to give your dog a significant break between visits to keep him/her fresh and enthusiastic about the work.
Never forget that you and your Pet Partner
are making a much more powerful impact on more people than you know!
YOUR CONTINUED PARTICIPATION IS MUCH APPRECIATED.
Please remember that Therapy Dog Training especially is on-going.
Skills & Aptitude must be maintained & all Pet Partners are required to be re-tested every two years.
We are here to help you succeed in any way we can!
THANK YOU for sharing our commitment to excellence!
are making a much more powerful impact on more people than you know!
YOUR CONTINUED PARTICIPATION IS MUCH APPRECIATED.
Please remember that Therapy Dog Training especially is on-going.
Skills & Aptitude must be maintained & all Pet Partners are required to be re-tested every two years.
We are here to help you succeed in any way we can!
THANK YOU for sharing our commitment to excellence!
John L. and Christine Warner Library & Student Center at OSU-Newark
1179 University Drive, Newark OH
1179 University Drive, Newark OH
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Angel Paws' Classroom Training & Orientation is usually held in the Norman R. and Alethea E. Sleight Community Room, 2nd Floor, of the John L. and Christine Warner Library & Student Center on The Ohio State University at Newark campus. *Note: The marker on map below does not mark the correct spot. Look to the upper right of the marker to where it says: "Newark Campus Library" under the graduation cap icon directly to the right of the University Pond. That is the John L. and Christine Warner Library & Student Center where we will be. See WC in Blue on the Campus map below right. When you enter the main entrance off Granville Rd. take a right on the outer drive at The Reese Center (which you can't miss) and the next large building on your left is the Student Center and Library. Stairs and elevator are to the left of the door in from the parking lot. Sleight Room at the top of the stairs and elevator slightly to the left.
Click HERE for link to Google Map
or press + and - below to zoom in or pull out
DIRECTIONS: From Rt. #16 (#161 in Columbus to New Albany becomes #16) exit on Country Club Dr., go north (right) to Granville Rd., go east (left) to the Campus Entrance (you can't miss it) turn north into campus (left) take a right at the Reece Center and continue until you see the Warner Center on your left. Elevator &/or stairs up to the 2nd floor will be to the left of the entrance. The Sleight Room is straight ahead just off the elevator or top of the stairs.
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161 (which turns into 16) suggested best rout from Columbus!
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