Saturday, May 19, 2007

Good Dog Foundation Helps Patients Recover


The Good Dog Foundation is a pet friendly program that helps patients recover.

Robert Dresel is one of those people.

Robert was a decorated US Navy commander until he retired with his family to a farm in Virginia.

Bob says his great love was singing as a member of a barbershop quartet until six years ago when he suffered from a stroke and now he can remember the words, he just can not say them.

Bob suffers from aphasia which is an impairment of the ability to use or comprehend words.

Some speech pathologists use therapy dogs from the Good Dog Foundation to help their patients.

The dogs can not help the patients speak, but they can help them escape. "They are nonjudgmental. They are going to wait and be patient and give love. People don't understand, and they get a little impatient and they want to move on and they're saying is it this, is it that? And dogs aren't doing that, they're just giving their love,” says Ellen Potter, speech pathologist.

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