Pets on Wheels event a ‘rollicking good time’

It was a beautiful fall day for the First Annual Wheel to Heal event sponsored by the Hunt Valley Rotary on Oct. 29. Participants came with wagons, skateboards, bikes and strollers to tackle a 3-mile loop on the Torrey C. Brown NCR Trail and, according to the organizers, have a “rolling, rollicking good time” in support of Pets on Wheels, a nonprofit organization that brings therapy animals to facilities for friendly visits. Pets on Wheels has more than 480 volunteer teams and visits more than 300 facilities, including nursing homes, hospices, shelters, veteran’s hospitals, schools, libraries and more.

The day featured food, games and lots of fun and prizes with children and adults participating in multiple adventures, including a scavenger hunt, corn hole, balloon animals, duck pond, and more. Kids came in their Halloween costumes and did some trick-or-treating as well. Several of the therapy pets joined in the festivities, such as Mugsy, a petite bulldog and Otis, the Superdog, who was rescued by Tiffany Metzger. As a senior dog in a shelter, Otis had a rough life, but now is a super therapy pet bringing smiles to anyone he meets. The Rotarians and the event’s sponsors were pleased to support such a terrific cause and plan to make the Wheel to Heal event an annual one!

Read more here.

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Good Works Pets on Wheels Puts Smiles on Faces

Laura Ehrlich, 94, smiled with delight when she saw Kelly walking past her chair in the North Oaks retirement community in Pikesville.

“Hi there, Kelly,” she said. “Hi there, girl.”

Bunny and Mike Roseman patted Kelly on the head and greeted her happily.

Kelly isn’t a grandchild of one of the residents, nor is she a resident, relative or employee. Kelly is a dog.

“When she comes to visit, it’s like a child coming to see you,” Ehrlich said. “She shows affection, she shows love. Just look at the way her tail goes back and forth, she’s so happy to see us. She’s so affectionate, it’s just lovely.”

Kelly is a therapy dog with the Maryland nonprofit Pets on Wheels. Since she qualified for the program four years ago, she and owner Steve Lesser have been visiting North Oaks weekly, among other locations, donating their time and love.

The nonprofit, which dates to 1982, provides pet therapy for residents of nursing homes, assisted living facilities and hospitals, said executive director Pat Pawloski.

“It’s a service that’s not invasive, as far as medicine is concerned, but that has some real health benefits,” said Pawloski, who cited lowered blood pressure, decreased stress levels and improved emotional wellbeing as examples.

Read more of this Baltimore Sun Article here – http://www.baltimoresun.com/features/bs-gl-goodworks-pets-on-wheels-2-20150724-story.html

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Middle school students read with therapy dogs

Four-legged guests joined more than 30 students from Oklahoma Road Middle School in the media center Thursday afternoon as the Pets on Wheels therapy dogs visited the school for an afternoon of fuzzy fellowship.

Pets on Wheels is a nonprofit devoted to bringing therapy animals to schools, libraries, hospitals and other places where people can engage with them. Carolyn Cherry, media specialist at Oklahoma Road and a former Pets of Wheels dog owner, said the program is a wonderful way to help children come out of their shells in a friendly atmosphere. She said animals can often be a great de-stressor for students during tough times. Read more : http://www.carrollcountytimes.com/news/education/ph-cc-oklahoma-therapy-dogs-20160225-story.html.

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