TulsaPets Magazine July 2022

July / August 2022 • TulsaPets 35 How Karing K9s Can Help One of those volunteers is Vickie Cupps, president of Karing K9s and a national tester and observer for the Alliance of Ther- apy Dogs (ATD). She was one of five dog owners who visited the OSU-Tulsa campus on June 3 with their pooches. “All of the Karing K9s therapy dog teams are nationally certified by the Alliance of Therapy Dogs,” Cupps says. “ATD is one of three nationally recognized therapy orga- nizations.  Each team must pass a test and go on a minimum of three supervised visits with one of ATD’s testers/observers (T/O). A T/O will test, supervise, and certify pro- spective teams to become certified therapy dog teams.” Cupps adds, “We are not looking for just good dogs, we are looking for good han- dlers and their dogs. ATD has a webpage that provides their mission statement and requirements to become an ATD therapy dog team. Once a team becomes nationally certified, they can make therapy dog visits and have handler insurance.” No one trains the Karing K9s teams, Cupps explains. “The dogs are the owners’ personal dogs. Many of our Karing K9s teams come from an obedience, agility, or conformation background. They come to us through word of mouth. Karing K9s has been making visits in Tulsa and the surrounding area for more than 35 years. All of our ATD teams are volunteers, and there is never any charge for our teams to make visits to facilities such as hospitals or other locations. Prior to the pandemic, our teams visited more than 30 facilities in the Tulsa area on a monthly basis.” How Campers and Canines Interact Megan Whitehead, a supervisor in the Communicative Sciences and Disorders Department, explains how campers are selected for the weeklong day camp. “They apply to attend, and they have to qualify physically. For example, they have to be mo- bile. They pay a small fee to attend.” Some of the participants enjoy the camp so much that they attend more than one year. OSU values the work of therapy dogs, Whitehead says. All OSU campuses have teams of dogs known as Pete’s Pet Posse that are available to help students in various situations. When the Karing K9s teams visited Cow- boy Aphasia Camp this summer, it was clear that campers, canines, owners, and students enjoyed the interaction. After the own- ers introduced their dogs, they made the rounds, spending time with each camper and student before moving on to the next. It was relaxed, friendly, and literally warm and fuzzy, with all those great canines around. In fact, everyone was having such a good time that when the session was over, no one was ready to leave. The staff had to remind people that it was time to go to lunch. It was a big deal for everyone involved — and a stepping-stone toward the campers’ goal of rebuilding language skills. To learn more about aphasia, visit the website of the National Aphasia Association, https://www.aphasia.org. For questions about the OSU Commu- nicative Science and Disorders program, check https://go.okstate.edu. Cowboy Aphasia Camp participants and Karing K9 teams gather on June 3, 2022, at OSU-Tulsa. Charlee (owned by Daryll Cantrell) pays a visit to student Kathryn Pierce and camper Bill Scott at the Cowboy Aphasia Camp. Camper Judy Pannell and student Cayman Patterson meet Truman (owned by Dr. Warren Pagel) while Rucker waits in anticipation at the Cowboy Aphasia Camp.