October, 2014 – Volume 2, Issue 5

NEWS inHuman/Animal

Interaction

ADVANCED

A-P4P

Red Light Green Light Shared by the therapy staff…

In group therapy we were doing an activity that was similar to “red light, green light.” The boy’s task was to stop the horses when we said “drugs” and“ drugs” and make them walk when we said “sobriety”. 

During this activity we noticed a donkey running with one of the clients Jeremy close behind yelling, “WHOA!  STOP!”  We asked him why he was telling the donkey to stop during sobriety when the goal was to have the donkey move.  He said, “Because she’s trying to run through it and she needs to slow down.  She needs to stop running away. She needs help.” 

Jeremy had not been able to successfully get through any other program in the past.  He had always gotten kicked out or ran away.  He successfully made it through our entire program and had a lot of “aha” moments in his EAGALA sessions. Thank you Cinderella for helping Jeremy find his way.

Open for businessEquine therapy has

been up and running at Bridle Ridge since

February. We started with the boys we serve

in our residential center. Then we

expanded to serve other COMTREA

clients. And now we are accepting

individuals from the community. We can

accept payment from health insurance and Medicaid. For those who are not insured we can bill self-pay

based on a sliding fee scale. Remember, our equine therapy does not involve riding – it

is mental health therapy using horses

as therapeutic tools. If you are interested in

learning more or would like to schedule

an appointment, please contact Liz636-232-2338 or

lmeyers@comtrea.org

Dancer helps Jeremy make a decisionFrom Dee the Equine Learning Center Manager…

“To give a little back story, the client (we’ll call him Bill) has a very supportive family that wanted to help him through his addictions but he saw them as “meddling”. He also had a group of friends that consistently dragged him back to drugs but Bill felt they were his true friends. While we had been hoping that Bill would see the issue, through every session he had consistently made his family the enemy and his friends his support. This was his last session with us.  The cast of this story was set up by Bill.  Dancer represented Bill’s friends; Shadow the pony represented Bill, and the two donkeys represented drug dealers. In the real world, Dancer and Shadow are best buddies and are always playing and having fun in the field.  So Bill’s casting of them was perfect.  Bill began by talking about how much fun he had with his friends and how great they are when suddenly, with no discernible reason, Dancer (friends) turned on Shadow (Bill) and started chasing him in an aggressive manner. As the two flew around the arena, Bill tried to explain it away by saying that sometimes he and his friends get in get in fights but they always make up in the end.  Dancer then started pushing Shadow toward the donkeys (drug dealers) and tried to make him stay next to them despite Shadow’s attempts to get away from all of them.  Every time Shadow got away, Dancer would chase him back to the drug dealers with teeth bared and ears pinned in clear anger.  We all stood by the wall in the corner and watched this go on for most of the session.  Every time Bill would try to find an explanation, Dancer would chase Shadow in anger back to the donkeys.  The therapist finally looked over at Bill and asked, “What is going on?” Bill said, “I don’t know. ..this is crazy.” The therapist confirmed, “You’ve been working with these horses for a while and know how they are.  This is not normal for them.  What do you think is going on?”  Bill stood quietly then softly said, “I think they’re showing me what I needed to see.  I know what I need to do when I get home.  I’ve been thinking about it but I didn’t know for sure.  They showed me.”  As soon as his words were spoken, Dancer stopped chasing Shadow and a calm settled over the herd.  As the equine specialist that knows this herd backwards and forwards, I have no explanation for why Dancer went after Shadow so aggressively.  He’d not done it before and hasn’t done it since.  He just knew what needed to be done and how Bill could be best reached”. Good work Dancer. (You can’t make this stuff up.)

AMVETS support Bridle RidgeAMVET Riders from Herculaneum Post 51 chose Bridle Ride as an organization they wanted to sponsor. Recently they had a poker run with the funding gathered going towards our equine therapy efforts for veterans. Thank you AMVETS! We appreciate your support.

Certified Helper Dogs

Annual Report

July 2013 through June 201451 dogs requested17 completed adoptions6 in process of adoption19 matches in process 9 decided not to adopt or found ineligibleTotal 51

Professionals who adopt are using the dogs to comfort individuals in classrooms, nursing homes, hospice units, courtrooms and in emergency response situations.

Following is a summary of the reasons people are adopting Helper Dogs for their own needs:

Lack of mobility, autism, PTSD, depression, developmental disabilities, seizure disorder, peanut allergy, blood sugar drops, hearing loss and Tourettes.

This year we are moving from one prison providing Advanced P4P to four. (Equals

Shadow doesn’t show up very well in this picture – but he’s there!

He and Dancer are nuzzling each other.

The Captain SpeaksOne of the reasons Department of Corrections Director George Lombardi founded Puppies for Parole was because he felt it would change the culture of prisons – ultimately making them safer for the offenders and the staff. The following letter to the Director from a Captain at Jefferson City Correctional Center illustrates how this has worked out.

“Sir, a few things I would like to relay to you about the Puppies for Parole Program. I have seen some of the hardened and hateful inmates that spent many days in the adseg units do their best to stay out of the hole, and “walk the line” so they can take care of a dog. Inmates that had no pride or no self esteem come up to me with the pride of a new parent to be able to show me what they taught their dog that week. Inmates that shy away from responsibility now enjoy the responsibility they have taking care of a life. Inmates that would normally not get along or try to help each other due to prison ways now take the time to walk their neighbors dog because they are not in the unit or just buy food items from the canteen so all the dogs have treats. I see a community of misfits doing the right thing as a team or even a family to take care of all the dogs. On the other hand I see dogs that come into the program scared unable to get along with other dogs. Dogs that don't eat, are timid and unsure of the surroundings or aggressive. After they meet their human companion - trainer for the first time and over a few days time turn into best friends. All I see is a positive program that on most occasions saves a dog's life and gives it a chance to love and show it can become a friend or a family member and at the same time teaches the inmates that they are not so tough, not so hard and not so mean that they are unable to show compassion for something that shows unconditional love to them. I truly see inmates care and love these dogs.

Over the past few years on Monday I stop by the store on my way to work and I get a box or two of hard treats for dogs. I come into the office get my tasks ready for the days shift. I sit around and discus the daily activities with my assistant watch commanders and I start breaking the dog treats into smaller pieces so they will last longer and the dogs feel they get more. At first I did this by myself but as time went on the lieutenants started helping me break the treats up, and as I did my rounds to all the units I would stop and see the dog handlers and the dogs. I give the dogs the treats and see the new tricks they learned this week. When I first started this I did it by myself, now other staff like to walk with me during my rounds to feed and see the dogs.  The dog handlers are always grateful and always say “Thanks for the treats Captain”.

I did not get a chance to adopt a dog from the JCCC program I was too far down the list to get the one I wanted.  But I adopted one from ACC's dog program for my mom and she loves her dog.

A Home for BellaA Friend for Eli

Bella means beautiful and what a beautiful dog she turned out to be for her new family. Bella is a two-year-old Golden Retriever mix that graduated from A-P4P at Crossroads Correctional Center. Her family was divorcing and there was no place for her in either home. So off she went to prison – where Bella’s incarceration turned out to be a miracle for six-year-old Eli.

Eli’s has autism and his family was searching for a Helper Dog that would have a calming effect on him. Bella was selected and trained specifically for him. After going through her advanced training, she finally got to meet her new forever family. Eli’s mom said to the group that gathered to see Bella off that she had not seen her son smile like that in years.

A few months later we heard from the family and learned (no surprise) that Bella is a great success. Not only is she Eli’s best friend but he holds her during painful medical procedures that he must endure on a regular basis for a chronic health condition. The injections used to be a terrible ordeal with everyone in the family ending up in tears. But now – holding on to Bella, Eli gets through it without crying. His family is so impressed with her they recently provided us with another update:

“I just wanted to take a moment and say thank you. Eli and Bella are bonding. She stays in his room every night and he is so much calmer. And although she is stubborn, LOL, she is an amazing dog and has completed our little family! We wouldn't want to be without her, and I am so thankful for such an incredible blessing!!!”

Bridle Ridge Acres is a Division of COMTREA which is a comprehensive community treatment organization founded in 1973. It is a not-for- profit, Federally Qualified Health Center; an Administrative Agent for the Missouri Department of Mental Health; approved by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitative Facilities; and a United Way agency. Traditional health and mental health services are funded by federal, state and local dollars plus the United Way and grants.

The innovative Human/Animal Interventions need funding.

www.COMTREA.orgFacebook.com/bridleridgeacres

We appreciate your help.

To volunteer or to make a donation Please contact Liz lmeyers@comtrea.org636 – 232 – 2338

All donations are tax deductible.

A Home for BellaA Friend for Eli

Bella means beautiful and what a beautiful dog she turned out to be for her new family. Bella is a two-year-old Golden Retriever mix that graduated from A-P4P at Crossroads Correctional Center. Her family was divorcing and there was no place for her in either home. So off she went to prison – where Bella’s incarceration turned out to be a miracle for six-year-old Eli.

Eli’s has autism and his family was searching for a Helper Dog that would have a calming effect on him. Bella was selected and trained specifically for him. After going through her advanced training, she finally got to meet her new forever family. Eli’s mom said to the group that gathered to see Bella off that she had not seen her son smile like that in years.

A few months later we heard from the family and learned (no surprise) that Bella is a great success. Not only is she Eli’s best friend but he holds her during painful medical procedures that he must endure on a regular basis for a chronic health condition. The injections used to be a terrible ordeal with everyone in the family ending up in tears. But now – holding on to Bella, Eli gets through it without crying. His family is so impressed with her they recently provided us with another update:

“I just wanted to take a moment and say thank you. Eli and Bella are bonding. She stays in his room every night and he is so much calmer. And although she is stubborn, LOL, she is an amazing dog and has completed our little family! We wouldn't want to be without her, and I am so thankful for such an incredible blessing!!!”

The Warmblood Cross and a Goose Bump

In our equine program the clients are not told anything about the horses. They don’t know the horse’s histories or even their names. The anonymous horse concept prevents the client from being influenced by preconceived notions about what he is like based on his name. By being a “blank slate”, the horse can symbolize whatever the client needs in therapy sessions. When we added our Warmblood Cross to the herd, the boys in the residential program wanted to come up with a name for him. They conferred and agreed that his name would be “Germany”. Here’s the goose bump. Although that is not his name, he was born, raised and trained in Germany. Hmmm?

Small WondersChildren enrolled in Small Wonders Day Care have made several trips to Bridle Ridge to visit the animals. They were all curious about the donkeys, horses, chickens, kittens and dog – and vice versa!

Courtroom DogsThe Missouri Department of Corrections was invited to speak at the 2014 Judicial Conference in Kansas City.

Guess what the judges asked them to talk about? Dogs of course! In seems that word of Natalie’s success in the Hillsboro Courthouse has gotten out. The judges

there bring Natalie into chambers and courtrooms to calm children who need to testify. Natalie is a certified

DOC/COMTREA Helper Dog trained at Crossroads Correctional Center in Cameron. She joined the

Jefferson County Judiciary last spring and has been hard at work ever since. The recent conference promoted a

great deal of interest from judges around the state.

Picasso AKA Germany