Kate Titus and other supporters of the nonprofit Gabriel’s Angels believe that the best therapists for abused and at-risk children have wet noses and warm hearts.
“(My dog) Harley’s communication with these kids is spot-on. I can walk in with him and he will identify the kids who need him the most and he helps me figure out what he needs to do for them. I am there to hold the leash and drive the car. It is my job to stay out of his way,” said Titus, chairwoman of the board of directors for the Southern Arizona branch of Gabriel’s Angels.
The organization, which was founded by Pam Gaber in 2000 in Phoenix and expanded to Tucson seven years ago, is dedicated to providing pet therapy for children in order to nurture their emotional development and enhance the quality of their lives.
It now serves about 14,000 children under the age of 18 statewide annually; 4,000 of those live in Southern Arizona.
“We are only reaching about 40 percent of the kids who need us, so we have a ways to go. As most of us know, Arizona has significant problems with child welfare issues,” Titus said.
Her opinion is backed up by statistics: Arizona ranks fifth nationally in the rate of children with substantiated reports of abuse and neglect.
To reach these children, Gabriel’s Angels partners with more than 25 shelters, agencies, organizations, programs and schools including Casa de los Niños, Emerge! Center Against Domestic Abuse, La Frontera Child and Family Services, Boys & Girls Clubs of Tucson and Sierra Vista, and the Juvenile Courts in Pima and Santa Cruz counties as well as the Cochise County Juvenile Detention Center.
“Many of these kids are involved somehow in the cycle of violence. They are not learning basic association skills at home and there is some disadvantage in their emotional and behavioral education so we are using our dogs to help them overcome that,” Titus said.
The dogs are members of a force of 50 local pet therapy teams. Each team is comprised of a handler and his or her pet along with a “helping hand,” or volunteer who accompanies the team to assist with therapy activities.
The programming is focused around seven core behaviors, including giving and receiving love; instilling trust; and teaching empathy, compassion, respect, communication, tolerance and other life skills. Activities range from arts and crafts and games to songs and stories as well as hands-on grooming and pet care activities with the dogs.
“We teach grooming activities — how to brush the dog and how to brush the dog’s teeth — and talk about our own grooming habits and why hygiene is important. We demonstrate behaviors that are appropriate with the dog and the kids can take those and relate them to interacting with other people,” Titus said.
Titus said that Harley, an 85-pound great Dane, foxhound and St. Bernard mix, and the other dogs truly connect with the children, and the therapy teams seek to become touchstones in the children’s often chaotic lives.
“I think these kids are much more willing to open up to a dog than another human and I have had kids tell Harley things they wouldn’t tell another adult. They are just able to relax and soak up the love,” she said.
Local photographer Lyn Sims, owner of Lyn Sims Photography, has been involved with the organization for two years and agrees that the therapy can change lives.
“The things they do when they go out on a site is transformational for kids … they are able to use the animals to work so naturally with people — I think it is the unconditional love,” said Sims, who will host Salud! 2014, a fundraiser to benefit Gabriel’s Angels for the second consecutive year at 6 p.m. Friday at her studio, 4210 N. Saranac Drive.
The event will feature tastings of wines from around the world paired with hors d’oeuvres as well as a silent and live auction. Among the featured wines will be varietals produced specially for Gabriel’s Angels by winemaker Rick Riddle of Bear Track Winery, a local boutique winery featuring grapes from New Mexico and Arizona.
Each blend will feature the image of a pet therapy dog on the label. Bottles of the wines will be available for sale at the event for $30 each; 20 percent of that goes to Gabriel’s Angels.
“It is a great thing: People can buy a bottle of wine and it is for such a good cause. I have a beagle myself and when I have a bad day and walk up to the gate and he is there with his nose under the gate and his tale wagging, it makes my day better, so I can relate to the benefits that therapeutic service dogs provide,” Riddle said.
