November 21, 2003

Puppy Love
‘The Healing Paw’ throws animal therapy to the dogs

By Candy Richter
Staff Writer

A milestone is about to take place in special education teacher Outi Talvala’s visually handicapped classroom at San Jose’s Della Maggiore School. Luc, who counts each step taken with assistance as a victory, is about to cross over the threshold of his classroom and into the outside world. But his focus is not Talvala, who supports him in his trek, or visitor Diane Rampelberg, but on Rampelberg’s companion, a golden retriever-Labrador mix named Dustin.

Just outside the door, the group pauses. Luc, supported by Talvala, gently lowers his head, intent on the warm, furry, breathing body beneath his hands. Slowly, he curls his fingers up in Dustin’s apricot coat, and ever patient, Dustin waits, working his magic on yet another devoted fan.

As “The Healing Paw” twosome, Rampleberg and Dustin—the second of Rampleberg’s dogs to bear the name—are a much-anticipated event at both Chandler Tripp School and the neighboring Della Maggiore campus.

Making their rounds visiting the orthopedic handicapped, visually impaired and hearing impaired classrooms, Rampleberg and Dustin, with red flyer wagon in tow, have a whole host of games, props and more leashes of varied texture and size than a pet store, to teach and tantalize their students.

“I wanted Dustin to be more than just a ‘petable’ dog,” says Rampleberg.” I saw that there was such a connection [between the children and the dog] that there had to be a way to apply this to [helping] the kids reach their goals.”

As a teacher herself, Rampleberg’s experience in teaching special education children gave her the insight that would later inspire her to create “The Healing Paw.”
According to Rampleberg, the key to creating a truly beneficial and innovative program to meet the needs of special education students lies in finding the right motivators. In Rampleberg’s that motivation came with four paws and a tail.

In December of 1997, Rampleberg fulfilled her high school-aged son’s wish for a dog by bringing home a Golden/Lab Canine Companion for Independence puppy for him to rear.
Working through the puppy’s exercises—particularly the socialization skills—Rampleberg saw that tremendous positive impact the dog had on not only her and her family, but on children as well.

After 14 months, it was time to turn over the dog to the advanced training program, and the Ramplebergs decided to raise one more dog before Diane’s son went off to college.
Eventually the Rampleberg’s first dog completed the CCI courses and was selected to participate in the new operant program.

Seeing firsthand the power of animal therapy on humans, and particularly on children, Rampleberg decided to take the next step and applied for a CCI Facility dog to begin work on her dream to help disabled children.
In 1999, Rampleberg was accepted into the program and in what can only be described as the ultimate serendipity; she arrived to find that she had been matched with her original puppy as her new assistance dog, Dustin.

A Work in Progress
Armed with great ideas and marginal dog training/handling skills, Rampleberg started visiting schools for disabled children in the beginning of 2000. “The interaction encourages such joy and healing,” says Rampleberg. “And kid’s play always works best when integrating practical applications.”

What may appear to the casual observer as simply walking the dog, or playing “baby” or even just standing and having some doggy close-up time, is in actuality a reinforcement of one of the many fine motor, gross motor, language or cognitive development skills Dustin’s “kids” need to practice.

“For some of these children, the act of grasping and holding an object is challenging,” described Rampleberg. “But when presented with the opportunity to hold Dustin’s leash and take him for a walk, the motor skill becomes fun.”

In their travels from room to room, The Healing Paw duo varies their routine and activities depending on the needs of the children. Dustin brings along many different “theme” kits, ranging from “camping” with pretend campfire, tent and nature walks, to “baby” with Dustin’s own feeding bowl, spoon, bottle and blanket. As a child interacts with Dustin, Rampleberg will ask about colors, shapes, or how many times did Dustin do a particular activity.

According to Ginger Brown, Who works with Chandler Tripp’s visually impaired youngsters, Diane’s visits are an important activity for the kids. “Diane works on [the child’s Individual Education Plan (IEP) goals. Most of the children just can’t wait to go with Dustin, even those that needed to adjust to something new, now just love him. The kids get experience in pretend play, following directions, trying new things.”

As much as Rampleberg and Dustin enjoy their visits to schools like Della Maggiore and Chandler Tripp, Rampleberg is concerned about the future of “The Healing Paw.” In what as become all to often the case in Silicon Valley, Rampleberg’s husband was laid off from his marketing job last May. Rampleberg decided to return to teaching as a substitute, allowing her time to continue with her invaluable visits to the area schools. But with her special ed experience, Rampleberg found herself assigned to some of the very campuses she would visit with Dustin. “The children would see me and think I was with Dustin, explained Rampleberg. “It was very disruptive and confusing for the kids.” Rather than giving up, Rampleberg has decided to “put everything in God’s hands” and became a nonprofit organization.

Faced with the roughly $10,000 per year in vet bills, upkeep and toy/kit supplies, Rampleberg is optimistic that the community will see the value in animal therapy programs like “The Healing Paw.”

In part, her faith has paid off, The Healing Paw was added as a benefiting charity of The Alan and Bonnie Aerts Foundation’s Annual “Evening from the Heart” charity fundraiser.

Back in Talvala’s classroom Luc has come back in and Rampleberg guides Dustin around the room, giving each child the opportunity for some cuddle time. “Dustin is such a motivation,” said Talava. “He helps these children in so many ways.” Rampleberg was right, finding that special motivation can mean the difference between a good program and an exceptional one. And if there is one word that most accurately describes the effect Dustin has on the many children he visits each week, it is most definitely, exceptional.

For information on how to contribute to The Healing Paw, visit www.thehealingpaw.org.