Nancy McDaniel (l), Civitan Barclay Bentley (r), and Ari (front center).

Nancy McDaniel and her therapy dog, Ari, came to speak to our club on Tuesday, July 19 at Chappy’s Deli. Mrs. McDaniel works with Therapy Dogs on Call, provided through Easter Seals Alabama and based out of Montgomery. She and Ari work with a variety of groups: elderly, children, people in the hospital, Hospice, individuals on the autistic spectrum, Veterans, and more. Ari provides comfort and emotional support, different from a service dog that would assist individuals with visual impairments or seizure disorders.

Mrs. McDaniel discovered therapy dogs while she was helping her late mother get to/from cancer treatments. She described the impact the dog can have on individuals. She gave some excellent statistics about therapy dogs improving reading rates in children and improving mental function for Alzheimer’s patients.

Mrs. McDaniel also shared some photos of the 13 new puppies in their family. Ari delivered the litter about 4 weeks ago.

This was a wonderful presentation and everyone enjoyed visiting with Ari.

Easter Seals Dogs on Call website: http://www.easterseals.com/alabama/our-programs/respite-community-support/dogs-on-call.html