PET PARTNER PROFILE OF THE MONTH! 

Meet Barbara and Her Therapy Partners

 

 

Each month we highlight one of our Pet Partner® teams. This month we would like you to meet Barbara Babikian and her many pet partners.

  

          Barbara Babikian and her therapy dogs  are our volunteers of the month for December. They joined HVHS Visiting Pets in 2006.

 

 

 

 

            Barbara, who lives in Orange County, New York, has four dogs, a 9-year-old German Shepherd and three Shelties (Shetland Sheepdogs), Spec.’s, Kaila, and Lille.

 

 

 

            “Spec.’s and Kaila were my first therapy dogs,” she says. “Because I started Spec.'s late in his years (he is now 15), he had a short career as a therapy dog. He was great at it. If he saw a hand reaching out, he'd slip his head underneath it. After a few pets, he'd swing his body around to give you a hug. He wasn't afraid of anything or anyone.”

            Kaila, who is 7½, has been a therapy dog for almost three years. She is now working in an elementary school in Florida, NY, as a Reading Education Assistance Dog. “Kaila loves to lie on a blanket and fall asleep while the children read to her,” says Barbara. “She is very sensitive to people's feelings.”

            Kaila’s hobbies include lying on the deck, listening to the birds, and watching the woods for deer. She also loves to play fetch with the tennis balls that Barbara hits with a tennis racket.

            Lille, pronounced Lilly, is 2½ years old. She visits Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital in New York City as a member of Angels on a Leash, an award-winning Animal Assisted Therapy program.  

            “Lille is involved with a lot of fundraisers and events to spread the word about Delta Society and Angels on a Leash,” says Barbara. “She has been on The Today Show, in the New York Daily News, and also on Turkish TV.  She is  my shy, little, elegant girl, and she has a gift. She knows when people need a hug or a cuddle or just some love and she just loves to give it.”

            Lille’s favorite activity is watching for deer and chasing them back into the woods. She also loves playing fetch with the tennis ball. “None of my dogs have a favorite toy because they have a treasure chest full of them,” says Barbara. ”They're very good at sharing.”

            

  Click here to see our past "Pet Partners of the Month"