25 Jan 2015 Furry friends offer hope and healing

Story and photos
by Erica Goodwin

At first glance, Lulla Belle looks like a regular pet. The playful Australian Shepherd has a beautiful fur coat, striking blue-green eyes and a joyful spirit. She is also a hero. As a pup of just 18 months, she prevented a toddler from falling into a swimming pool.

It wasn’t long until Steve and Tela Brackins adopted Lulla Belle from the Missouri Australian Shepherd Rescue. The bond was immediate. And Steve sensed something special about their new four-legged friend.

“When I saw Lulla Belle and her demeanor, I just knew she would make a good therapy dog,” he said. They both went through extensive training — for animals and their handlers — to receive certification from Pet Partners Animal Training Program.

Pet Partners is a national organization that sets the standard for animal therapy. Research shows that animals have a positive impact on people’s well being. Interacting with therapy animals reduces stress, anxiety and blood pressure. People also feel less lonely and depressed as they tend to become more social in visiting with the animal.

The Arkansas-based Pet Partners team is ABLEPaws, Inc. The organization pairs hospitals, schools and other locations with animal therapy teams like Steve and Lulla Belle. ABLEPaws’ mission is to bring hope and healing to those who interact with the animals.

“Lulla Belle is everything you could ever ask for in a therapy dog,” Steve said. “She is so unique; you can’t train an animal to have the qualities she does. She can sense when someone is hurting, both physically and emotionally. Once she detects the person hurting, you see a different demeanor in her. Watching it will almost bring you to tears.”

With her gentle nature, she is able to work with people of all ages, from children to senior adults, he adds. From pediatric patients to senior adults, Lulla Belle connects with individuals in every stage of life.

The pair is part of the T.A.I.L.S. Program at Arkansas Children’s Hospital (ACH). Through T.A.I.L.S., or Therapeutic Animal Interventions Lift Spirits, Steve and Lulla Belle regularly visit young patients in the cancer unit.

There may be as many as six to 12 patients in the playroom with their parents or guardians, Steve said. Often, Lulla Belle is drawn to the person who is hurting the most.

“Sometimes the person in the most pain is not the child,” he adds. “It may be the mother or grandmother. As I watch Lulla Belle in action, she will gradually move toward that person during our visit.”

Before finals week, the pair went to Harding University on a special assignment. As part of a small group representing ABLEPaws, they visited with more than 150 faculty and students during the two-day event.

“It was a remarkable adventure,” Steve said. “Having the animals there helped to lower the stress on the kids taking final exams. The comments we received from the students were very positive.”

More recently, Steve took Lulla Belle to visit the residents of Providence Assisted Living in Searcy. For many senior adults, the holidays prove to be an emotionally difficult time of year.

“They may not be smiling when they come in, but once they see Lulla Belle, they light up,” Steve said. “It’s just incredible. That’s why we’re here.”

Now at age 7, Lulla Belle will go through her fourth recertification evaluation in March. In addition to visiting patients and families at ACH, Steve and Lulla Belle also spend time with patients at UAMS, Arkansas State Hospital and Methodist Family Health in Maumelle. They have traveled as far as Mississippi and Alabama to visit residents of an assisted living facility and school children.