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KICKER |
Kicker , was born in Florida on January 8, 2001. Upon his arrival in Memphis, he truly became a special team player. You can tell by the bright eyes and smiling faces of the people he visits that he is an important part of their world. Whether we are walking down the hall at a nursing home or waiting for the kids at St. Jude, the response is always the same….”here comes Kicker”, or “hey Kicker”!!!!!!!!!!! Kicker received his canine good citizenship award before he was a year old. We then moved on to take the Delta Society class and got evaluated…and yes...we passed!!!! Our first facility was the Alzheimer’s Day Care in the Memphis area. We went on Thursday afternoons and as soon as we started the grooming process he was excited and knew we were going somewhere special...it was a great beginning for our team!!! The next facility was St. Jude Children’s Hospital and we visited with 3 other teams two times a month. I could tell from that first day that Kicker loved the children there and the parents and staff too. It is a very special place and Kicker knew it!! The next few years we added a nursing home, the VA Spinal Cord Unit, and another children’s hospital. We were very busy and Kicker loves every minute. It is amazing to see how Kicker knows the patients and how he responds to their needs. He can be quiet and soft to some and more active and playful with others. He can tell if a child doesn’t feel well and he will just lie in their lap, putting his paw on their hand. In the spinal cord unit he goes right up to the wheel chairs and sits patiently while a man tries to brush him, or pet him, or he will very gently put his front paws in his lap so he is closer to a paraplegic that is having difficulties. It doesn’t matter to Kicker; he loves them just the way they are. It seems to me that he knows they are having trouble. Unconditional love is what he gives.
Kicker’s team has also worked with kids that are in the English as a Second Language group. After working with a 4 th grade girl for a few months, her teacher came running up to me as we arrived and said that she made the honor roll and had made an A in reading for the first time. Those are great stories and moments that we experience. At Temple Israel, Kicker goes to the Barbara K. Lipman Early Learning Center, where the children take turns reading to him. They look forward to his visit and this activity has helped them improve on their reading skills. They all practice to be sure that they get the words correct for Kicker! This year, Kicker was also invited to participate in “Mitzvah Day,” a day of community service where hundreds of volunteers reach out to make a difference in people’s lives. Kicker made that difference when he went to a family ice cream social at Target House (where families whose children are at St. Jude, live for months at a time.) He met many new friends and saw some that he already knew. The most special thing that Kicker has done is be the best friend to a couple of young boys that have serious illnesses. One mother told me that if it wasn’t for Kicker her son would have not made it thru chemotherapy. He looks at his picture and talks to him like he is sitting there with him. She feels it has made the difference in his life. Ave Maria Nursing Home has invited Kicker to be their ring bearer in a mock wedding for the last 2 years. He even speaks when asked if anyone objects and always gets a big laugh!
Now we can’t wait to get to the hospitals, or help a child learn to read and build confidence in him again, or visit with the elderly, or the paraplegic young man that will never walk again. It touches my heart, and Kicker knows it, to see the families and children and staff all love to touch a dog. Some miss their dogs, some have never had a dog, but it does something to make their day a little better and a little easier, even if it is just for a few moments in time. |
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Last year, our team passed the READ exam and we are now visiting libraries and schools. His favorite school is a class of Special Education students that we visit once a week. They read to him special books that they have made and some even lay on his back while reading. Kicker is a real part of their class and they love it when we appear at their door. The hardest part is who will go first! The school gave the R.E.A.D. ® Program two center fold pages in their yearbook! 
When I first trained Kicker to be a Delta Dog, I never thought he would accomplish all that he has. He definitely has exceeded all of our expectations. %20(2).jpg) |
Kicker is a true ambassador of the Delta Society Pet Partners and I am lucky to be able to witness it all and share him with so many that need his love. |