We’re happy to announce that the OC Anxiety Center will be adding another new staff member in November of this year. Unlike our other therapists, Daisy will likely gladly accept a pat on the head or a tummy rub from you.
Daisy is a 1.5 year-old golden retriever, currently being trained at Joys of Living Assistance Dogs (“JLAD”) in Salem, Oregon. We were able to meet with her and the staff and were impressed with the level of training and abilities. Daisy will be a “facility dog”, which means that she has the same level of training as a service animal (and in our case will have passed public access tests), and will be tasked to assist our therapists in helping patients overcome their anxieties both in the office and in public settings. This will include not only with people who are afraid of dogs, but with trauma patients (moderating exposure experiences to be more tolerable) and individuals who come in that just need a furry hug to start sessions.
Daisy will have big paws to fill, as until his passing last year Pavlov did a great job in this role: it was not uncommon for both children and adults to spend their sessions on the floor with Pavlov. In the next two months, Daisy, will continue her training (she currently has ~40 commands down), followed by a two-week intensive training for Dr. Hsia to learn how to work with Daisy. Dr. Hsia will then hold training sessions with the therapists at OCAC so they may also use Daisy with their patients. As we look forward to having Daisy join us in a few short months, we hope that those coming to our center also have a chance to give Daisy a hearty welcome scritch.