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Happy birthday Caleb Casey!

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Dana Street Elementary celebrates Student’s of the Month

<p>NANTICOKE &#8212;As soon as Diane Rebar brought her toy poodle, Isabella Rose, into the community room, Mary Ann Jaffee began cooing at the little dog with delight.</p><p>&#8220;You&#8217;re so pretty, so cute,&#8221; Jaffee said, turning her attention from a bingo game at Birchwood Nursing &amp; Rehabilitation Center to pet the furry visitor.</p><p>&#8220;I had a dog ever since I was little,&#8221; said Jaffee, 69, a retired teacher who lives at the center. &#8220;I loved &#8216;em all and they loved me back. One day a dog died and the next day a cat came to my porch. I let her in and fed her and loved her, just like a dog.&#8221;</p><p>Rebar knows many people enjoy interacting with animals and spends several hours each month taking Isabella Rose, who is a certified therapy dog, to nursing homes and hospitals.</p><p>Their mission? To make people feel better.</p><p>&#8220;Studies have shown it (interacting with a companion animal) lowers blood pressure and reduces the need for pain medication,&#8221; Rebar said.</p><p>Rebar, 70, of Plymouth is retiring this month after 43 years at the Hoyt Library in Kingston, and said that will give her time for even more therapy visits.</p><p>Perhaps, she said, she&#8217;ll be able to accompany her friend, Marjorie Ibsen, to all 14 of the places Ibsen visits each month with her dachshund/cocker spaniel mix, Smidgie.</p><p>&#8220;Just watching the joy on people&#8217;s faces&#8221; makes the pet visits worthwhile, Rebar said.</p><p>&#8220;It transports them out of their situation, if only for a few minutes,&#8221; Ibsen said. &#8220;Some people don&#8217;t get touched very much, but she (Smidgie) will lick their whole face. We build relationships.&#8221;</p><p>Knowing how much visits from an animal can brighten the residents&#8217; day, Birchwood activities director Carla Krakowski said in some cases the residents&#8217; own family pets are welcome to accompany relatives to the facility.</p><p>&#8220;If they have their own dog, we usually allow visits as long as they&#8217;re up to date on their shots.&#8221;</p><p>Before an animal can become a registered therapy dog, it must meet several requirements regarding its temperament, obedience and how it behaves when meeting new people or other dogs.</p><p>Not everyone loves dogs, Ibsen and Rebar said, and they keep their canine friends away from guests who are afraid or just don&#8217;t feel like visiting.</p><p>But dog lovers say their spirits lift as soon as the four-legged friends arrive.</p><p>&#8220;These guys are the best,&#8221; said Joel Petrokonis of Nanticoke, who had come to Birchwood on a recent Tuesday to pick up his mother and take her to a friend&#8217;s funeral. &#8220;Not only do they make the patients feel better; they make the patient&#8217;s son feel better, too.&#8221;</p><p>Rebar belongs to Luzerne/Lackawanna Chapter 254 of Therapy Dogs International. For more information about the organization, see www.tdi-dog.org.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Diane Rebar holds her dog, Isabella, up for Maryann Jaffee to pet at the Birchwood Nursing &amp; Rehabilitation Center. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/web1_doggie1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Diane Rebar holds her dog, Isabella, up for Maryann Jaffee to pet at the Birchwood Nursing &amp; Rehabilitation Center. </caption0><photoCredit0>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/web1_doggie2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Mary Jo Johnson gives therapy dog Smidgie a kiss. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/web1_doggie2.jpg</photo1><caption1>Mary Jo Johnson gives therapy dog Smidgie a kiss. </caption1><photoCredit1>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/web1_doggie3.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Diane Rebar holds her dog, Isabella, up for Helen Gill to pet and cuddle. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/web1_doggie3.jpg</photo2><caption2>Diane Rebar holds her dog, Isabella, up for Helen Gill to pet and cuddle. </caption2><photoCredit2>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/web1_doggy2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Smidgie&#8217;s owner says the registered therapy dog &#8216;will lick your whole face,&#8217; and Rose Ferri can attest it&#8217;s true. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo3>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/web1_doggy2.jpg</photo3><caption3>Smidgie&#8217;s owner says the registered therapy dog &#8216;will lick your whole face,&#8217; and Rose Ferri can attest it&#8217;s true. </caption3><photoCredit3>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit3></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Retirement will give volunteer Diane Rebar even more time for therapy dog visits</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p><strong>By Mary Therese Biebel</strong></p><p>mbiebel@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Mary Therese Biebel at 570-991-6109 or on Twitter @BiebelMT</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Therapy dogs spread happiness during nursing home visit