Senior Spirit Online

A new social therapy dog training program in Rochester, Minnesota called TriPawd matches up jail detainees and shelter dogs to create social therapy dogs for visits to nursing homes and other such facilities.  Jail inmates who are in the county’s work-release program participate in a six-week, hands-on dog obedience training program and then take the dogs to nursing homes for social therapy visits.  In addition to the use of inmates, the program is also unique because of its use of shelter dogs.”  Allison Sullivan, who is the founder of TriPawd, teaches the inmates how to train the dogs, as well as sets up the nursing home visits and supervises the dogs and their trainers during visits.

The Animal Aid Humane Society in Moline, Illinois offers free adoptions to seniors on low or fixed incomes who might not be able afford adoption fees.  Rock Island County Animal Care and Control has a similar program. That shelter will waive anywhere from half to all of a senior citizen’s adoption fee, which is normally $60 for cats and $100 for dogs. They also will help pay the required county pet registration fee.

Animal Aid Humane Society is a nonprofit, no-kill shelter run by volunteers and operated almost solely from donations. It’s on the corner of 50th Street and 4th Avenue in Moline. Any senior interested in adopting from Animal Aid is urged to contact or visit. Hours are 6-8 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, or by appointment. Anyone with a particular pet in mind should call (309) 797-6550. Pets can be viewed at www.molineanimalaid.org or www.petfinder.com. Rock Island County Animal Care and Control is on the corner of Indian Bluff Road and U.S. 150 in Moline near the airport. They can be reached at (309) 558-DOGS or on the Internet at www.qcpaws.org.