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Gayle
Hutchens |
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Gayle Hutchens
59 - Indianapolis, IN
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Gayle Hutchens combined three disparate groups – at-risk youth, dogs from shelters, and individuals with special needs – to create Paws and Think. The organization implements four programs to achieve its mission: The At-Risk Youth-Canine Program; The Service Dog Program; Animal Assisted Activity/Therapy (AAAT) Program, and the annual Dog Talk Conference.
Youth in the Youth-Canine Programs (many of whom are academically or behaviorally challenged, incarcerated, pregnant or at-risk of suicide) teach dogs from shelters that are at-risk of euthanasia basic obedience, manners and socialization skills. The dogs are then adopted as companion animals, preventing their euthanasia, or adopted by Paws and Think to receive further training as service dogs, facility dogs, skilled companions and companion animals for people with physical, developmental, or behavioral disabilities. Paws and Think annually engages some 330 youth trainers in after-school programming and 40 at-risk youths through in-school programming (one dog to one student ratio).
Youth also participate in the Service Dog Program by training and socializing dogs
(visiting banks, restaurants, grocery stores, etc. with their dog to help prepare them for placement with children and adults with special needs who will visit these same locations). The individuals who receive the service dogs gain skills they are unable to perform themselves and a companion that engages people, reducing feelings of isolation and self-consciousness.
Youth with well-mannered and trained companion animals of their own also participate in the AAAT Program. They facilitate grief work with youth who have lost a loved one. They also help youth meet physical and speech rehabilitation goals at rehabilitation centers. They promote youth literacy through library reading programs. And they visit veterans of the Iraq war, youth in hospitals, seniors in retirement communities, and more.
The Annual Dog Talk Conference features national and international keynote speakers. Topics of interest have included, among others, how animals heal us, how to prepare for our pets in the event of national disaster, how to achieve outcomes that benefit both people and animals, and how to help our animals recover from traumatic events.
Through Paws and Think programming, the teens not only save the lives of their canines (over 200 dogs have been spared from euthanasia because of the program’s efforts), they also "save" themselves in the process. As the youth learn to take responsibility seriously and redirect their dogs' behavior through positive reinforcement,
thoughts of suicide and parental abuse or neglect are interrupted; life skills in anger management, leadership and job readiness are learned; their self-awareness and self-confidence increases and they experiencing academic and social success; and the incidence of self-sabotaging behaviors is decreased. Several go on to teach other students through service learning which enhances their self-esteem, leadership abilities, and job readiness.
That's why Gayle is a 2007
Woman Of Worth. |
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"Animals have a connection with us that goes beyond words."
Hear Gayle discuss her work
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GAYLE'S DIARY
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ORGANIZATION
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