Rumba is dogged in supporting young clients at Cupertino clinic
Rumba is a black Labrador and golden retriever mix, with caramel eyes and an easygoing demeanor. She’s only 3 years old, but she already understands how to play games and take turns. She knows when to rest her head on a person’s lap to provide a calming presence.
All of this makes her good at her job as the new facility dog at Development is Child’s Play, a pediatric therapy clinic in Cupertino.
Development is Child’s Play offers physical, speech and occupational therapy to kids in Cupertino. The clinic has been in the city for 30 years, but co-owner Sena Felt is constantly looking for ways to make pediatric therapy, which can be difficult for patients, more fun.
“Having a dog in the clinic absolutely makes things a bit more enjoyable,” Felt said.
When Felt was in occupational therapy school, she volunteered as a “puppy raiser” for Santa Rosabased Canine Companions for Independence, a national nonprofit that pairs service dogs with adults and children with physical or cognitive disabilities, as well as veterans living with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. She knew then that she wanted to incorporate a service dog into her practice. So when she became co-owner of Development is Child’s Play in 2017, she reached out to Canine Companions, which also trains dogs to work in clinical facilities, to pair her with her own dog.
Canine Companions breeds and trains its service dogs and provides them free of charge to people who need them. Given the cost of breeding, training and raising the dogs, as well as follow-up for the dog’s lifetime, each pairing is valued at around $50,000, according to spokesperson Michelle Williams. Each year, the staff places more than 300 service dogs with people and facilities across the country.
She said these dogs can be instrumental in helping people with disabilities achieve independence. They can also serve a crucial role in helping kids emotionally and socially. “That dog can really help be a social bridge as well as really help them in their therapies,” Williams said.
She said the training programs the dogs go through are rigorous, and staff make sure that every dog they end up pairing with someone is able to provide practical help with everyday tasks.
“The dogs that make it through our program and go on to be working dogs, service dogs or facility dogs like Rumba, they are so excited to work,” Williams said. “You can see them wagging their tails.”
And the service doesn’t end with the pairing. The nonprofit keeps up with all of its dogs throughout their lifetimes, providing support and advice to handlers and owners.
“It’s a lifelong connection with Canine Companions, which is nice because they care about their dogs,” Felt said. “And they also care about making sure the handlers feel confident and connected. They’re right there to help you. If you have a problem. They’ll walk you through it.”
Late last year, Felt traveled to Santa Rosa for training and to meet with a few potential dogs. She knew she needed a dog who was on the calmer side, as some of the patients at the clinic are working through sensory processing disorders.
“You’re kind of seeing their personalities,” she said of the canines in question. “Are they calm? Are they a little bit more rambunctious? What are their little quirks? And how are you picturing that dog with the kids?”
In the end, Felt and her clinic were paired with sweet-tempered Rumba. For the past few months, Rumba has been acclimating to the clinic, and the clinic’s patients have begun to grow attached to her.
But Rumba serves as more than just a calming presence or a morale boost; she actively plays games and participates in activities with the kids to help with their therapies. She helps kids through obstacle courses and plays games like balloon volleyball. Patients can practice putting clothes on her and grooming her. And during a time when COVID-19 restrictions mean fewer people in the clinic, she serves as a companion, someone other than a therapist or parent for the kids to interact with.
“It’s nice for her to be seen as sort of a playmate or an ally,” Felt said.
The clinic recently celebrated Rumba’s third birthday, and Felt said it was already clear how much of a difference the dog’s presence has made on the patients. One patient made Rumba a birthday card during his session and wanted to deliver it to her personally. The card now hangs over her bed in the clinic.
“I think just having her here has already started to change so many lives, and we just want to keep that going,” Felt said.