Brownie was adopted from the Cape of Good Hope SPCA in April 2017 and found his forever home with Marian Shinn. Now named Scud, he is a dear pet friend and an incredible support to his community members in need.
Why the name Scud?
He is named after the scud missile because, on his first run on Zandvlei he took off at high speed to the far end of the park, turned around and came straight back to his target – Marian!
Now Scud is supporting learners as the first therapy dog in Cape Town to work in the PAT’s pioneering programme.
Scud was assessed as a suitable therapy dog by a registered non-profit organisation Pets as Therapy (PAT) pre-COVID and started working at a seniors’ care home in Fish Hoek when COVID restrictions were lifted. Now he visits the care home once a week.
Dog Mom Marian Shinn says “Scud is also the first therapy dog in Cape Town to work in the PAT’s pioneering programme using dogs to create a safe learning environment for Grade 3 learners struggling with reading. We kicked off the program at the Capricorn Primary School in February and a fellow volunteer is also working in the Gordon’s Bay Area. We are starting to see results in the selected youngsters’ reading abilities and confidence. We visit the school twice a week“.
The Reading Education Assistance Dogs (READ) programme works on an individual basis with each selected child in a non-threatening, non-peer-pressure environment. The dog helps ease the tension the learner may feel while struggling to read. It also helps to encourage the children to enjoy and care for animals.
