Kootenai | Kootenai Health | Issue 4, 2016

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W A G G I T Y W E L L N E S S
“Cece was born with Down syn-
drome and benefits from outpatient
therapy targeting gross motor
development and communication,”
Linsey said. “We’re using Huck
to help build up her language by
encouraging her to direct him and
talk about things we’re doing with
him.”
In addition to vocabulary de-
velopment, Huck is helping Cece
progress in physical therapy. This
summer, she was working toward
starting preschool and needed
to be able to stand and walk
independently.
“Cece has mastered the skill to
stand on her own without hesita-
tion, allowing her to start walking
without assistance,” Ilka said.
“She stands with a wide stance and
will need to continue physical
therapy to work on her quality of
gait, strength, balance and coordi-
nation in order to facilitate a closer
to normal pattern of walking.
“I enjoy working with Huck. He
is a motivating factor for Cece.
I am looking forward to using a
therapy dog during physical therapy
sessions when appropriate. It is
amazing how the children respond
and it allows clinicians like myself
to tailor treatment in a manner that
will progress each child toward
their individual functional mobility
goals.”
Cece’s mother, Aimee Fahnstrom-
Burley, has been bringing her to
rehabilitation since she was an
infant. She said she is excited
about introducing Huck into Cece’s
therapy and hopes he can help.
“We’ve been working with Linsey
and Ilka for most of Cece’s life,”
she said. “They understand what
gets her excited and motivates
her, and incorporate that into their
work. Cece loves animals, espe-
cially dogs, so to have Huck here is
great.”
G R O W T H T H R O U G H
I N T E R A C T I O N
Linsey said she is currently incor-
porating Huck and another therapy
dog, Buddy, into several patients’
therapy routines, three of which are
children with autism.
“The goal with the therapy dog
program for these children is to
increase their engagement and
awareness of other living beings,
while encouraging appropriate
interaction and language use,” Lin-
sey said. “I am hoping to continue
to use and expand the program
with many of my pediatric patients.
I believe the use of dogs in therapy
can help pediatric patients learn
vocabulary such as paw, ear, fur ,
hairy, leash; learn to direct by
commanding the dog to sit, stay,
shake, fetch; and attend to the
needs of another being. With some
practice, use of the therapy dog
program may enable children with
pragmatic delays (difficulty with so-
cial skills) to foster friendships by
initiating appropriate conversation
with others.”
T O L E A R N M O R E
about Kootenai Health
Rehabilitation Services,
visit or simply call
(208) 625-5311. To learn more about
pet therapy training through Bright
and Beautiful, visit
Ilka Young, physical therapist, coaches Cece on throwing the
ball and walking with Huck during a physical therapy session.
KH . ORG 17