Bryan and Amanda Bickell took questions from the Hephzibah kids, such as: “Is it cold on the ice?” To which Bryan said, “Not really, I am usually sweating out there.”
Who better to show empathy for rescued dogs
than a group of kids who can identify with the need to feel valued and understood? Bryan Bickell, a forward for the Chicago Blackhawks, and his wife Amanda, visited Hephzibah Home with their family on December 22 to read a book about rescued dogs that get a chance to become treasured pets.
The kids sat on bean bag chairs, or lounged on the laps of staff members and listened attentively. Helping children by connecting them with certified therapy “pit bull-type”* dogs is the goal of Paws for Strength, a program through the Bryan and Amanda Bickell Foundation. The idea is to create a positive, healing environment for kids using resilient dogs that were once abused. On the Bickell’s first visit to Hephzibah, they read aloud and gave each child a book and stuffed dog.
“Why do you think Bryan and Amanda chose you to learn about and work with rescued dogs?” asked Mary Anne Brown, Hephzibah’s executive director.
The group considered the question and a girl raised her hand. “Because we will be nice to them?” she asked.
“Because bad things have happened to us too,” said a little boy.
In the quiet basement family room, Bryan Bickell’s mother wiped her eyes. She stood with Bryan’s father, sister, and brother-in-law, as she held the couple’s four-month-old baby girl.
“That’s right,” Brown told the kids, “these are not bad dogs, but bad things have happened to them.”
Most children who have been removed from environments of abuse and neglect believe that the way they were treated is somehow their fault. The book’s message echoes the idea Hephzibah staff members often need to reinforce among the young residents: you are not bad kids.
Hephzibah’s kids enjoyed meeting Bryan and Amanda — and look forward to 2015 when they will meet the certified therapy dogs. The program complements Hephzibah’s current Pet Mate program in which kids interact with animals both for enjoyment and to prepare them for placement with foster families who own pets.
*The term “pit bull” is not a registered AKC breed, but a nickname for dogs trained to fight in a pit. The “pit bull” breed is a mixed-breed dog, or mutt, who is primarily American Staffordshire Terrier or Staffordshire Bull Terrier.
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