Jodie and Jerry Diegel of the SOUL Harbour Ranch Animal Therapy Program in Barrington have started video visits and a Facebook live feed at 5 p.m. on Fridays to bring comfort from their horses, dogs, miniature horses and miniature donkeys to people and groups they typically visited in person before the coronavirus pandemic struck. (Brian Hill | Staff Photographer)
Cream Puff dons a unicorn horn and steps like the rest of the miniature horses into teddy bear sneakers before Jodie Diegel, of SOUL Harbour Ranch, goes live on Zoom for clients of her animal therapy program.
Tiny horses and donkeys with names like Cupcake and Mystery join three therapy dogs as they all show their faces and nuzzle the smartphone camera for kisses. Diegel’s full-size horses do tricks, bowing and raising their paws.
The “whole herd” joins in, including 19 animals trained and certified through Pet Partners, a national animal therapy program, to offer a calming presence.
“You talk about a virtual visit and it’s a cute horse on a screen,” Diegel said. “But our animals are so much more than a cute horse.”
The video calls last about 30 minutes, with time for a quick tour of the 5-acre ranch and close-up views of its furry inhabitants. Diegel puts on a similar show at 5 p.m. each Friday on Facebook live at www.facebook.com/soulharbourranch/ for volunteers or other fans to join in.
Read more from the Daily Herald here.
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