OT - Had to brag

Congratulations to all - that is a very worthwhile endeavour !

WooHoo!! That sounds like a lot of fun was had by all. Great therapy for the patients, for the dog and I would guess for you.

I never thought about doing that when Puff was a puppy.

Congrats to canine and human handlers! What a wonderful gift!

The concurrent threads on tea cozies and therapy dogs puts me in mind of Laura Childs' "tea" mysteries - anybody else read them? The detective owns a tea shop in Charleston and has a therapy dog. They're fun to read.

I read one of them some years ago, after it was mentioned here. I had forgotten all about it until now. I shall have to put her name on my list for the library or the used Paperback Bazaar.

Are you familiar with a website called fantasticfiction.com? If you find an author you like, you can get a listing of all his/her books. It is also broken down into series...such as "Anna Pigeon" books by Nevada Barr. Or the J.A.Jance books, separated into the different series. I cut and past them into Word, and then carry the little lists with me.

Gill

Congrats to both of you.

In this program, do you accompany Parker on his rounds or will he go to someone who needs his services?

The owner/handler must be with the dog at all times. It can actually be quite stressful for the dogs and for the patients. A therapy dog does not "assist" but is there to simply bring comfort. There's another designation for dogs used in disaster relief, which I'm thinking about doing as well. Again, simply for comfort. But the personality has to be there and the requisite skills.

Lots that you don't think about, such as food lying around and the dog has to ignore it. Bloody bandages, wastebaskets full of interesting things. These dogs have to learn to ignore it all and be gentle.

Therapy dogs also assist young children in reading. It's quite interesting what they learn to do. This is just the first in a few more steps for Parker. A great outlet for me, as well. Thanks for asking.

Dianne

My hat is off to you and Parker!

Cheryl

Rather like guide dogs for the blind, they have to learn to ignore people and things around them. I understand that's the factor that disqualifies many dogs, they can't disassociate easily.

"Dianne Lewandowski" wrote

Well done Parker and well done you for giving the time and patience to train him. These visits can make such a difference to people, giving them comfort and something to be interested in. Bless you.

Dawne

Congrats to all of you. Lots of work and time - but such a worthwhile thing to do.

Now I have to think about the spaniel comment - mine would rather love everyone in sight, but, well, yup - he does sniff a lot.

Ellice