Meet Rocky.Breed: Westie
Age: 2
He is a lover of staying warm (space heater is his new best friend), keeping an eye on the neighborhood, and enjoying de-stuffing plush toys. Besides living the great life of being a dog, he was destined to do more.
After reading story after story about healing, comfort, and joy brought to so many people's lives through therapy dogs and seeing that our profession is therapy, I wondered whether or not Rocky had it in him to follow suit. Like parents, like pup.
Rocky will work for food.
Thankfully Rocky is motivated by food. We went through the 8-week course hosted by the Charlotte Dog Training Club (CDTC) to prepare us for the Therapy Dogs International (TDI) 13 test requirements. You and your pup are considered the Therapy Dog Team (dog and handler) and you must test together and pass to make it official and to get the certification designation. Sounds easy, right?
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| Taken right after we passed. |
Although Rocky LOVES treats, he loves sniffing, playing, and running around more. He has a stubborn streak and once he finds something else more interesting, well, it's hard to get him back on track. Each week was touch-and-go. Some weeks I'd leave feeling confident and others I was worried that we'd be the only team to fail the test. In the end, however, he did great and we passed (no treats permitted on test night)!
We couldn't be happier...and relieved. We're not sure how we'll use this new therapy designation; we thought about whether or not he would be requested in psychotherapy sessions. We'd love to hear feedback on whether having Rocky join in therapy sessions (by request only) would be a desired treatment approach.
If you have a pup and you want to give back to your community as a therapy dog team, check out the CDTC and the TDI test brochure for more information. Many lives are changed for the better because of our furry 4-legged companions, including mine. #therapyworks
See you in session (or walking this guy on the streets of Charlotte),
