If anyone with a pup has ever thought it would be cool to make him or her a therapy dog it’s an awesome gig. We did it through a company called “Dog B.O.N.E.S.”
All it takes is 3 appointments and the last one is really just putting a graduation hat on your dog, getting a certificate, tee shirt , a vest for the dog to wear, a kerchief..
I’m trying to think of the cost. It wasn’t much. I think it was somewhere between 15-30 bucks, if I remember.
The 1st two meetings are just you walking with your dog on a leash and asking the teacher who is sitting in a wheelchair to “ please lock your brake.” Once she does you just walk around the wheelchair to her other side and say would you like to pet him or her, prove the dog will sit on command and won’t jump up on someone. The meet ups were only an hour.
You are then emailed listings of all kinds of requests on a regular basis in different areas. You can participate as much or as little as you want. We did a regular nursing home visit and after 4th visit our dog was such a hit that when the elevators opened on the 3rd floor we were greeted by a semicircle of awesome people in wheelchairs eager to see our little guy. We were blown away. My wife handed out pictures of our dog and a bunch of residents hung them up in their room. One lady woke up to our dog by her side laughing seeing his face. It was amazing.
Another great one is kids that have some struggle reading can read to dogs at a library. Dogs don’t judge do the kids are more at ease.
We did a bereavement camp for girls in Amesbury, brought him to hospitals. There’s so many things you can do.