[skunkstripe]

I wanted to pop in and introduce myself.
I live in rural northern New England and have two dogs and a cat. One of my dogs (Zircon) was a pound puppy) and the other (Sophia) was rescued from a puppy mill. Sophia is a Golden Retriever and Zircon is - well - we may never know. We think he is something like an Akita or Jino mixed with Whippet.
Both of my dogs are certified Therapy Dogs and I visit with them at the local nursing home once a month.
They enjoy the great outdoors and so I'll post one of my favorite videos from our hikes. This one was on the Appalachian Trail (AT).

 

[Mikey]

Cute video! Welcome to the forum!

 

[Administrator]

Welcome to the Dog Forum, skunkstripe! That's so nice that Zircon and Sophia are therapy dogs and bring some joy and companionship to those who may need it! How did you three get started with that?

 

[skunkstripe]

Hi and thanks for the kind welcome!
I first heard of therapy from a dog forum I was on years ago but I knew very little about it. After I got Zircon I got the feeling that he was a very friendly and calm dog - I used to joke that he could get a job as the Wal-Mart greeter - and that he would be good at it. It was because of him that I looked into getting him qualified and so I went ahead and found a group in my area. In case anyone is interested, here is a listing of organizations by state for the US.
Dog Play: Find a Group to Join or Visit
We got Sophia, our second dog, almost two years later, and at first I thought she would never have what it takes. She had been used as a breeder in a puppymill and had zero socialization and was extremely fearful. We did our best to be patient and consistent with her, but I have to say that having Zircon helped teach her how to be a dog. I was very happy and proud to get her certified as well less than two years after we adopted her.
It is very rewarding work and after doing it for five years I've become more involved with certifying pet partner teams myself. We simply don't have enough teams to visit all the places that would like to have doggy visits.

 

[fawkese1]

Hi and thanks for the kind welcome!
I first heard of therapy from a dog forum I was on years ago but I knew very little about it. After I got Zircon I got the feeling that he was a very friendly and calm dog - I used to joke that he could get a job as the Wal-Mart greeter - and that he would be good at it. It was because of him that I looked into getting him qualified and so I went ahead and found a group in my area. In case anyone is interested, here is a listing of organizations by state for the US.
Dog Play: Find a Group to Join or Visit
We got Sophia, our second dog, almost two years later, and at first I thought she would never have what it takes. She had been used as a breeder in a puppymill and had zero socialization and was extremely fearful. We did our best to be patient and consistent with her, but I have to say that having Zircon helped teach her how to be a dog. I was very happy and proud to get her certified as well less than two years after we adopted her.
It is very rewarding work and after doing it for five years I've become more involved with certifying pet partner teams myself. We simply don't have enough teams to visit all the places that would like to have doggy visits.

thank you for the post,dog therapy sounds very rewarding. i'm interested in it myself....one day....it's awesome to have rescued dogs participate in such a socially concious program too!



Dog | Forum | Rocks!

 

[Chaz]

Hello there Skunk, nice to see you here too.