Tibby Chase, well-knowned AKC Obedience Trial judge will begin teaching our Therapy Dog Training course in Northborough, MA, and Chicopee, MA. The Northborough classes will take place at Melican Middle School and the Chicopee classes will be held at Exercise Finished. We are very excited to have Tibby lend her expertise to training folks who want to certify their dogs with Bright Spot Therapy Dogs.
Here is what Tibby has to say about living and working with her dogs…
I have been involved with dogs, dog training and Pembroke Welsh Corgis for almost 50 years. During that time I have bred several litters and successfully trained and showed my dogs in obedience, tracking, herding, agility and conformation. Throughout my “dog” career, my avocation has always been to help others to train and enjoy their dogs. I was a 4H leader for 20 years and since the mid 1980s have taught dog obedience from puppy class thru advanced levels for several kennel clubs and training facilities. I have been judging AKC obedience trials since 1990.
Therapy dog work has always been dear to my heart. For a number of years I have visited local nursing homes on a regular basis with my corgis. When my husband became ill with cancer, I expanded our visits to hospitals and soon learned how comforting a well trained therapy dog can be for patients and staff alike. Most recently, I have been thrilled to join Bright Spot Therapy Dogs. Along with nursing home visits, I am participating in the Reading Buddy Program in the Holyoke schools. I look forward to sharing my knowledge with future therapy dog teams. There is no better way to show your love for your dog than to share him/her with others.
We are working on our Therapy Dog Training class schedule for the year, and will post the date for a class at Melican Middle School on our website soon. This is a great location for our folks coming from the Boston Area, The Cape, North Shore and South Shore, as well as the central portion of the state, Rhode Island and New Hampshire.
Dawn Kimball will continue to teach our very popular Northampton Area classes at Animal Alliances, owned by Kelley Bollen, on Damon Road in Northampton. Our first class of 2015 started on Sunday, January 18th. As usual, it’s FULL. Dawn’s next class at Animal Alliance will be posted on our website very soon. Our Northampton Area class is conveniently located right off I-91. It attracts folks from the neighboring states of Connecticut and Vermont.
Perhaps 2015 is the year you and your dog will train to be a certified Bright Spot Therapy Dog Team. I can’t think of a better gift to yourself and to others. You’ll love it! Watch our website for the soon-to-be-posted dates. Classes are limited in size and fill quickly.