Last week, I received an email from a high school senior asking to do an internship with Bright Spot Therapy Dogs as a requirement for graduation. She loves animals and has a keen interest in learning about therapy dogs. She’d like to fulfill this requirement through our organization.
This is a first for Bright Spot Therapy Dogs, Inc. Our nine year history has been full of firsts, right from the start. Bright Spot was a pioneer in bringing therapy dogs to Cooley Dickinson Hospital in Northampton, MA. Likewise to Spectrum Home Health and Hospice Care in Longmeadow, MA, and the VA Hospital in Leeds, MA. Fast forwarding to 2012: we certified our greatest number of therapy dog teams since our founding in 2004, we were approved by the American Kennel Club as a therapy dog organization whose dogs are eligible to earn the honored AKC title of Therapy Dog (AKC THD) – last year 7 of our Bright Spot therapy dogs earned this title, we jumped from giving 2-3 community presentations to a whopping 14, and made our first appearance on TV – by the end of 2012, we had appeared on TV 3 times. Now, we are being approached to offer internships. The meaningful work of therapy dogs is being understood and appreciated as a therapeutic form of treatment in both the healthcare and educational arenas – and people are taking notice!
I have always been a proponent of community service among the young – children of all ages. I was raised on this model. I am pleased that we are being approached about doing this. It would be nice to encourage a student to consider work in the non-profit sector as they go on to college and make career choices. As the field of Animal Assisted Therapy continues to grow, there is much opportunity in this area for a young adult. We have many details to work out with the school as to the requirements the student must fulfill. We would like to make this work, if we can.