At Bay Path University, Bright Spot Therapy Dog Arlo relaxes students preparing for exams
Therapy Dogs bring smiles to people wherever they go. Today, you’ll find therapy dogs almost anywhere. Certified therapy dogs are found at Los Angeles’ busy airport LAX soothing harried travelers waiting for flights, in funeral homes comforting mourners, and, I’ve now heard that therapy dogs are used to help ease tension in grad students practicing delivery of their dissertations. These are some of the newer ways that therapy dogs are being utilized today. For an old timer like me who has been visiting with my therapy dogs since 1992 when I had to push my way into a nursing home to visit with my dog, I find tremendous delight in the evolution that has evolved over the past two decades. Therapy Dogs are now recognized as truly therapeutic and beneficial in both healthcare and education.
Bright Spot Therapy Dog Team Training Classes are held at Animal Alliances in Northampton, MA, conveniently located on Damon Road right off I-91.
Along with the interest from practitioners seeking the canine visitors, interest from dog owners seeking to share their beloved friendly, outgoing, well-trained dogs with those in need keeps growing. This is seen in the numbers of people signing up for our Bright Spot Therapy Dog Team Training Classes. Our organization is based in western Massachusetts, but draws people from all over New England who seek the type of thorough training we provide that prepares them with the skills and techniques needed to make meaningful visits.
Bright Spot Team Training Classes introduce the types of equipment a team would encounter in some healthcare environments.
We are kicking off our fall line-up of classes with a FULL September class schedule. A waitlist was started back in the beginning of August. Once we set the cut-off (classes are kept small to allow plenty of time for individual attention and practice), the waitlist people jumped onto the October class schedule.
Here, a team is learning to interact with a patient who is bedridden.
Needless to say, Bright Spot Therapy Dogs is thrilled to have so much interest from people wanting to become involved with this amazing type of work. We currently have 151 healthcare and educational facilities throughout New England eagerly awaiting a well-trained certified Bright Spot visiting team. This is a wonderful activity to do with your dog, one in which you and your dog will receive as much pleasure as do those you visit. Check out our website today to learn the steps involved with becoming a certified Bright Spot Therapy Dog Team. Sign-up for the October class before it, too, gets marked FULL.