James has had a very busy schedule this past week. Along with turning into a celebrity after the article on him doing his therapy dog visiting at Linda Manor was published in the Daily Hampshire Gazette, then representing Bright Spot Therapy Dogs, Inc. at the Dementia Care Fair at Cooley Dickinson Hospital in Northampton, he delighted the Highland Valley Elder Services Board of Directors at a presentation I gave to their group on Monday afternoon.
James greeted Board members as they arrived for the meeting and they could see instantly the qualities that make a dog a therapy dog: friendly, well-behaved, completely controllable and predictable – and happy doing his job. As usual, he was dressed in his uniform: official Bright Spot vest and ID badge. Along with meeting a therapy dog in person, the Board viewed our great slideshow depicting our Bright Spots in action in a variety of settings, as I spoke about our certification process and the way we work with facilities to start therapy dog programs. The presentation lasted about 50 minutes with questions and answers, and, of course, throughout it all, James lay down by the feet of one of the Board members until given his cue that it was time to leave. He left with the sound of roaring applause. A talk just wouldn’t be the same without him there!
Highland Valley Elder Services, Inc. works with twenty-four towns throughout Western Massachusetts. It is a non-profit organization that links people and communities to resources for quality long living. Board members could see through the photos in the slideshow the important role therapy dogs play in bringing comfort and caring to folks who are no longer able to have a dog of their own.
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