Six prospective therapy dog teams have been well-prepared by trainer Tibby Chase and her assistant Michelle Karb. The next step for these six teams is to pass their evaluations that will take place in an actual nursing home. This is the final step in becoming certified with Bright Spot Therapy Dogs.
Our new three-session Therapy Dog Training Class with trainer Tibby Chase finished up strong today. Tibby has been instrumental in helping us build a unified training course to be followed by our trainers at both of our training locations (Animal Alliances in Northampton and Exercise Finished in Chicopee, both in Massachusetts).
New with this class were the addition of children, addressing the ever-growing demand for therapy dogs in educational environments, and time spent in a nursing home, enabling class participants to utilize the skills and techniques taught in class and better prepare them for their evaluations.
Upcoming courses are always posted on our website. The next course will be held at Animal Alliances and taught by trainer Dawn Kimball who has been both volunteering and evaluating for Bright Spot for a number of years. She has a wealth of information to share with class participants. If interested in becoming involved with this meaningful work, sign-up asap. Class size is limited.