Young Violet is a terrific little therapy dog. She is the consummate happy-go-lucky dog. She’s always smiling. Although she’s a playful girl, Violet takes her job as a therapy dog very seriously. She knows when to socialize with the kids and when to get down to business. The kids love her outgoing personality and her trademark silky, long hair.
Violet shares her Thursday Reading Buddy time slot at the Westhampton Elementary School with two other Bright Spot therapy dog teams: Zack, the Border Collie, and his handler Susan Miller, and Lilo, the Great Dane, and her handler Ern Damon. On the Thursdays that Violet is not in her role as Reading Buddy, she’s visiting residents at a nearby extended care facility where she’s equally at-home entertaining the elderly folks there.
Violet and her fourth and fifth grade readers had so much fun together yesterday. Violet listened attentively as one fifth grader read a book about horses; another read two books about pigs. Even I learned some facts about pigs that I had never heard of. The readers explained the information as they read the facts to Violet. One fifth grader read a modern-day version of Cinderella, adding great expression to the lines as she read. When the readers finished, I gave each one a chance to hug and pet Violet. The kids love to run their fingers through her hair from head to toe. They are intrigued that she has hair, not fur, and goes to her hairdresser every 6 weeks for a haircut. Her hair is about 2 inches long right now. Soft. Silky. And very fluffy. Always a topic of conversation wherever she goes.
Once her duties as Reading Buddy had concluded (90 minutes in all), therapy dog Violet had her official Bright Spot vest removed before she jumped in the car and settled comfortably on her car bed. She then became my riding companion as we spent the next 3 1/2 hours traversing both sides of the Connecticut River doing a long list of errands. As long as Violet is with people, she is happy and well-behaved. Violet can go anywhere. This is the mark of a good therapy dog.