Violet is one of those therapy dogs who can visit anywhere. She’s happy and well-mannered in any environment. I decided to try her in the reading program at Westhampton Elementary School. Lily, my English Setter, reads every Tuesday with the first and second graders. We alternate Thursdays with Zack, the Border Collie, and Lilo, the Great Dane. During her training period, Violet spent a lot of time visiting our public library in town and interacting with children in the Children’s Reading Corner. The kids love her fluffy hair. Violet is a Berkshire Hills Australian Labradoodle. She has a non-shedding coat that is allergy-friendly. She has hair, not fur. She’s a great dog for people with allergies.
Today we spent a few minutes at the beginning of the reading period introducing Violet to the entire fourth grade class. They came up to meet her in groups of two and three. Sweet Violet was her friendly, engaging self with each child. Once everyone had a chance to pet her and give her a hug, Violet and I headed to the special Reading Dog Corner where Violet proceeded to lie down and listen to four readers, on-on-one, read their books to her and show her the illustrations. I knew she’d be a natural – she acted just like a pro!
A young dog is able to visit for much longer periods than senior dogs. Violet, just one year old, was still full of pep as we left the school, so I decided to take her over to Linda Manor Extended Care Facility to visit with the residents there. Violet enchanted the elderly folks just as much as the youngsters at the school.
Linda Manor is James’ territory, but he wasn’t unhappy being left home on this dreary, rainy day. He’ll be representing Bright Spot Therapy Dogs tomorrow when we go to The Gardens at Wilbraham to give a talk on the meaningful work therapy dogs do out in the community. I am very proud of this special boy and relish the opportunity to talk about the incredible seven-year career this amazing therapy dog has had. He has visited in assisted living facilities, mental health facilities, Alzheimer’s units, hospice care, and children’s reading program. He seems to enjoy being at my side when I talk to groups about his visits and the visits of over ninety other certified Bright Spot therapy dog teams. In addition to James, Lilo and Tucker, two Great Danes, handled by Ern Damon, and Velvet, a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, handled by Patti Tibbetts, will be on hand. Patti and Ern will talk about their visiting experiences at Cooley Dickinson Hospital and in children’s reading programs.
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