I had expected to be lured outside by bright sunshine today, spending the afternoon working in the yard, beginning those fall clean-up jobs that need to be accomplished before winter settles in.  As a heavy cloud covering obscured the sun, however, I turned to my computer instead.  I’m so glad I did!

I had spent the morning, as I do most Saturdays and Wednesdays, writing with other writers in The Writing Room at Forbes Library.  I am working on a book proposal for the book I have completed, titled Beyond Words: The Bond Between People and Dogs.  During the morning writing session, I floundered about trying to get things just so – to write a compelling and persuasive proposal for literary agents to read.  At the end of our session when we talk about the day’s work, I talked about my flounderings, my tossing about at sea.  Susan Stinson, Forbes Library Writer in Residence, facilitator of The Writing Room, and author of the new book, Spider in a Tree, offered three nuggets of advice.  Her words resonated with me.  Suddenly, I got it!  Buoyed by these words of wisdom, I navigated my car homeward, sat down at the computer, and nailed the piece I had been languishing over for months!

Glad for the clouds that kept me inside and focused on my work.  Glad for the special nourishing environment of The Writing Room.  Amazing what a few words of direction can do!  My dogs…  happy to be with me wherever and whatever I’m doing, lay on the floor at my feet while I hammered away on the keyboard.

Bright Spot Reading Buddy Lily has had the summer off, just like the school children she works with.  She’s been off-duty and spending her time with the rest of the Bridgvale Farm Setters out in the back field playing, racing around, and hunting on the wooded hillside – a favorite thing she does with her pal Annie.

Lily wasn’t a bit rusty, though, as she stepped right back into the role of Reading Buddy to the first and second graders at Westhampton Elementary School (WES) in Westhampton, Massachusetts.  The children in second grade welcomed back their pal Lily.  All of them had read many books to Lily as first graders last her.  Lily met two new additions to the class.  Something new for both of them to read to a dog!  We had a chance to talk with the group as a whole.  They had plenty of questions to ask Lily about her summer.  Then off to the special library reading corner we headed where Lily settled in to listen to some great stories.

The first graders were meeting Lily for the first time.  Tucker and Lilo, the Great Dane Reading Buddies, had listened to them read last year.  The children were excited about reading to a new dog.  They had seen Lily in the school hallway last year, so they knew what to except.

Lily arrived with her book bag filled with special books – all with dogs as the main characters.  The children can read these books to Lily if they have extra time or forget to bring in their book from home.  Lily also brought a special gift for each child – a bookmark with her picture on it.  Each reader is given the special Lily bookmark after they have read to Lily.  They get to take it home and use when they are reading lots of interesting books this year.

Tucker, a sweet, docile Great Dane, headed back to his reading corner in the library at the Westhampton Elementary School (WES) today where he meets one-on-one with students to listen as each reads him a story or two.  Tucker and his pal, Lilo, also a Great Dane, both spend a lot of time at WES.  They meet with students in pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, 3rd grade, 4th and 5th grade.  Tucker covers one day of readers and Lilo covers another.  Each child is assigned a day to read to the dog.  He then prepares for his reading day by selecting a book which he practices reading at home.  This is the second year the Bright Spot Reading Buddy Program is running at Westhampton Elementary.  Reading Buddy Lily, a gentle English Setter, will start working with the 1st and 2nd graders at WES next Tuesday.

The Bright Spot Reading Buddy Program has spread to schools in the western Massachusetts towns of Haydenville, Sunderland, Whately, and West Springfield.  Trained Reading Buddy teams will be heading to the elementary schools there as the success of this unique, all-inclusive program – that promotes a love of reading – continues to grow.

All dogs participating in the Bright Spot Reading Buddy Program are certified through Bright Spot Therapy Dogs, Inc, and have received special training to become certified Bright Spot Reading Buddies.  All Reading Buddy Teams are covered by Bright Spot volunteer liability insurance.  Visit our website to learn more about our special Bright Spot Reading Buddy Program.

Diane was ready to get a new dog.  At the time, she had two wonderful Standard Poodles named Maddie and Tristan.  Tristan was a Bright Spot Therapy Dog and had been visiting with Diane for many years.  Both Maddie and Tris were getting older and Tristan had retired from therapy dog visiting.  Diane wanted to get a puppy and start right from the beginning to prepare him to become a certified therapy dog.

Being a therapy dog takes more than a sweet, friendly dog.  There is lots of work involved for both handler and dog to properly train and be prepared for therapy dog visiting.  I have followed Diane’s steps from start to finish…  puppy selection…  socialization… basic training…  therapy dog training…  evaluation…  certification.  These steps don’t happen over night.

Picking out their pup at 6 weeks… Rowan came right over to Diane.

Step One:  puppy selection…  Diane had always kept her breeder updated on Tristan’s therapy dog career, so when she and her husband decided to get a new puppy, Diane explained that she wanted a pup with a temperament similar to Tris’s:  calm, confident, outgoing, a dog that loves people and other dogs.  Her breeder recommended an upcoming litter of reds whose dad was sweetness personified and whose mom was friendly, sweet, and laid back.  This sounded right to Diane and she followed her trusted breeder’s recommendation.  When the pups were 6 weeks out, Diane and her husband made the trip up North to select the puppy they felt would be best for them.  They were the first to pick out their pup from a litter of eight.  Diane found all the pups to be friendly and outgoing, but it was Rowan who came right over to her, and was playful and calm when held.  They traveled back up to the breeder when Rowan was ready to come home with them at 8 weeks of age.  I met Rowan, a darling red boy at 8 weeks.  His clownish, outgoing personality shone through.  Definitely therapy dog potential.

8-week-old Rowan at his new home with Diane.

Step Two:  training begins…  Diane knows that a good therapy dog is a well-socialized, well-trained dog.  She started right away taking Rowan everywhere she went to meet and greet people of all ages in a variety of settings –  the weekly flea market, farmers market, pet friendly  stores in the area, walking around down town Amherst, sitting outside a super market, on vacation to Mount Desert Island/hiking in Acadia National Park.  In addition, formal classes were started.  First, puppy kindergarten, followed by basic obedience, Canine Good Citizen, intermediate obedience, therapy dog training, and several private lessons to improve leash-walking skills.  All of this took place over a period of 18 months.

Step Three:  Therapy Dog Evaluation…  At the age of 1 1/2 years, Rowan was not just ready for his evaluation, he was super ready:  well-socialized and well-trained.  Diane had not short-cut the process.  She had taken the time needed to develop the skills and techniques Rowan would need to carry on successful therapy dog visits.  The Bright Spot evaluation took place at the Soldiers Home in Holyoke, Massachusetts.  The evaluator passed Rowan with high marks.

Step Four:  Rowan and Diane receive their Certificate of Certification as a Bright Spot Therapy Dog Team.  They are issued their official ID badges – and Rowan receives his well-earned therapy dog vest.

 If you are interested in becoming a Bright Spot Therapy Dog Team, consider following Diane’s steps to a successful outcome.  It’s well-worth the effort.

Our Bright Spot Therapy Dogs training classes will start up in both our Northampton and Greenfield locations next week.  If you have been thinking of getting your dog certified as a therapy dog, the fall is a great time to get started.  Your dog must be at least one year old (if a rescue dog, he must have lived with you for at least one full year).  Your dog must be well-trained, knowing how to sit, stay, down, come, leave it, and heel, on command.

Our therapy dog training classes are designed to teach the dog and the handler the skills and techniques they need to know to perform successful therapy dog visits.  We offer two special class formats.  Our Northampton course is taught in two workshop sessions that run for two hours each session.  Homework is given between the classes and students leave with a hand-out covering what has been taught in each class.  Our Greenfield course runs for 8 weeks, each class is one hour in length.  Both courses cover the same material – one condensed, the other parceled out in smaller segments with much reinforcement.  This course is especially good for those not 100% sure of their dog’s obedience skills and abilities.

I receive wonderful comments from class participants about our two instructors Dawn Kimball, who teaches the Northampton course, and Pam Murphy, who teaches the Greenfield course.  They are pros and have been training dogs for many years.  You will love taking either class – and you will leave having learned a lot.  To read more, and to sign up, visit our website.

I have set a fall training goal for Annie and Lily. Both dogs love to take walks with me on our country roads and I want to offer them more opportunities to do this.  I enjoy my walks with the dogs as much as they do.  To accomplish this, brace training is in order, then we can do two-for-one.  It’s not as simple as leashing both dogs up and heading out the door, en masse.  Without proper training, walking two dogs at the same time can turn into chaos.  They will be tangling each other up as they move in different directions.

I have spent a long time training each of the dogs separately to heel at my left side.  This is step one and prerequisite to brace training.  When the heel command is executed properly, the dog’s shoulder is in line with your leg.  Not ahead of it.  Not behind.  Learning to heel properly on a loose lead takes time – and plenty of patience.  I have found that learning to heel is the most difficult command for most dogs to master. It is essential for dogs that are training to become certified Bright Spot Therapy Dogs.  Often handlers give up on practicing, and make the mistake of accepting a mediocre attempt on the part of the team, person and dog, walking in unison.  In these cases, the dogs are mostly pulling ahead of the people.  Not pleasant for a leisure walk, a speed-walk for exercise, or for doing therapy dog visits.  To practice, the dog starts out in a sit position at your left side.  I like to hold the lead handle in my right hand.  Leaving some slack in the lead, I hold the rest of the lead in my left hand, which I use as a control lever.  Step forward using your left foot, saying, Heel (or With Me, or whatever word or phrase you decide to use consistently when training).  If the dog starts to move ahead of you, say, Turn, and make an about turn.  The dog will automatically come with you and in the process align with your side.

When I say, Teaching the heel command takes time, I mean lots of time (for some dogs).  That applies to my young English Setters Annie and Lily.  After over a year of practicing our heeling together as a team (each dog with me at separate times), I feel we are ready for this next step of brace training.  Once learned, it will be a time saver, and fun.  They love to do things together.

On September 1st, we started with step one of brace training.  As pictured above, both dogs are on their own leads.  As described earlier, the leads are anchored in my right hand and the rest of the lead is controlled by my left hand.  Annie and Lily are both on my left side.  Because the dogs had been well-trained in the heel command, walking together, went well, right from the start.

Today, we moved onto step two:  using a couplet.  This is a short piece of nylon webbing (leather or chain) with a clip on each end, and a ring in the middle (as seen in the photo).  The left clip attaches to the collar of the dog walking on the outside and the right clip attaches to the collar of the dog walking on the inside.  I always put the dog that is not as good a heeler on the inside (there are days when this varies between Annie and Lily).  The handler is using just one lead now, and that clips to the center ring.  I must say, that I was pleasantly surprised at how well it went on our first try.  I attribute this to all the advance one-on-one training done with each dog to lead up to this point.

Now, step three:  practice, practice, practice.  Each day, as Annie and Lily get better at this skill, we will walk a bit farther, then farther.  Eventually, we will walk our triangle walk together, the three of us in unison, as we have individually.  That’s a 3.3 mile loop.  A grand goal to set as fall and a new school year commence!

Therapy Dog Lily’s favorite activity is getting one-on-one attention.  Today she got plenty of it, as did the other nine Bright Spot Therapy Dogs that assembled on the lawn in front of the Campus Center at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts.

It was a perfect day for our second Therapy Dog Stress-Relief Event on the Smith College campus.  Students in the School of Social Work summer session enjoyed taking a break to relax and pet the dogs.  Most commented that they were working through the crowd making sure they had a chance to meet each of the dogs in attendance.  We had dogs of all breeds and sizes:  a tiny Cavalier King Charles Spaniel named Velvet and a Pug named Frankie, two giant Great Danes named Lilo and Tucker, and a large black and white named Newfoundland Gus; our middle-sized breeds included two Golden Retrievers named Niles and Caber, a Yellow Lab named Haas, a Border Collie named Rip, and my English Setter Lily.  Many of the dogs in today’s event are veteran Campus Therapy Dogs having participated in Therapy Dog Stress-Relief Events at other area colleges.

Today’s Therapy Dog Stress-Relief Event was held from 12:00-2:00, during lunch break.  Staff members, as well as students, spent much of their lunch time interacting with the dogs and talking to our volunteers.  Some students expressed interest in using therapy dogs in their future work as a social workers.  Others, far from home, mentioned that they missed their dogs and enjoyed spending time with ours.  I overheard a group of students talking amongst themselves saying, This is the best thing this school has done!  

As the event came to a close, Lexi Klupchak, the student responsible for organizing both of the Therapy Dog Stress-Relief Events on the campus, came over to tell me that the students had taken up a collection to make a donation to Bright Spot Therapy Dogs.  She thanked us for coming and expressed the hope that we would be back again next year.  If our dogs could talk, I know they would say: Yes, we sure WILL be back!

photo: Andre Zandona

Students in the Smith College Summer School of Social Work were treated to a visit from  our Bright Spot Therapy Dog Teams during a break in their studies at the end of June.  The students loved it.  Staff love it.  The dogs loved.  And, so did the volunteers.  The event was so well-received that an encore event has been planned for next Wednesday, August 7th.

photo: Lexi Klupchak

Therapy Dog Stress-Relief Events on college campuses have become recognized as an effective way to bring comfort and companionship to students stressed-out by the multi-faceted stresses of college life.  Therapy Dog events at colleges are being held across the country.  And, the Pioneer Valley 5-College Area is not being left out of this canine form of relaxation.  Amherst College and UMass have already booked their Therapy Dog Stress-Relief Events for the upcoming school year.  Our Bright Spot Therapy Dog Teams are standing by ready to interact with the hundreds of students who attend these events.

I have more wonderful photos from the June Smith College Therapy Dog Event and will post them on our Bright Spot Therapy Dogs Facebook page later today.  Check them out.  A picture is worth a thousand words…

I started my blog 2 1/2 years ago to honor my sweet English Setter Julia who passed away suddenly, and without warning, from cancer that had spread throughout her entire body.  Dear Julia never showed any signs of illness and visited her friends at the nursing home just a few days before her death.  She enjoyed her early morning walks, just as her brother James does, right up until the end.

I had been thinking of starting a blog to write about the work I do with therapy dogs and the incredible bond we have with our beloved canine family members.  Julia’s passing spurred me on, and Say Hello Spot was conceived.  Today, 2 1/2 years later, we have reached a readership of 24,000.  I hear from people all over the world who feel strongly about the bond between people and dogs.  They, too, enjoy sharing their canine companions with those in need.

I try to post daily.  I write about daily living with my dogs and about the therapy dog work we do in an ever-broadening field of venues.  Today, facilities and programs in both healthcare and education recognize the value of human-canine interaction.

THANK YOU TO MY READERS  Everywhere!  I am so pleased that you enjoy reading my daily posts and following along with me as I live my passion.  Please spread the word about Say Hello Spot.  I’m hoping to double my readership by the third anniversary of the blog, in honor of Julia and all my other beloved dogs before her.  They have enriched my life beyond measure and have brought comfort and caring to thousands.

Bright Spot Therapy Dog Lily chills with some new friends.

This morning, I had a planning meeting with some folks at UMASS, Amherst, who are interested in bringing more Bright Spot Therapy Dogs to campus.  For starters, we will plan events around mid-terms and finals for both fall and spring semesters.

Therapy Dog Haas loves all the attention from students.

Our first Therapy Dog Stress-Relief Event at UMASS held last May 1st (the last day of classes), drew hundreds of students and was a huge success.  We had 14 Bright Spot Therapy Dogs on hand to sit on the campus lawn and chill with students who were heading into a week of final exams.  Many students talked about their own dogs and how much they miss them.  One girl said, Leaving my dog behind at home was the hardest part of being away at college.  Another student commented, This is the best thing the school has ever done!

All of our volunteers had a great time that day and are looking forward to returning to campus with their special therapy dogs.  Many more of our Bright Spot volunteers have expressed interest in bringing their therapy dogs to college campuses, as well.  So, we’ll have all kinds of therapy dogs, from giant Great Danes to teeny Chihuahuas.  The dogs have as much fun as everyone else.  They love their jobs!