At Work

Violet, an Australian Labradoodle owned by Sunny Goodwin of Berkshire Hills Australian Labradoodles, has been in training for therapy dog work since she came here to Bridgvale Farm at the age of 5 months.  She started with basic training skills and worked up:  first a Beginners Manners Class, then Canine Good Citizen Class.  Right from the start, Violet picked up her skills very quickly.  Along with formal class training, her training here with us is on-going throughout the day.  From wake-up time in the morning to bedtime in the evening, skills are being taught and developed.

Most of all, Violet  showed signs of having a friendly, outgoing personality at a very young age.  As a member of Sunny’s Puppy Buddies Group that meets every Tuesday at Berkshire Hills to socialize the new puppies, I met Violet at 4 weeks of age and watched her develop into a happy, fun-loving dog that enjoys meeting new people and going into strange places.  These are the most important qualities of a good therapy dog.

Violet passed her Canine Good Citizen Test at the age of eleven months and she has been practicing for her upcoming evaluation to become a Bright Spot therapy dog.  We have practiced by going to our public library here in Westhampton, MA and by visiting our local nursing home where I visit weekly with my therapy dog James.  People adore meeting Violet and she loves interacting with them.  Violet will be celebrating her 1st birthday on September 27th. – the age dogs are eligible to become certified through Bright Spot.  Her application for an evaluation has been mailed in.  She’s well-prepared and ready for her big day.

Students in first, second, third, and fourth grades at the Westhampton Elementary School have been eagerly awaiting the start of the Bright Spot Reading-to Dogs-Program.  Some students got a taste of this special reading program last spring when we piloted it as an after school program.  Others participated in the summer Reading-to-Dogs Program held at the Westhampton Public Library.  Word has spread…  Reading-to-Dogs is FUN, resulting in lots of books being read.

The Bright Spot Reading-to-Dogs Program is designed to encourage a love-of-reading in a relaxed atmosphere.  The therapy dog provides a gentle, non-threatening buddy that listens patiently as the child reads aloud.  It is beneficial for all students to read aloud to practice their fluency and further strengthen their confidence in reading. The Reading-to-Dogs Program is a fun and unique way to do this.

This week the Reading-to-Dogs Program was launched.  It takes place during library time for each class.  Veteran Bright Spot Reading-to-Dogs team Ern Damon and his Great Dane Lilo read with third graders on Monday.  The entire class was introduced to Lilo as their  Reading Buddy and everyone had a chance to pet her.  Then, the assigned reader for the day went to the Reading-to-Dogs corner, a quiet spot in the far corner of the library, to read one-on-one with Lilo, the Reading Buddy.  On Tuesday, first and second graders met their Reading Buddy Lily, an English setter, with her handler Cynthia Hinckley, founder and president of Bright Spot Therapy Dogs, Inc.  Fourth graders met Zack, a border collie, and his handler Susan Miller, who will read with that group on Thursdays.

Each week two students are assigned as readers for the upcoming week.  They must select a book, either from the library or one from home, and practice reading it to be ready to read one-on-one to their Reading Buddy.  Sometimes students are so excited about reading to the dog that they prepare several books, just in case they have time to read them.  I often hear children say, I love to read!

Once again, this popular therapy dog training class was FULL with a wait list established to notify those who missed out when the next beginners class will be held.

The workshops are designed to teach the dog and handler to work as a team.  They are taught the skills and techniques they need to know to pass the Bright Spot Therapy Dog evaluation and start visiting as a certified therapy dog team.  The class is interactive with handlers posing as patients.  This group really got into it making the class a fun learning experience.  Before we knew it, the class had run 20 minutes over.  All the teams were great and show excellent potential as upcoming Bright Spots.

We will hold an Advanced Therapy Dog Training Workshop on September 30th at True Blue Dog Training.  This class will build on the skills taught in the Beginners, setting up more complex visiting scenarios.  I’m hoping today’s participants will sign up for this class.  They’re certainly ready for it.

If you have taken the Beginners Workshop sometime in the past and would like to take the Advanced Training, go to the Bright Spot website for complete details about time, place, and registration.  Bright Spot is hoping to recruit many more well-trained teams to help us meet the demand for certified therapy dogs we receive from healthcare and educational programs and facilities.

Our next round of Therapy Dog Training Workshops has been scheduled for the month of September.  The Beginners Workshop will be held on Sunday, September 16th, from 10:00-12:00 and the Advanced Workshop will be held on Sunday, September 30th, also from 10:00-12:00.  The Workshops are held at True Blue Dog Training, conveniently located on Rte. 9 in Haydenville.  For details about these workshops and information about registration, go to our Bright Spot Therapy Dogs, Inc. website and click on Therapy Dog Training.

In the workshops you will be taught the skills and techniques you will need to use while visiting in a facility.  By taking the workshops, you and your dog will be prepared for your evaluation with Bright Spot Therapy Dogs.

Over the summer I have been swamped by requests  from folks wanting to take our popular Therapy Dog Training Workshops.  Normally, interest  wanes over the summer, so I decided to take the summer off and not offer our Workshops until the fall.  Now, with more and more people interested in doing therapy dog work, there is a steady demand for training.  I’ll need to remember this for next summer!

Class size is limited to 6 teams (handler and dog).  The training is interactive and FUN.  These Workshops fill quickly, so if you’ve been thinking about taking this special type of training, sign up TODAY!

Lily is now a Bright Spot Therapy Dog.  Today she passed her evaluation, making her my sixth therapy dog over the past twenty years.  I’m extremely proud of Lily.  She has a very sweet, loving temperament that really shines when she’s interacting with people, especially children.  I realized this when I’d take her over to our library to practice her therapy dog training skills and to meet and greet people as they came in to get books.  She was drawn to the children  – and they to her.  Even our seven-months-old grandson chose Lily (out of our four dogs) as his favorite!

Since I felt Lily’s forte would be working with children, her therapy dog evaluation was held with a child available so the Bright Spot evaluator could assess Lily’s reaction and interaction to this specific population.  All her natural instincts and her training were on full display.  She proved herself beautifully!

I’m thrilled that Lily is now set to help out with our Westhampton Elementary School Reading Buddies Program starting up in mid-September in the school library under the direction of Karen Rousseau, school librarian.

HAPPY VIOLET… she knows she did a good job!

We’re very proud of Violet…   This evening, she breezed through her Canine Good Citizen Test.  She and I had a great time heading out to class for the past six weeks for the CGC Class.  Tonight, the seventh class, was the test.  Violet is training to be a therapy dog, so taking the Canine Good Citizen Class is a good prerequisite in preparation for the Bright Spot Therapy Dogs evaluation which we plan to schedule for the end of September when she turns one year old.

Violet and I have been training as a team since she came here to Bridgvale Farm this past March.  We’ve attended basic obedience and manners classes which prepared her well for the CGC Class.  In between classes we’ve practiced all the skills taught in class and gone to public places to interact with people of all ages.  Violet is a quick learner – and she’s loved all this personal training time.

The Set for Mass Appeal

Our canine TV stars, Bright Spots Tucker, Lilo, and Lily enjoyed being in the limelight today on Mass Appeal, WWLP Ch. 22.  They did a terrific job promoting Bright Spot Therapy Dogs, Inc.  If you weren’t able to catch the show live today at 11:00, you can go to the Mass Appeal website and click on the video titled:  Train your dog to become a therapy dog!

Behind the scenes…

Lily enjoyed meeting members of the crew and other people going on the show.

Bright Spot volunteer Ern Damon with his therapy dog Lilo hang out while the set is prepared.

We hope today’s show will encourage folks with friendly, outgoing dogs that enjoy interacting with people to think about becoming a certified Bright Spot therapy dog team.    You can find out all about it, including therapy dog training available, by going to our website.  We have over 80 educational and health care facilities  requesting our volunteer services.  We need more wonderful dogs and handlers to meet this demand.

Well, I have been waiting for the past two months for Violet to come into heat – so now she has!  Since we will have two other dogs appearing on Mass Appeal with us this Thursday, I feel it’s best to leave Violet at home.

Lily has been training for her role as a therapy dog for an entire year.  She is ready and poised to take her evaluation as soon as I can get it scheduled with one of our Bright Spot evaluators.  Lily is a very sweet, affectionate dog who loves children.  I plan to have her working in our Reading Buddies Program that starts up at the Westhampton Elementary School in September.

Lily has met the Danes, Tucker and Lilo, who will be on Mass Appeal with us this Thursday at 11:00 on Ch. 22 right after the TODAY Show.  The group of canine TV stars is set and ready to go.  Hope you can watch them on Thursday.  If not, we will post the link both on the Bright Spot website and facebook page.  And – if you are on the Bright Spot facebook page – please LIKE our page!  Thanks!

Meet Bright Spot therapy dogs Tucker & Lilo – two incredible Great Danes, along with Violet – an adorable Australian Labradoodle puppy who is a therapy dog in training when they appear on Mass Appeal with Cynthia Hinckley, founder & president of Bright Spot Therapy Dogs, Inc. and Bright Spot volunteer Ern Damon.  You will learn about the training dogs need to become therapy dogs and about the exciting new children’s reading programs being launched at an area elementary school and at public libraries this fall.  The program will air live on Thursday, August 16, 2012, from 11:00-12:00, Ch 22  (right after the TODAY SHOW).

Bright Spot has been swamped with requests from healthcare and educational facilities throughout western Massachusetts that want certified therapy dog teams to visit.  We are looking for well-trained dogs with friendly, outgoing personalities and owners who enjoy helping out in the community.  We provide the training you need to get your dog certified.  To learn more about the certification process and visiting opportunities, visit our website for specifics.

Lily, Tucker and Lilo meet Karen Rousseau in the school library

Some of our Bright Spot Reading Buddies joined us today for a planning session with Westhampton Elementary School librarian Karen Rousseau.  Lily, Tucker and Lilo, lay at our feet as Ern Damon and I worked with Karen to map out the schedule for the Reading Buddies Program commencing soon after the start of the school year.

The purpose of the program is to foster a love of reading amongst children on all reading levels.  The canine Reading Buddy provides a comforting, non-judgemental companion who sits or lies down next to the child and listens quietly to the story being read.  Reading one-on-one to the dog builds confidence and fluency.

Bright Spot therapy dog Tucker has made front page news the past two weeks in the Daily Hampshire Gazette for his starring role in the Westhampton Public Library’s summer Reading-to-a-Dane program.  Lilo, also certified through Bright Spot, will be trying out in this summer role, as well, in preparation for the program at the school.  Lily is a therapy-dog-in-training and has been making regular visits to the library all summer, hanging out in the children’s area, and interacting with children as they come to select books.  Lily is great with kids…  she adores the attention she receives from them.  As soon as she gets certified, she will be joining the other Reading Buddies in the program.  James, who piloted the After School Reading Buddies program last spring will start things off with the Danes.

We’re all very excited about this program and the benefit it has for young readers.