At Work

King is six years old now and showing his maturity in many ways. This week he made his debut as my co-presenter as I delivered a talk on the meaningful work of therapy dogs to docents at the Springfield Science Museums in preparation for the Wolf to Woof exhibit running January 30-May 15.

For so many years, my special boy James stood by my side when I gave a talk to a community group. He was my perfect companion. No matter where we went, I knew I could count on his ability to enter a strange place with grace and lie down, waiting patiently as I’d prepare my slideshow and materials used during my presentation. Upon cue, he’d greet attendees as they entered, showing by his example what a good therapy dog is like. He was completely predictable.

Since James’ passing, I’ve given talks without a dog at my side. My new therapy dogs King and his sister Lily weren’t ready to take James’ place. I didn’t feel certain that either dog could manage sitting or lying down next to me as I talked to a large group for an hour or more.

I’ve missed having one of my dogs at my side as I deliver a talk. For me, it’s simply not the same. Having James at my side provided the calming influence I needed. With him there, I didn’t feel alone standing in front of a large group of people. For the most part, the audience looks at the dog as I talk about therapy dogs. And, seeing a therapy dog in person brings what I’m talking about to life.

I decided it was time to test King’s ability to rise to the occasion. For the Museums talk I really wanted a dog by my side and King did not disappoint. In so many ways he reminded me of James as he greeted people coming through the door, as he stood by my side while I introduced him to the group, then settled into a comfortable down position as I talked.

I’m so proud of my boy King. It was a wonderful feeling to travel to my talk with a sidekick in the seat next to me listening intently as I ran through my speech. Then afterward, reviewing the event aloud to him as we traveled home. King showed by the soft expression on his face and his tail-wagging that he enjoyed every minute in his role as my co-presenter. When we arrived home, he settled in by the fire and slept contentedly for the remainder of the afternoon. He had done a good job and he knew it.

I love watching King interact with a group of young children. The expression on his face exudes pure joy. He is so happy being in the middle of a group of adoring children. It’s no wonder he loves his job as a Bright Spot Reading Buddy for second and third graders at the Hilltown Charter School in Easthampton, Massachusetts. He’s perfectly suited for this type of therapy dog work. He’s content to lie down right next to a reader and quietly listen intently as he or she reads to him and shows him the illustrations accompanying the text.

This Tuesday, he was heading back to work after a long vacation. He was so excited as we pulled into the school parking lot. His tail was in constant wagging mode. First, he heard the kids calling out, Here’s King! For King, the fun had begun. He spent some time meeting with both of the classes so all the children could welcome him back. Then, the small group reading times began in King’s Office off the main lobby of the school. This time, the children read in pairs. While one read, the other got to pet King. Halfway through their session, they switched. Fun for everyone – me, too!

If you’re like me, you’ve probably wondered how Coco is doing. We last heard from her back in October right after her right front leg was amputated. Just yesterday, I thought how I was missing her guest posts on Say Hello Spot – and within an hour, I opened my mail and found this update from Coco. I’m sure you’ll enjoy reading it as much as I did. She’s one amazing dog. Read on…

Sorry I haven’t posted in a bit…I am trying to get into my new routine… I feel pretty good and will try to post weekly after vacation.

Last week, I went to school with Mom on Monday and Friday. For those of you who may not know, I was diagnosed with osteosarcoma in the fall and had my right front leg amputated in early October. I have been going to work with Mom once a week since two weeks after my amputation, but last week, I went two days. I also visited the Soldiers’ Home in Holyoke on Saturday.

I can walk on three legs, but Mom bought me a large wagon so she can pull me around when I have long distances to go. My wagon has been a hit at school with the students.

While at school, I spent lots of time in the behavior specialist’s room working with students with anxiety and depression, and keeping students calm while they completed work and received counseling. Lots of students stopped in just to see me and my wagon. The custodians and many teachers seemed pretty impressed with the idea of using a wagon to transport me.

Friday, Mom and I left school early so I could go for chemotherapy. At my appointment, Mom and I were told that I had a small tumor on my lung – it was not there before we started chemo, but it is what it is. Osteosarcoma is a very aggressive cancer, so finding a treatment that slows the progression of the disease is important. The doctor switched chemotherapy treatment, and we are hoping for the best. I feel fine, and I still enjoy working and making people happy.

On Saturday, when I went to the Soldiers’ Home, residents, staff, and family members loved my red wagon. Interestingly, many of them did not notice that I was missing a leg – they noticed that I was in a wagon and that I was wearing antlers and wagging my tail! That just reminds us that it is important to continue with the things that are important to us even when things change in our lives. Having three legs has been a dramatic change for me – I am ten years old and I had four legs my entire life. I cannot walk as far or as fast as I once could, but Mom has found a way to help me continue doing what I enjoy most – making people happy and providing comfort to them.

Visiting with all the people at the Soldiers’ Home made me very happy. Seeing how everyone responded to me despite my handicapping condition made Mom happy, too. And it reminded us both what Christmas is really all about.

Happy Holidays, Everyone! ~Coco

Eight teams completed our Bright Spot Therapy Dog Training course this past Sunday. The final phase of the training takes the teams to a nursing home to practice the skills and techniques they’ve learned in class on real residents and patients.

When finished with our required Therapy Dog Training Class, teams are well-prepared to undergo their evaluation (also taking place at a nursing home) and, with a successful outcome, to make meaningful visits on their own. Bright Spot certified Therapy Dog Teams have a myriad of healthcare and educational facilities to choose from for their visits. Our List of Visiting Opportunities has over 140 facilities in Massachusetts and other New England states.

If you are thinking about getting your dog certified as a Therapy Dog, check out our website for the first class in 2016. Start the New Year by becoming a certified Bright Spot Therapy Dog Team.

This is our largest Bright Spot Therapy Dog college event. For finals and mid-terms each semester, we take 24 Therapy Dogs to the campus of the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

A steady flow of students came through the student union ballroom from 11:00-1:30 to spend time with the well-behaved, friendly Therapy Dogs. An estimated 1,100 students enjoyed petting the dogs, asking questions about the different breeds, and learning about how a dog becomes a Therapy Dog. Lots of students asked about the difference between Therapy Dogs and Service Dogs. The event offers a good opportunity to educate people about the work we do while providing a time for students to relax and catch their breath between exams, writing papers, and studying.

Six Bright Spot Therapy Dogs were on the Bay Path University campus today for the enjoyment of students who are in the midst of final exams.

We experience this on every college campus we visit: students love to simply hang-out with the therapy dogs.  The dogs have a blast-receiving lots of hugs and petting.

The movement to bring therapy dogs to college campuses during exam periods has spread across the country as college administrators realize the positive effect therapy dogs have on students.  The simple act of petting a dog has a calming effect and makes a person feel good and happy.

Bright Spot Therapy Dogs go to Bay Path University during final exams both fall and spring semesters. Our volunteers enjoy talking to the students as they sit petting the therapy dogs. Most students are eager to talk about their course of study and their plans for the future.

Many students are interested in pursuing a career involving dogs and enjoy learning how dogs are trained to be therapy dogs.

Our Bright Spot Therapy Dogs bring such joy to students on college campuses that many of our volunteers offer to participate in every college event we hold.

Watching your dog bring happiness to others is the huge gift you receive when sharing your therapy dog with others.

We need your help…

Thanks to many of you voting for Bright Spot Therapy Dogs last year, we received a grant for $1,100 from Florence Bank. If we can do it last year, we can do it again this year! But, only with your help…

We have less than one month left… Help Bright Spot win! Each year Florence Bank Customers’ Choice Community Grants Program allows their customers to vote for their favorite local non-profit organization to win a grant. Voting is Easy! If you are a customer of Florence Bank, you can vote. Just click on this link: www.florencebank.com/vote and fill in the blanks casting your vote for Bright Spot Therapy Dogs, Inc., or stop by any office of Florence Bank and ask for a ballot. Help Bright Spot be one of the winners. Voting for this year’s grants ends on December 31, 2015. Post to your friends on Facebook, too.

Thank You in advance for your help!

We are running an extra-large Therapy Dog Training Class right now at Animal Alliances in Northampton, Massachusetts.  It’s the last class of the year and it seems many folks want to get trained and ready to start the New Year as a certified Bright Spot Therapy Dog Team.

Our required Therapy Dog Training Classes ran at full capacity all year and filled-up quickly. With the added Chicopee, Massachusetts location at Exercise Finished, we now have two convenient training centers and different date options for handlers to choose from. Our instructors collaborate on course curriculum to insure all participants receive a similar experience. It’s been a rewarding and productive year with many new, talented and dedicated therapy dog teams becoming members of Bright Spot Therapy Dogs.

We are in the process of setting our Therapy Dog Training Class Schedule for 2016. The first class will be offered at Animal Alliances in Northampton. It will run as a two-session course on the following dates and times (please note different times): January 24th, 9:00-11:00 and February 7th, 9:00-12:00. Please check our website for details. It’s best to sign-up well in advance to secure a spot in the class. We look forward to training you and your dog in the New Year!

As many Say Hello Spot readers know, Barnes & Noble Bookstore (Hadley, MA location) invited us to hold our FUN DAY WITH DOGS at their store last Saturday. Shoppers enjoyed meeting our Therapy Dogs and learning about the meaningful work Therapy Dogs do for people of all ages. They got to meet different breeds of dogs, watch agility demonstrations, and young children had a chance to read to some of our Reading Buddy dogs. When making purchases that day, shoppers had the opportunity to support Bright Spot Therapy Dogs by giving our book fair ID # 11678117 when checking out. Sales in support of our Therapy Dogs were outstanding.

There’s still time to raise the amount of our donation! Those who missed the event, but would like to support Bright Spot with a purchase, have until today (November 18th) at closing to add to the donation Barnes & Noble will make to support the meaningful work our certified Therapy Dogs do.  Both in-store (Hadley only) AND online sales count.  So, do some holiday shopping at Barnes & Noble in support of the dogs.  You’ll be giving a gift that will help many people in need.  Don’t forget to provide our book fair ID #11678117 at checkout.

I held my breath yesterday morning when I woke early to head to the Barnes & Noble Bookstore in Hadley, Massachusetts, where we would be holding our FUN DAY WITH DOGS. I was hoping for a good crowd. The planning  for the event started last summer after I was approached by Barnes & Noble Bookstore about running a book fair to benefit Bright Spot Therapy Dogs.

Yes, this was to be a fundraiser to benefit the meaningful work our Bright Spot Therapy Dog Teams do in healthcare and educational environments, but I wanted this to be so much more for people. My vision was to create an event that would build awareness among adults and children about the many fun and beneficial things they can do with their dogs. I wanted people new to dogs, possibly looking to get their very first dog, to learn about the different types of dogs in the dog world.  How they are bred to do certain things – like herd, hunt, race, and so on. To learn from the handlers what it’s like to live with a large dog, like a Great Dane, or a tiny dog, like a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.  To ask, Is an Australian Shepherd the right dog for me?

It has always been an aim of mine to be sure a person really knows what type of dog they are bringing into their home, so the owner doesn’t realize, after the fact, that the new dog is a mistake.  Dogs deserve to be brought into their forever home, not end up in a rescue group or a shelter. At this event, I wanted people to talk with expert dog trainer and Bright Spot volunteer, Tibby Chase, and learn about the types of training they should do with their dog. And, to find out how much fun training, like Agility or Rally, can be for both owner and dog.

Of course, I wanted to showcase the amazing work our Bright Spot Therapy Dogs do for people of all ages in both healthcare and educational settings.  Through our event, I hoped to inspire others to become involved and train to be a certified Bright Spot Therapy Dog Team.

Thanks to the efforts of 18 dedicated Bright Spot volunteers and their dogs, my dreams of such an event were fulfilled as the store filled with people spending time with the dogs. Barnes & Noble staff kept commenting on the positive energy the dogs brought to the store… Yes, smiles and laughter could be seen and heard throughout!  Judging from book sales in support of Bright Spot Therapy Dogs – we are told we surpassed all book fairs held this year – people were very happy with the event.  We’re already thinking about next year’s FUN DAY WITH DOGS!

If you missed yesterday’s FUN DAY WITH DOGS, but would like to support Bright Spot Therapy Dogs with a Barnes & Noble Bookstore purchase, in-store (Hadley store) and online sales through November 18th will count. You must give our book fair ID #11678117 at check out.