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| My Therapy Work |
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| I think that my therapy work is very important and I take it very seriously. Even though, it isn't hard physical work, like some of the other jobs done by my working dog brethren, it is mentally and emotionally taxing. Not only, is it my job to spread cheer and relieve loneliness with my comedic antics...sometimes, it's my job to just sit quietly and listen. Those are the hard times...it's easy for me to be the class clown (that comes naturally)...but, to sit quietly and contain my natural exuberance is exhausting. |
| On Feburary 28th '02, I completed the evaluation requirments for registration with Therapy Dogs International and after a visit to the doggy doctor and a couple of other things I became a TDI regestered therapy dog. Now that I was official...it was off to work. |
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| There are three live-in care facilities here in town. The first, called Villa on the Lake, is an assisted living facility. The second is Inn Conneaut nursing home and the third is called Maple's. Maple's is a home for children with mental disabilities. |
| After some thought, Mom decided that I should start my new career at Inn Conneaut...with plans to start visiting the Villa, sometime in the future, as well. She thought that Maple's would be too hard for me to handle as I am still very young. So, Mom contacted the Activities Director at Inn Conneaut and made our first appointment. They were delighted that I was going to visit and I was looking forward to it too. |
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| Well the first visit came and went with out any problems. Everyone had a really nice time...especailly the residents. We were escorted around the whole facility by a very nice lady, named Becky. She is the activities director. Every where we went people stopped to pet me and they would often say "Don't for get to visit this one or that one wants to see you." There was even one lady who didn't want to let me go to see other residents...her name was Mary. She wanted me to stay with her. Mom assured her that I would be back to visit her again. So, before we left for home, I had my next appointment for my return visit two weeks later. |
| As you walk along the halls of the nursing home, you can't help but notice how sterile the environment is...although the hallways and rooms are nicely decorated in warm colors and the staff wears uniforms with lively colorful prints...it still feels like an institution. It's 10:30 in the morning and most of the residents are up and about. Having already had their breakfast, they have settled into the daily mid-morning routine of sitting in their wheelchairs along the hallways. Some interact and greet passers by...some just sit and watch the world go by. Until...a brown fuzzy face appears.... |
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| Would you like to see some pictures of me visiting Inn Conneaut? Mom took a camera and asked Becky to take a few photos during one of my visits. It was Halloween and Mom had dressed me up like the Great Pumpkin and taught me to carry and hold a treat bucket so that I could pass out sugar free candy. |