Proudly wearing my TDI scarf
Well, it wasn't a full 8-hour day, but I put in my first shift in as a therapy dog at Sarah Todd Memorial Home yesterday. I had a really nice time chatting with the all the staff and residents while letting them pet me. I have a feeling that this gig might end up being as therapeutic for me as it is the residents! In addition to being fun, another perk is that my hours of volunteering will count towards earning my Dog Scout Community Service and Therapy Dog badges.
Community Service and Therapy Dog DSA Badges
Having M&D accompany me to orientation was a little embarrassing, but rules dictate that I must have a human attached to the other end of my leash when visiting. I did find the part when M&D had to demonstrate proper hand washing procedures kind of humorous. They passed with flying colors unlike Roger who recently flunked his Therapy Dog International (TDI) test.
TDI Flunky and Proud of It
While never expecting perfection, M&D always encourage us to do our best. It doesn't matter if we finish last in a race so long as we put our best paw forward. What really upset Mom about Roger bombing the down/stay portion of the test is that he didn't even try. He sat there like a bump on a log — never once budging when Mom gave him both the verbal and hand signal cue to lie down (not once, not twice, but at least 25 times). Oh well. Maybe in a future test he won't be such a stubborn little bully. Yeah right! That will be the day when bat pig-dogs fly.
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