Dog Shows

What do you people think about showing dogs in nursing homes. i take my dogs to nursing homes. its really fun

I would love to do that with my older dachshund, Barahona ( my other one is too slurpy). She is very well-mannered and loving with all people, but first I need to get her a CD title I think..?
She'd do really well with children in a hospital setting, too. One of those "someday" I'll do that things that I never get around to. She has a nice story to inspire people, since she had over half of her bladder removed last year because of a growth, and has complete recovery.
I think its wonderful that you do visits with your dog, what titles/ certifications have you done to be allowed to do this work?

That is my goal with next pooch. I think it is absolutely WONDERFUL!!! I greatly admire people that take time out of their busy schedules to bring happiness to the less fortunate. And the dogs are awesome to watch. It makes me teary eyed.

OK, this is an area in which I have expertise. I've been doing Pet Therapy visitations for more than 10 years now. I visit at the Children's Hospital every other week and at a nursing home once a month. I have 3 cats and my oldest Lab in the program. The younger Lab still has to calm down some.
Although my Lab does have her CD, I do not think it is a necessity. As long as you have a calm, gentle dog I think you would be OK. But every Pet Therapy group has their own rules.
I really enjoy my visits, and have been rewarded richly by my experiences.
A funny story: I had taken my Chocolate Lab to the Children's and introduced her "this is my chocolate Lab, Bailey, she is (was then) 5 years old etc..." The first little boy I visit licks his fingers, touches her head, licks his fingers again and said "Mommy, she doesn't TASTE like chocolate!" http://PetoftheDay.com/talk/biggrin.gif How do you explain that to a 3 or 4 year old?

What a pleasure you all must get to
be able to put smiles on people faces.
Not to far from where I work, there is a
combined retirement home/hospital who has
a therapy dog come in once a week
to visit the elderly. http://PetoftheDay.com/talk/smile.gif

That story about the chocolate lab is just too cute.
As for those interested in Therapy work, there are a couple of groups who certify dogs for this. Of course, I just had a brain fart and can't call their names to mind just now, but contact your local animal shelter or the facility you wish to visit and see what programs they have. Titles are not necessary, but a good grounding in obedience is a must and then you need to expose the dog to all types of equipment and such that you will encounter at a facility like that, such as wheelchairs, canes, walkers, small children, old people, etc. Temperament testing of your dog will give you a clue as to the suitability. My mother takes her Border Terriers to visit my aunt in the nursing home and none of them have had any type of therapy training. In fact, they've had little formal obedience training as they are conformation dogs, but there are "rules" at home such as "off" and "easy" that make them easy to control in the setting. Several of the other residents ask for the dogs to come visit when they're there and no one has complained about them. I honestly believe it helps people in that type of setting to get to pet a dog or cat and frequently brings back fond memories of pets they've had in the past. Major Kudos to all that do this as it is a valuable, but underappreciated, service to the recipients.

[This message has been edited by ktreva52 (edited November 23, 2000).]