Duke got mail!

Duke got a package the other day!

Duke has been participating in a Paws for Reading program at a local elementary school, where kids are encouraged to read by reading to therapy dogs. At the end of the year, our Paws coordinator went to the school to pick up our supplies, and found over a hundred thank you cards from the kiddos. She mailed a handful to us, and they were adorable. Some of the kids reminded us of the books they read, some drew pictures of the therapy dogs, some told us about their own pets. How stinking cute are these?!

PAWS for Reading

Once a week, Duke goes to school. He's participating in a program called PAWS for reading, where kids are encouraged to read by reading to dogs. The first few times he went, he was a little stressed out because it was a new environment, but he quickly got used to it, and started rolling over for bellyrubs and even using the kiddos as pillows. He was disruptive this week though, because one little boy was reading a book about Egyptians, when Duke decided to crawl right over to him and shove his head in the book. The little boy was a trooper though, and continued to read through his giggles, though he had to move around a little because it's hard to read through Duke's big head.

After the kids read, they get a bookmark and a sticker with a picture of the dog they read to. When they read to another dog, they get another sticker to add to the bookmark.



Our therapy dog group had a potluck dinner this weekend, and we were, of course, talking about our dogs, and all things dog related. Someone mentioned the bookmarks, and Tim was jealous and asked why he didn't have a bookmark. Of course, it was because he hadn't read to Duke yet. You don't get a bookmark until after you read to the dogs. So Tim read his Mustang magazine to Duke today to earn his bookmark.

Awww...my baby's all grow'd up and ready to go to school!

Here's Duke, ready for his first day of school.



Duke recently passed his therapy dog test, and we're signed up to volunteer at a local elementary school, where kids are encouraged to read by reading to dogs. He was great with the kids today, but we were in a busy area, so he didn't quite pay as much attention as I would have liked. But the kiddos still loved him. And after they read to the dogs, each kid got a bookmark and a sticker of the dog they read to. Each time they read to another dog, they get a new sticker to add to their bookmark.

Duke is officially....

a registered Bright and Beautiful Therapy dog! I had already tested Duke through TDI back in July, but one of my concerns was not enough support. TDI is a larger and better recognized organization nationally, but I had difficulty finding local support, and wasn't quite comfortable forging my own path yet. A fellow Frisbee club member mentioned that she did therapy dog work through Bright and Beautiful, and I contacted the group through her. B&B is a smaller organization, but they're incredibly nice and welcoming.

We finally tested Duke through B&B today, and he passed the evaluation. He can be a little shy around new people, but if he's given a proper introduction and allowed to sniff and check people out, he warms up quickly. But I became interested in him becoming a therapy dog because he does well with kids, and there are many opportunities in schools or libraries. I've done a ton of volunteer work since college, and this gives me the chance to combine two of my passions, while showing people what fabulous dogs rescues are.

Duke is almost a therapy dog!

Duke passed the Therapy Dogs International evaluation! He's a vet visit and some paperwork away from providing some puppylove therapy.

Since he already had his Canine Good Citizen, the evaluator just needed to test him on a few things, namely how well he did around other dogs (easy to evaluate when you're at a huge dog show), how he did with wheelchairs and medical equipment (again, easy to evaluate when there's huge crowds), and how well he did "leave-it" around food. Fortunately for me, Duke has figured out that humans are mean and that food we place on the ground isn't necessarily for him. If I put food down on the ground, he usually ignores it. So the evaluator put a piece of pepperoni on the ground and told me to walk as close to it as I could, and I could give a small leash correction or verbal correction, but not to let him have it. Duke practically walked right over the food and didn't even look at it. Yay Duke!

There's another therapy dog group I recently learned about (Bright and Beautiful Therapy dogs) that I'm also considering. However, you can't be members of multiple therapy dog groups at a time, so I do need to choose within the next couple months. I had already made arrangements for Duke to be tested through TDI when I learned about Bright and Beautiful, so I went ahead with the test. Bright and Beautiful seems to be a larger group and more organized in my area, so I am leaning towards it, but right now my options are open.

Introducing....

Duke of Hurl, CGC!















Yay Duke! Now, on to the Delta Society therapy dog test. Mr. Duke will hopefully be going to the county library for storytime with kiddos by the end of summer with Montgomery County Pet Partners.