The lady heard me, and she came in with her dog and visited my Dad for a a few minutes. He enjoyed the visit. I think it was good for him. This is the kind of thing Therapy Dogs do. They come and comfort people who are in hospitals, nursing homes, or other care facilities. They visit schools, hospices, libraries. For some of the people, who maybe used to have dogs, it brings some comfort, joy, and doggie love to a time in their life when they may not much of those feelings. Dog just brighten our days.
One thing that is interesting is that children like to read to a dog. The dog just lies down and listens. The kids get to choose a book. They might say, "I think Buster will like this book." They pull "Lassie" from the shelf.
Kids who have trouble reading to adults love to read to the non-judging pup. They are able to relax and just figure it out. Reading to a dog often helps problem readers to improve their reading skills.
Now many libraries are implementing programs that allow kids to read to a therapy dog. The kids love it, the parents love it, and the dogs and handlers love it. And it helps the kids.
If you think your dog would love a new job, check out the Therapy Dog International site for more information.
http://www.tdi-dog.org/Default.aspx
Here is an informative forum post: http://www.dogforum.com/dog-training-behavior/therapy-dog-3521/
Therapy dogs give support, help normalize scary or uncomfortable environments, or just visit and sit to be petted. Therapy dogs love 'pets.' Any breed of dog or even a mix can do therapy. They just have to be rather calm and be able stay that way around carts and wheelchairs. Of course, they have to be friendly and LOVE people and children. If you think you and your dog would be good at this, do some more research and apply to TDI or another therapy dog platform.
