A Visit
"What's his name?"
"What kind of dog is that?"
"Is he really big for a Great Dane?"
"Will he bite?"
"How much does he eat?"
"Can I pet him?"
We've heard them all a million times... Well, be prepared. When you take your dog to a nursing home for a Therapy Dog Visit, You'll be smiling at the residents and answering those questions for the next hour. All the while your dog is making fifty new friends; and fifty people learn about the "gentle giants" which we all know and love.
Ralph, standing about 20 feet away, asked in all honesty, "Is that Blaze?" (Blaze is a miniature horse that does therapy visits in our area.) You quickly get used to a degree of confusion among the residents. I have taken Indy to two different nursing homes. At each one, during his first visit, a resident stated that she had met Indy before. (I think it was Blaze.) Just take it in stride, smile, and ask if they'd like to pet him.

We were stopped in a hallway talking with someone in a wheelchair. I noticed a woman with a walker stopped at the side of the hallway about ten feet away. She was afraid to walk past the dog. I pivoted and placed Indy in the doorway leading off to the side. I told him "Sit", then "Down" and then "Stay". I then told the woman that it was safe for her to walk by; that he would stay. She then started to walk by, but stopped to talk. After five minutes or so, I asked her if she'd like to pet him. Which, of course, she did. If he's that well trained then there obviously nothing to be afraid of. Another conquest for Indy!
There were three ladies sitting at a table. We had stopped by earlier and met one of them. When we came back she had been joined by a friend. When she told her friend to "look at the dog", her friend asked "Where?" While she was saying, "Good Lord woman! Can't you see that DOG?", I walked Indy up next to her friend. Indy placed his head on the table in front of the friend. She exclaimed "Hi fella!" and within two minutes had both her arms clasped around his neck while he nuzzled his cheek against hers. (They ARE the best kind of stuffed animals.)
Wherever you go you draw a crowd, and the word spreads that "There's a dog here today! And he's a big one." You'll get to ride in the elevator with the residents, who are beside themselves that a dog the size of a horse can ride in an elevator. When you walk through the dining hall the Activities Director expects him to charge for the food on the tables, despite your assurances that "He's trained not to do that." It is a continuous relevation to you and everyone around you that indeed your dog is well-behaved.

And you can justifiably feel proud.

Evan Jones and Indy CGC, CD, TDIA (Therapy Dog International)