Barbara Ernst, Volunteer Therapy Worker, at work with Dinah, a Timshell Petite Golden Retriever
Hi there!
My name is Dinah and I am a therapy dog. Today is going to be a great day! This morning, I went for a walk with my human. I chased butterflies, birds and watched a squirrel jump from tree to tree.
We headed back home. I was brushed and then took a nap. My human packs a bag for me with water and a bowl. She puts treats in her pocket and finds my step-stool. I know it is time to go to work when she grabs my K9 Comforters bandana and ties it around my neck. I jump in the car and can’t hardly wait to get to the nursing home. Lots of people are inside waiting for us.
I am so excited to see everyone! I have so many friends there who pet me, talk to me and love me. I love all of them! I smile at them and they smile back at me. I’m very quiet so I won’t wake up anyone who’s sleeping. Some people are in chairs with big wheels on them. Some are sitting in regular chairs. Some are walking and some are in bed. My human tells me to climb up on my step-stool for the people in bed so they can reach over and pet me. She gives me treats when I climb up.
My human tells me what an important job I have and says we are blessing many people. I look at her and smile. It’s been a good day and I’m glad I did my best. I know I made people happy today and that makes me wag my tail. It was a lot of work going through therapy dog class each week learning how to be a therapy dog. We practiced at home almost every day so my human and I could pass the test to become a registered therapy dog team. I think she and I make a great team! We’ve done other fun things like being in parades and going to libraries. This fall, we will start going to schools. I love it when kids read to me, especially about other dogs.
I’m having so much fun doing my job that it doesn’t seem like work. I am making new friends every week, and that’s the best part of my job. Together with my human, we are having the adventure of a lifetime!
~ Barbara Ernst, Hawkins, TX – December 2016
See Dinah at work: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsCBR8eD2MQ&app=desktop
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