One of the reasons we got Smokey was as a pleasant diversion for my Mom who has recently entered permanent care at a local nursing home. We visit a great deal and Smokey has become a celebrity with both staff and the patients. He is very good with people and I was thinking of going through therapy treaining with him and get certified.
We met a new Rehab resident two weeks ago who claims to have been a Yorkie breeder and involved in Therapy and she warned us against this, stating that patients would handle him roughly, try to feed him their meds, needles?, sneak him 'treats', etc, etc. In reading what I just typed, I realize that the woman must be a little nuts, because patients are dispensed meds and they usually arent lying about and neither are needles, but listening to all of this has put a lot of doubt in our minds about going forward with therapy training.
We dont let him out of our sight when we are visiting and he is never off leash. We occasionally hand him over to people when they request it, but only for a fast hug. There is a locked wing for advanced Alzheimer and dementia patients who are potentially dangerous to themselves or others and we arent allowed in there. We dont intend to visit any hospital facilities or any other nursing home in the area.
My question is this: should we really bother with Therapy training and what are the advantages besides Liability protection, which I dont really understand to begin with. If we are certified, are we protected from a lawsuit if Smokey were to bite someone? Call me selfish, but now that I got my head out of the clouds and my confidence shaken, I am more interested in protecting my dog's health and safety than in doing 'good' works. Certainly, Smokey isnt going to miss all the extra attention, or should I say TENSION??
