[alaskayorkie]

Originally Posted by canana

Awww...that's so nice that she's a therapy dog (I'm assuming) at the hospital!! It must be great to make a difference for others.

I wish I could do something like that, but Scottie is kind of a nutjob - he's paranoid of strangers. Casie on the other hand, is a super people pleaser.

Yeah, Jillie and Eddie before her are both registered as therapy dogs with Pet Partners (www.petpartners.org). Eddie is mostly retired after 9 years of service. Jillie has been doing it for 6-7 years. I have a career doing paid stuff, but I can honestly say the volunteer therapy visits are the highlight of my week.

Check out the Pet Partners website if interested. It mainly takes a calm dog, with basic obedience skills. Sit, down, come and walk on a loose leash are the only obedience skills, but reaction to distractions is a big part of the rest. The dog has to be calm around everything from unexpected noises to wheelchairs and other devices and even other animals. And like people, of course.