Imagine a shy, young boy who struggles with reading aloud in front of his class. He’s terrified of making mistakes and being judged. But then, he meets Kevin, a gentle rescue with a calming presence. Kevin listens patiently as the boy reads, offering unconditional support and encouragement. Or picture a homeless child living in a shelter, feeling lonely and isolated. But then, a friendly therapy dog arrives, ready to play and offer companionship. These are just two examples of the incredible impact therapy dog make.
There are so many opportunities in Lee County and beyond. My rescue dog Kevin and I started a journey to find the right fit for him as a therapy dog. What does it take to be a Cape Coral therapy dog? Obviously your dog must have a desire to be one. It’s not about the owner. It’s about them. To be honest, being the mom of a therapy dog wasn’t my dream. But someone mentioned it to me, I thought to myself “wow, I think my dog would really enjoy that”. My Chihuahua…. Well, I think we can all agree most of them (not all! I know there are absolutely wonderful and social Chi’s out there) would not enjoy being social butterfly’s. But Kevin is a people dog and once someone put the thought in my head I thought why deprive him of the chance to hang out with people and give them so much more in return.
As a therapy dog in Cape Coral, Florida, we have gone to many places to find where Kevin was happiest and brought the most joy. As part of the Cape Coral, Florida therapy dog training, we will discuss places you think your dog would enjoy going and emphasize training needed for those opportunities. Some of the behaviors are the same for testing and “working” purposes and some of them depend on what you think your dog would enjoy doing once he (or she) is a therapy dog. For example, when Kevin is listening to children read, he needs to be good with sitting and staying for longer periods of time. Not all dogs would enjoy that. But he is happy to be pet and listen to kids read to him knowing there is no judgement, just love coming from him. When we are in medical facilities, he needs to be ok around equipment, going in elevators, being in close spaces.
In order to test, there are some things that are universal. You will almost certainly cross paths with at least one dog during testing so your dog needs to be able to see a dog and keep their cool. Obviously they must walk confidently on a leash and be under your control at all times.
We are Furry Fundamentals have been through the testing process right here in Cape Coral, Florida and are a member of a local group so we are here to be a resource for you. Our therapy dog training package is tailored to you. We cover the basic things that you need to have under your belt for any environment, including the testing, as well as focusing on the behaviors that are specific to the “work” you think your dog would enjoy and thrive at. All of our work is geared towards your dog having fun and making sure this is the right fit for him (or her). I know once I saw how much fun Kevin had and the impact he had on people in so many situations from memory care facilities, to children without homes, to people in care, I know I made the right decision to test him and allow him to help people who need a friendly canine face with a wildly wagging tail and floppy ears.