Day 1361

People often ask me if Therapy Dogs are born or trained. My response is they need both.

Having said that, today Hank and I made a visit to Walker and I witnessed a dog born to do this work. Although our Hank is only 9 weeks old, he melted hearts, snuggled indiscriminately and worked the crowd like a pro! I was relieved and proud of my sweet boy! Of course, there will be quite a bit of training in his future, but I am confident he will be a star!

On the other paw, I do believe most any dog can be trained to do Therapy work. If you are diligent about training, dogs can succeed in this quest. There might be a few exceptions to the rule.

Take our dear Oreo, for example. Adopting a rescue at nine months comes with a history of experiences along the way. Add the fact that our new girl was a border collie/Australian shepherd and you might have a bit of a challenge. Our black and white beauty was valedictorian in her classes, but she hid a secret. In her life, before joining us at The Big White House, abuse had taken its toll. I discovered that she had a deep aversion to anything on wheels. This fear included motorcycles, bicycles, scooters and even strollers. She would react as if the wheeled monster was there to attack… so she beat them to the punch. I tried to train it out of her, but finally decided she had been through enough. She would just be our amazing family member who spent her entire life being adored.

Tomorrow, we will take Charlie on an unofficial visit. I have an idea he will be just as successful as his brother! Stay tuned!