Our Sammy was the most energetic, personable, outgoing, social puppy in the world! In other words, he was incorrigible! For the first few years of his life, his energy kept him from certifying to do Therapy Dog work. “Zoomies” was his middle name! My hopes to partner with him at Therapy Dog venues seemed to be a distant dream!
Enter the puppies! Hank and Charlie took over the roles of “playful pup” and Sam matured almost overnight! Suddenly, Sam was the model Therapy Dog! Although I never gave up on my little buddy, it was a pleasant surprise!
In my teaching career, there were many students who were much like Sammy. They had challenges that kept them from socializing and finding success in academics. All of them progressed along their own timeline of development and, eventually, found their way. In 34 years of teaching, I never had a student who didn’t succeed in regard to their own, personal journey.
Patience, empathy and a bit of “cheerleading” were always the special ingredients that allowed me to guide them.
*Give them the time they need.
*Try to see things through their eyes.
*Cheer them on…even when they seem to have lost the will to surge forward.
In a way, Sammy is like all of us. He just needed time to find his own rhythm and pace. Look at me…I still don’t know what I want to be when I grow up, but my “cheerleaders” haven’t given up on me yet!
