Therapy Dogs are specially trained companions who provide comfort, affection and assistance to people in a variety of situations such as hospitals, retirement homes, mental health facilities, schools, libraries and even disaster areas.  The most important aspect of a Therapy Dog is temperament.  A good Therapy Dog must be friendly, patient, confident, gentle and at ease in all situations.  Therapy Dogs must enjoy human contact and be content to be petted and handled, sometimes clumsily. A Therapy Dog's primary job is to allow unfamiliar people to make physical contact with him and to enjoy that contact. Therapy Dogs might need to climb onto an individual's lap or bed.  In other situations, they might be called on to perform small tricks or play carefully structured games in order to add to the visiting experience.  Conversely, in the case of a Reading Therapy Dog,  a dog might be required to lie still for long periods of time.  

Given the nature of the job, Poodles make wonderful Therapy Dogs.  They are reliably non-shedding, naturally patient and they enjoy working for and with people. 

CH Beauvoir's Swing on a Star CD  (Delilah)

Delilah is a certified Therapy Dog working with Paws for Responsibility.   In 2012 she worked in libraries as a Reading Therapy Dog.  Reading Therapy serves a number of functions.  For some children, reading to a dog helps them over come blocks that they may have to reading.  The dog is nonjudgemental and inherently supportive.  (And let's face it...  no matter how you might struggle as a reader, you still can read better than the dog!)   For other children, getting to read to the dog serves as an incentive to work hard on reading skills.  I had one mother tell me that she told her first grade, dog crazy daughter that she could participate in the library's Canine Reading Therapy program once she had learned to read.  That little girl worked very hard so that she could join the program!

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