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We walked through the parking lot, past the big yellow buses, and approached the red brick building. Pushed the buzzer to be allowed in. Then we knocked on the principal's office door. "Hello. This is Ernest. We're here to visit the first grade today." The principal smiled and jumped out of her seat to greet Ernest. "The boys and girls will be so excited," she said. She led us down the hall to the room. All along the way teachers and students stopped to pat Ernest. He sure enjoyed that!  The kids in first grade were all smiles and wide eyes. The teacher had everything organized and ready for us. Ernest laid down on a quilt and the kids sat beside him one at a time and read him their stories--they'd written original Halloween stories all by themselves! The Mummy who Lost his Bandages. The Vampire who Lost His Teeth. The Ghost That Wasn't White.  The Witch Who Couldn't Fly.  These kids could write! Ernest listened attentively while they read. Some ...

One night last week we walked our golden retrievers past two kids riding their bikes on the other side of the street. A man stood on his porch watching over them. The little girl saw us and ran up to her dad and asked if she could pat the dogs. "You have to ask their owners," he replied.  We don't know very many people in our neighborhood. It's a small city, and people tend to stick to themselves. Everyone is busy and has their own problems, it seems. The most time we get to interact with the neighbors is when we are walking the dogs. We've gotten to know other dog lovers, and we also have learned who is afraid of dogs so we try to respectfully keep the dogs in close when we pass by. The girl just looked, so I stopped. "Would you like to meet Petey and Ernest?" I asked. She nodded. My husband and I crossed over. The girl's brother stopped riding and came over too. They were a little hesitant, but soon they were happily patting the dogs and giggl...

Mom, tell me again the story about how you chose me. Ernest, we chose you because you needed us, and we needed you. I'm so excited that Ernest's adoption story is shared on Chewy.com's Pet Stories. I've been a Chewy Influencer for years, reviewing and blogging about various products, so I was delighted to contribute this story to their site as well. Canine Cancer Survivor Becomes Therapy Dog to Man With Alzheimer’s Pet Stories / Posted on 12-28-17 Posted by Chewy   Animal Rescue Story: Ernest Finds a Forever Home This post is by Chewy Influencer Peggy Frezon. Our first senior dog rescue was 11 years old when we adopted him. I shook my head and told my husband, “He’ll break our hearts.” My husband looked at me and said, “But he needs us.” So, we adopted the sad, skin-and-bones Golden Retriever, named him Brooks, and fell in love with him. And sure enough, he broke our hearts—but not before filling them with love and joy. Brooks helped us find our missi...

Our first assignment. We were both so excited, Ike and I! Our first event was a Valentine's Day event at a local college. We had no idea what to expect. I know Ike is a laidback dog and I hoped he'd enjoy the experience. We braved the 16 degrees below zero temperatures and walked the scenic pathways along the quad to the student union building. There we encountered a long line of students--this was going to be a well-attended event. Coordinators led us into the room where crafts and refreshments were set up for the students. One other dog, a yellow lab, was there. Later, another dog joined. There were supposed to be 9 dogs at the event, but the rest didn't show up due to the cold. These three would have their paws full! As soon as the doors opened, college students with broad smiles rushed over to greet Ike. They sat cross-legged on the cold floor and reached out to touch him. Ike's tail wagged and before long, he flopped over for belly rubs. I think he was emailed to m...

Here is my red bandana. Mom says it's special because it identifies me as a Therapy Dog. I passed my Therapy Dog Test, submitted all my paperwork, and now I'm ready to work. Anyone need a hug?   Blogpaws Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop!

How do you become a therapy dog? Well, just ask Ike. Because he's proud to announce..... We did it! Last Saturday was Ike's big test. Oh, and one point to make is you are testing as a team. It's not only the dog's behavior that is being tested, but both dog and handler must be of good character.  It's good to remember that we are both representing Therapy Dog International when we work. So, for the test, Ike had to demonstrate he could do everything he learned in class. Here are some of the things he had to do to pass the test: 1. Demonstrate he was calm and even around people, other dogs, a wheelchair and a walker, sudden noises, and a child playing with a ball. 2. Demonstrate he was calm when being touched, patted, groomed, his feet touched, etc. 3. Demonstrate he was calm when left alone with a stranger, and when meeting a strange dog. 4. Demonstrate he was obedient. This included sit, stay, down, down-stay, recall. Here's Ike on his  down-stay during a pract...

Hi. Ike here. If you read my post last week, you know that I'm going to school. Mom says that I'm going to be a therapy dog. I am so excited, because I know Mom and Dad were both helped by therapy dogs, and I want to help others too. Last week there were only three dogs--me, a Bernese Mt. Dog, and a pit bull. This week school was much more crowded--4 golden retrievers, 3 labradoodles, 1 Bernese Mt. Dog, 1 pit bull, and a partridge in a pear tree. Just kidding about the partridge. Here's me and my pal Moses. And a new friend, Dixie. She came from Tennessee. Things got a little crowded with the whole gang. But everyone is so focused on trying to learn, we all got along together fine. Her we are practicing our sit-stays. Hi Dad! (He's taking the pictures!) Moses is learning his recall. At first he got so excited, he bounded up to his handler, bouncing like a (HUGE!) bunny! The trainer helped him learn to calm down a bit. I'm supposed to SIT in front of Mom when I do my...

Ike wanted to step in today to tell you all about his new venture, therapy dog classes. So, here he is! Ike: Last week a funny thing happened. Mom and Dad brought me to a new place--a big building with lots of doggy smells. That's okay, I like new places. Especially if I'm going to get treats when I'm there. And I'm pretty sure I was going to get treats, because I could smell them in Mom's pocket. Mom said I was going to school. Even though I'm 9, I guess I'm not too old to learn new tricks. The teacher's name is Sylvia. She looks nice. Several other dogs came into the building.  One was a Bernese Mountain Dog named Moses. He was huge, even though his mom said he was only a year old. And there was a pit bull named Lola. I barked at her and she barked at me and Moses. Moses didn't bark at anyone. I guess we're all just trying to get to know each other. Right now, the teacher said, we're here to learn and we'll have time to meet and greet l...