last week me and mom went to visit our new friends at turning point. i was really excited because mom packed a whole bag of treats and i could not wait to show my friends all 3 tricks that i know. i got petted a LOT, and brushed, and hugged and kisses, and one boy even tried to ride me. i thought it would be fun to play horsey, but mom said it was probably not a good idea (but what does SHE know, HMPH!). one of my new friends let me wear his baseball hat, which i think i looked very cool in, so i did not mind too much later when he touched my eyeball. mom said he was just curious. some of the kids there were a little scared of me, but i know not everybody likes dogs. maybe they will warm up to me on our next visit. i hope so! i made some really nice new friends and boy did my coat look shiny from all the brushing. mom said we will have to go there more often so i will not look like such a raggamuffin, which is ok with me. i can't wait to go back next month and maybe meet even more friends and mom said hopefully we can do our dog safety demonstration...we didn't get to do it this time because they were SO EXCITED to see me. i have that effect on people, you know.

kiss kiss drool,
XOXO
Lincoln

new places, new faces!

yesterday mom took me on my first official therapy dogs, inc. visit! i was really excited cause i got to wear my vest for the first time since mom put my patches on (that's a picture of what my patch looks like on the left!)and i look really, REALLY handsome in it. we went to a place that mom said is something called transitional housing...she said that it was an apartment building for families who used to not have homes and that they lived there for a few years and did things like finish school and learn new skills to help them find jobs they liked. i still don't really get it, but i really liked our visit and i felt right at home. we met a bunch of moms who live there and mom talked about what pet therapy is, and how hard i worked to get certified, and some of the moms gave us permission to come back a few times a month and play with the kids that live there!

mom says i will be perfect for this because i am really patient and don't mind having my ears or tail pulled on a little bit and she said that since the kids that lived there couldn't have dogs that they would really love seeing me when we come visit. there was a little girl there when we met all the moms and she came right up to me and laid down on the floor next to me. i think she was kinda scared of me at first, cause i am bigger than she is, but she got closer and closer to me and mom showed her how to rub my belly and pet me on the head like i like. she also ran right up to mom and gave her a big hug, which i know mom liked. she likes hugs. she hugs me all the time! we are going to go back soon for a visit with the kids there, which will be fun, because i know that will mean lots of petting and LOTS of treats. i can't wait to make some new friends, and mom said we will even be teaching them about being safe around new dogs. so i think that pretty much makes me a teacher, too. and when i was little, i always wanted to be an astronaut or a teacher, so i am ON MY WAY!

kiss kiss drool-
lincoln

buy me some peanuts and cracker jack!

me and mom live right next to a baseball stadium, and sometimes at night i can hear the fireworks, which i am not a fan of (mom calls me a ninny but i don't think there is anything ninny-ish about hiding in the closet when it sounds like the world is about to end!!). i don't really know what baseball even is, but mom said i would like it. so, to show me, she took me to a game last month! they had a special day where people could buy tickets for their dogs and we all sat in one big doggy section, and mom watched the game and i drooled over the smell of hot dogs. she wouldn't even buy me one! hmph! it was really very loud with all those people cheering and dogs barking, but i still managed to lay down and take a nap during the game. my pet therapy friends, annie and brooklyn, were there, too, so it was fun to see them outside of the Argus House. i hope we can go back again cause i was really close to getting mom to buy me a hot dog, or at least getting a bite out of the one the lady in front of us was eating. next time!

FINALLY!

I am back, internets! Did you miss me?? I had a really fun winter, there was SO MUCH snow to play in (and turn yellow, hee hee!!), I love it! Mom made me wear my winter coat a couple of times which I think is dum, but she said I look handsome in it, and I guess I do want to look handsome.

We got approved to work with residents at the Bethany House, which mom said is where moms and kids can go to be safe when the dad is mean. I had to go meet a lot of people and mom was nervous but I don't know why, because I laid down on the floor of their office as soon as we got there and they all fell in love. Just like they always do. ;) Mom says I am gonna get a big head with all these people loving me, but I think she is just jealous because no one scratches behind HER ears. Anyway, we have to wait until it's warm enough to play outside, which I hope will be soon, because we are going to teach the kids there all about dog safety. Mom has a special book and everything! And I get to wear my TD Inc vest, which I am excited about, because unlike my silly winter coat, I KNOW I look handsome in my vest!

We also went to the Argus House when the weather was warm enough and we are going again next weekend. Brooklyn and Annie's moms got the idea that we should do an obstacle course with the boys like they do on Animal Planet, so I hope we get to do that so I can show everyone how good I am at laying around while other dogs jump over stuff and run around cones.

So, that is all for now, I'm sorry I didn't rite much lately, but I have been extra busy being cute and Mom made me get my teeth cleaned not long ago and I was still pouting about THAT.

Until next time...
XOXO
Lincoln

Another Day, Another Great Visit!

Saturday Mom and I went to visit my friends at the Argus House. It looked like it was going to rain, but luckily it didn't because I was READY to visit! A lot of my therapy friends were there, too...Molly and Lola and Lucy and Annie. Annie is really cute and I think she likes me cause she chased me around the yard before we left. The boys at the Argus House were happy to see me...Mom usually brings my brush but she forgot this time so I played with a tennis ball and did lots of hand shaking for treats. It was really muddy out from all the rain, but that didn't stop me from rolling around in the grass! I don't usually play much with toys, but my friend Brooklyn was not there and he is usually the one who keeps the boys running after him...so I did a little bit of fetching (but not too much). I think I'm much better at eating treats than I am at fetching. Mom said she agrees. My friend Annie, her Mom got them signed up for a group called People Animals Love, which is just like the group me and Mom joined, Therapy Dogs, Inc., so I like having a friend who is a certified therapy dog just like me! Mom said she has called a few places about us going to visit there, so hopefully we will be making new friends very soon. More visits means more treats and I am OK with that!!

XOXO,
Lincoln

I AM BONA FIDO!!!

I PASSED! I PASSED!! I had my last observation yesterday, so Mom was kind of nervous. I felt ok, though. I did get a little nervous once we got to the place we were visiting. It was called an adult day care center, and when we walked in, everyone was sitting in a big circle and I got a little shy at having so many people looking at me. Even though I know I am very handsome. Mom tells me so all the time. We went around the circle, though, from person to person and I shook hands and got lots of petting and kisses. Some people asked Mom about what kind of dog I am and how old and all kinds of boring questions, which I am glad I don't have to answer, cause then I can focus on giving kisses. Mom is sort of like my agent, she handles all of my PR. One lady said I had the prettiest coat she had ever seen and she thanked Mom over and over for bringing me because she said it gave them all something to talk about. I can tell that Mom loves going to therapy just as much as I do because she smiles A LOT and really likes to talk to the people we visit. One time on the way home from Project Success, she cried the whole ride home and told me how special I was because I was so good and made so many people smile. And I thought crying was a sad thing, but Mom said they were happy tears. Anyway, my evaluator, Miss Shirley, said I did a great job and even told Mom that I would be an asset to the program. I think that means they want me to join! Mom has to send in my test papers so I can get a tag for my collar and we can become official members of Therapy Dogs, Inc. And then we can go all sorts of places! I'm so excited and I'm proud, too. Mom said she was very VERY proud of me. And don't tell Dad, but she let me have like 5 treats when we got home and that is way more than I normally get! Mom will post a picture of my fancy new tag when I get it in the mail. I'm officially offical!!!

xoxo
Lincoln

One Step Closer!

Saturday I had my second observation test for my certification with Therapy Dogs, Inc. Mom took me to the p-a-r-k (she thinks I can't spell, but I know that means PARK, I am not DUM!) so I could run around and get some of my energy out before we went because we were in the car for what felt like a hundred years! We went to a place mom called a nursing home, which I had never been to before, and I got to visit with some of the residents there who wanted to pet me. I was a little shy at first, but I had another therapy dog there, named Fergie, who was there to show me what to do. There were a lot of new smells for me to investigate, and mom kept telling me to pay attention, because sometimes I forget I'm supposed to be working because I just get so excited with so much going on around me! We visted with one man, who gave me lots of kisses, and when we left his room, my evaluator, Miss Sheri, said that she hadn't heard him talk that much in a very long time. That made mom really proud! Some of the people sat in chairs that moved, but I wasn't scared, and I could go right up to them and let them pet me. A few times I was so comfortable visiting a resident, I would lay down at the foot of their bed like I was there to stay! We will go back to another nursing home one more time before I get my certification, and me and mom are both really excited about that, becuase it will mean that we can call all types of places, like nursing homes, hospitals, libraries, community centers, or even schools, and see if we can come for a visit! Today mom promised to take me to the p-a-r-k again because I did such a good job yesterday, so I cannot wait for that! One more test and I'll be BONA FIDE!

XOXO
Lincoln

ps- Mom wanted to post a picture of me in the backseat of the car on the way to therapy. She says it always makes her smile to see my big ol head in the rearview mirror!