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!

Mom Read This to Me...You Should Read it to Someone Else!

http://www.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/10/22/dogs.irpt/index.html?iref=mpstoryview

It's about time therapy dogs made the news! Mom said she'd like to get us involved in a reading program like this one, which is ok by me, because I am so good at laying around and getting petted, and hearing a good story would be icing on the cake. We are trying to plan our second observation with Therapy Dogs, Inc. this weekend, so cross your fingers that I do really well like I did last time. Mom says after our third observation we will be something she called "bona fide," and I don't know what that means, but it sounds like something about a bone, and I didn't get no treat when she said that. Hmph. Mom says if I am certified by Thanksgiving then maybe we can do some therapy work on Thanksgiving day, and I think it would be pretty sweet to get in a day of therapy before I get to eat all those turkey pieces that the little loud people drop under the table at dinner. Anyway, I am really excited and hope we get to do another test this weekend so I can show Mom what a good therapy dog I am. I think maybe she already knows but I like to remind her, anyway.

Sloppy Kisses,
Lincoln

About ME!

A lot of people ask my mom why she has me in therapy, since I'm a dog and all. My mom usually tells them that I am the one giving the therapy, although she has to go with me because I can't drive. Anyway, a long time ago (it was like 2 years ago for you people reading this, 14 years ago for any dogs reading this) my mom thought that because I'm so well behaved and mellow (is that like a marshmallow? I don't know, but either way, it sounds like a good thing to be) that we should volunteer together and do pet-assisted therapy. So we went to the Animal Welfare League of Arlington and joined their volunteer team. Me and mom signed up for a place called the Argus House, which mom said is a group home for teenage boys, and once a month we get to go there and I show them how many awesome tricks I know, and they give me treats. I LOVE treats. I can shake hands, and lay down and give kisses, and I can even sit there and stare at you and drool. Mom likes that one. Some of the boys try to balance treats on my nose or get me to roll over. Mom laughs and says I'm not too quick on the uptake, but I don't know what that means. Oh! And we also visit another place, that I really like. It's called Project Success and we haven't gone that many times, but my friends there are SO NICE and they all want to pet me or walk me around the yard on my leash. Mom said they have something called Autism, which I think means that you are extra special because they are the nicest people ever. Mom thought I should be writing all of this down, so we decided to make a blog so we can share the fun we have with pet therapy with other people. I said that is a good idea, so here I am! More to come later!

XOXO

Lincoln
ps- that picture is of me and one of my friends at the Argus House. Mom says she likes how big I smile when we go visit there!

Certification, Here I Come!

This weekend, me and mom went to our first test to see if I can be a member of Therapy Dogs, Inc. Mom seemed kinda nervous, but I don't know why she was nervous, since I'm the one who had to take the test! I had to do things like sit, and show that I wasn't aggressive to other dogs, or that I could walk up to a wheelchair or be distracted without barking or being scared. I did all those things, AND I kissed the lady who was giving me the test, so I passed with flying colors! Mom was really proud and she even let me have an extra treat afterwards. After my test we did what they called an observation - I don't know what that means, but I got to get petted by a bunch of really nice kids, which was super nice, cause they even rubbed my belly and I LOVE that. Mom said that once I am certified (I even get a fancy tag to wear on my collar!) we can start to make even more visits, which I'm excited about. The other dogs I met at the test were all therapy dogs, except for one other dog that was taking the test, too. She was really cute, but Mom said I was not there to flirt. Hmph. Our next two observations are at a nursing home, which I've never been to, but Mom said I would do fine because I'm very calm and I'm tall enough for people to pet me if they are in a wheelchair or in a bed. I got a special thing to wear when I'm visiting that says I'm a therapy dog in training, so I feel really official when I wear that. I can't wait until my next visit!!

LUV
Lincoln