Therapy Dog

Yep that's me!  Don't you remember?  I became a certified therapy dog at the age of one!  And guess what?  The Big Lady that yells but loves me anyway has never taken me anywhere to help people.

Hello!  This is your old pal Lisi!  It's been awhile since I've had any say around here, so I think it is time to have another chat.

There are a lot of needs here at this place I live at.  In fact, I would say my proverbial supper dish is full here.  That is why I cannot go visit nursing homes, hospitals, or schools.

There are some smaller people that are getting to be bigger people that spend time with me out in the yard throwing balls to me.  I think the Big Lady that yells but loves me anyway tells them to get outside once in awhile and uses me as an excuse.  They drag me along when they get the urge to jog.  And then there's the Big Guy that doesn't yell.  He leaves nearly every day in a little car and is gone a very long time each day.  When he comes home, he eats at the round table with the family.  I try to get myself positioned on a nearby rug and snort and purr to make sure they remember I am close by and my whole purpose of existing here is to get a morsel from the Chairman's table.  Or something like that.  After the meal, he usually puts on clothes that smell like grass and woods and then I get excited because I know he's going to say, "Lisi?  Walk?" and then we are off for some silent therapy in the woods.

Then there's the Big Lady that yells but loves me anyway.  She's my main concern and my biggest challenge as a therapy dog.  She writes sweet and affectionate and funny things here on the blog.  But do you want to know a secret?  She can be moody.  She can yell (let me tell you!).  She can cry (thankfully, not very often).  And she can become very, very silent (which usually means something isn't right).

For example last night she was basically doing all of the things I just mentioned.  She had bones to pick (isn't that clever of me?) and it just got worse and worse.  She came out to the screen porch and I could tell she was near tears.  I got up close and put my head on her lap.  I kept nudging her with my head to pet me.  I just know that'll make her feel better.  Then after she seemed tired of that I started licking her knees.  I know that sounds gross to you and it probably was gross to the Big Lady, but she started to laugh.  So I kept licking.  Then she finally said, 'enough Lisi!' but I could just tell she wasn't quite feeling her normal peppy self, so I got real close to the sofa and sat down and leaned all my heavy weight on her legs.  I thought my mere presence would make her feel better.  I listened along to the Big Lady talking to the Big Guy.  I have no clue what they were really saying because my vocabulary is limited.  But I could tell the Big Lady was starting to feel lots better by talking to the Big Guy.

Some say that dogs are dumb.  And maybe in some ways, we are.  I do have enough sense to know a red tomato from a green tomato and just recently got busted from eating them in the garden.  I have enough sense to know when I need exercise or the people that live here need exercise.  And most importantly, I have a sense to know when someone is sad or mad or just having a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.

I think I've earned my doggy kibble this week.  And I might just highlight some of the work I've done this week in pictures.

sitting so pretty

lap therapy for Big Lady

C'mon!  Let's get going!

I'll show you the way!

Deeper in the woods... feeling better yet?

I love when she wants to get close

Whew!  It's been ruff around here!

So there you have it!  My life as a therapy dog for the nuts around this place.  Maybe the next time you see the Big Guy or the Big Lady that yells but loves me anyway that I deserve a couple juicy new bones.  Thank you.