Alfie the Therapy Dog Intern

Here's Alfie, our latest therapy dog student. Our newest Our Pack member (soon to be up for adoption) came from the Oakland case a couple of months back. Well, his life is turning around. Last week we brought him to an oncology center so he could apply for a job as a therapy do...g and visit patients and put smiles on their faces. That he did! His foster person Gloria is doing a fantastic job of training him on obedience, teaching him to be polite while on leash and socializing him with appropriate dog friends and lots of people. Thank you Gloria! It's paying off because he didn't flinch once at beeping medical equipment, nurses walking with IV stands, people walking unsteadily or petting with shakey hands. Alfie was very calm, friendly and seemed to fit right into his surroundings. Therapy work is often a reward in and of itself for our dogs because they love to be touched and goo-goo'd over. Patients appreciate it so much and are often thankful to have a dog to visit with. Hopefully this way we're not only helping dogs but we are also helping people at the same time.



Also see Alfie the Therapy Dog Part 2 Schmoozing the Nurse!