We're Done!

After a nice, almost-two-week vacation in Hawaii, we got back to the process of getting Sam Houston certified. He had two more evaluations to do and we scheduled them both this week. Saturday, we took Sam down to Athens, AL to be evaluated at

the local pet store. This evaluation was to see how he reacted to other people and other animals. As expected, he was great.

We scheduled the final evaluation for Thursday afternoon. This was at a rehabilitation facility in Athens, AL, and is the meat of what Sam will be doing as a therapy dog.

The place was full of new sights, sounds, and smells for Sam and he was a little apprehensive at first. He seemed to be somewhat uneasy about wheelchairs, having never experienced one before. But with a little coaxing, he was soon getting close enough for people to pet him. And pet him they did. Sam was a hit. Everyone, both staff and patients, commented on how big he is, how gentle he is, and what a beautiful dog he is. Sam sniffed and offered his head for pets for many of the patients in there. The first patient was someone who seemed to have suffered some serious head trauma. It was difficult for her to speak, and took quite an effort for her to even move her hand, but she was determined to pet him. I could see the concentration in her face as she was struggling to get her arm and hand to respond to what she wanted it to do, but she finally was able to place her hand on Sam's head, and the happiness on her face as she did this made me know we made the right decision in Sam's new role.

We now need to wait for the certification agency, American Therapy Dogs, to send us Sam's certification tag and paperwork before we can start taking him into hospitals, nursing homes, rehabilitation facilities, and even libraries. There are programs for therapy dogs to help children get used to reading.