She and I will be visiting people in nursing homes, libraries, hospitals and any place else therapy dogs bring smiles to peoples faces. Therapy dogs make places like a stay at a hospital a lot easier for children and adults. It lowers people blood pressure by a pet just being there. For libraries therapy dogs listen to children read out loud. It helps them gain confidence in their reading ability and makes it easier for them to read aloud to a class. For people in nursing homes it helps them by making their time there a little easier. For some people it has made them speak to where they haven't spoken to anyone before.
For people that are living in institutions it gives them something to look forward to. Therapy dogs and their owners/handlers do not get paid monetarily for the work they do but get paid a lot more than any money can pay by helping people live brighter and happier lives. Having Lola certified as a therapy dog will allow us to be in a lot more places together instead of just sitting home and going to the dog park. On a cold winter day we can be together making people happier and do not have to be outside in the cold weather to do it. If I were to have to stay in the hospital I could have Lola brought to me to visit.
One thing I would like to try with Lola is agility. I'm guessing that it would take a bit of money to do that so maybe I will look into it after I am gainfully employed. Hopefully soon but no prospects yet.
