This morning, Linda and I went over to the Farmers Market that is set up in a small "village" in our community of Hunters Creek. We brought Rowdy with us to let him meet some people and spread a little Rottie PR. He got lots of hugs from lots of kids and really had a blast.

At the DivaDogBakery, Rowdy was allowed to sample some of the wonderful, all-natural doggie treats and he gave them two thumbs up. Since he doesn't have thumbs, one of the owners gave the symbol for him. Here's Rowdy, in his Therapy Dog Vest, giving his Celebrity Endorsement to the bakery.



On the way home, we saw a gentleman in a fabulous car, enjoying a perfect day with his best friend. I managed to grab a quick shot as we were driving alongside. Check out the passenger seat.



Beautiful day and lots of fun for everyone.

Jim

Too cute and they must have been honored! I do have a question Jim. Would it not have been appropriate for Rowdy to have worn his Tutu if he is going to endorse products for the DivaDogBakery?

Actually, Bob, we decided the vest was appropriate for Rowdy but we've reserved the tutu for Sundance when he joins us next week.

Folks were very cute commenting on how big Rowdy is. Rowdy's 115 lbs so he's not small but compared to Sundance at 140, he seems so much smaller to us. Wait until they meet the Diva !

Jim

Hey Jim,

Thanks for sharing. You sure are proud of your guy. Let me ask you, how did you have your dog therapy trained?

James

PS That 2nd shot is pretty cool. Too bad he was heading off ahead of the camera. That could have been an absolute seller of a shot.

James,
the training is basically the same as for CGC but with some adjustments for wheelchairs, crutches, canes, and hands that may not be as soft and gentle as they once were. The dogs need to be totally responsive to all basic obedience commands both verbal and hand-signal.

The two major certifying agencies are Therapy Dogs International and The Delta Society. Dogs certified through these two agencies need to pass a field test but the handler needs to pass written tests as well. The team is certified together. Rowdy is certified by both TDI and Delta since different facilities look for one or the other. He may be the only dual-certified dog (of any breed) in the Southeast. Certification brings with it $5 million indemnification coverage from each organization should there ever be an incident while the dog is working.

Clearly, with that amount of risk riding on the dog that gets certified, these organizations aren't simply going to let any dog go into schools, hospitals or convalescent homes without thorough testing and complete confidence in the Team's ability.

Keep in mind that we encounter other dogs often when we're working so Rowdy needs to be bullet-proof with people of every age, race, color, ethnicity, language but also with dogs and cats that he might meet while at a facility.

Therapy work is some of the most rewarding time I've ever spent with any of my guys. If you've thought about it, then find a tester and get your dog certified and then spend some quality time bringing joy to people who may not experience enough of it.

Jim

Very cool!! Love the endorsement and the shot with the neat car and pom!