Dog Show Withdrawal

Vickie Haywood © TheDogPress November 2006 - Sometimes we find ourselves addicted to dog shows, it is easy to understand and easy to become addicted.  Breeding a litter, raising a few pups, hitting the shows and getting some real nice wins on said pups, or watching a dog you bred step up and take a piece of the group, or a real nice Best of Breed win, or a young dog taking multi group placements... it is soooo very easy to become addicted. It is so satisfying.  We play GOD, and collect the ribbons if we are lucky at it.

But let me tell you some things that are more satisfying than dog show wins.  Taking a dog to a classroom of 3, 4, and 5 year old developmentally delayed and autistic babies, and watching these babies respond in a way they never have before is so much more satisfying.

My old Champion Standard was one of those special dogs that was a wonder with babies. I got him at 13 months of age and he had never been exposed to children.  Two weeks after arriving, I took him to a class of kindergarteners,  along with my Ch. Group winning multi group placing home bred mini, who was a therapy dog. I had a second person with me just to handle the standard, with instructions to remove him to the van if there was even a hint that he was uncomfortable.  Fifteen minutes later, while working with about 35 little ones, I looked up to see this young dog laid out on his side, with 6 kids using him as a pillow. That very day began his adventure into working with kids.

Fast forward 6 years.  My friend Denise was a Special Ed. teacher in Cumberland County and we were invited to visit her new class of LD babies.  By this time the standard had developed a long list of behaviors that he performed on command. He did all the regular obedience stuff, sit, stand, stay, down, along with speak - whisper - paw - shake - hide - say your prayers - bow - and sit up.

We used him, and the fact that he would gently take an animal cracker from the hand of a baby and leave only slobber behind, to get these autistic babies to speak. He would only perform the commands if said distinctly, but he would do them for anyone. The kids would learn and work hard on the words just for the thrill of the dog performing for them. In the case of a child working hard on a command, I could give hand signals for the dog and the child would get the reward to give the dog anyway.

I cannot tell you how many times I left that classroom bawling my eyes out over the wonderful progress some of these little people made each time I visited with the dogs.   The reward for me was knowing I had brought  a canine into the life of someone who got love and attention and a method of  learning to enrich that Child's life into the future.

Another Scenario:

My lost love Logan, another standard poodle, who was a senior therapy dog, one of the very best dogs with senior citizens, I have ever had.  When visiting a nursing home, we always checked in and the nurses would clue us in to any needs they knew of, tell us which patients were not speaking, or had an injury or stroke or were down in the dumps and needed a little special attention.

On this particular visit, Logan made a beeline, as he was famous for doing, to the person in the room who needed him the most. In this case, it was a very small little old lady just staring into space. He sat right in front of her looking into her eyes. I bent over and asked if she would like to pet the dog.

She nodded.

My regular routine for this was to place him on the left side of a wheel chair, so that only one paw would go onto the lap of the person who wanted to pet the dog. He ordinarily would gently place his right paw on the persons lap robe. they could then pet the dogs long furry soft leg, and at that point he would generally lick an old hand.  On this day however, my well trained, old hand at nursing homes looked at me like I had lost my mind. He refused the command, did a neat flip to the other side of the chair and looked at me for permission to place his paw.  I was in utter shock, put him back into the accepted spot where he took it upon himself to do the very same thing, flipped to the other side and looked for permission to place his paw.

Well it was just before removing him from the visit, to go out back and "have a stern word with him", when the nurse came over and whispered in my ear. "I forgot to tell you Mrs. B. had a stroke since you were here last and she cannot use her left side." she said.  One of my long ago teachers words flashed into my brain at that moment, "Learn to trust your dog!" 

He was talking to me plain and simple and I was not listening but I learned a valuable lesson that day.  Learn to trust your dog.  I did and I have learned to listen to them ever since. 

So when you have come to the place that dog shows no longer satisfy  you, go to a few classes, do a little training, and sign up for something to do with your dog that will make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. There is  reading with children, visiting special education classes, cancer patients, hospice, nursing homes, and retirement homes. 

There are unlimited places where you need only have a sweet, clean dog on a leash, a small amount of training, a CGC, a therapy dog certificate, and a rabies vaccination.

There are very few places you will be denied.  Some liability insurance is helpful, but if you belong to a dog club and your dog club includes therapy visits in their policy, you are covered.  Otherwise check with you insurance agent or purchase your own coverage through a therapy group.

Give a little back, and let the dogs do what they dog best, be companions.  Just the way I see it from the other side of the fence.