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| Courtenay Verret with Boudreaux |
by Courtenay Verret (Divine Canines volunteer)
It’s Thursday morning, and Boudreaux knows that something is up. He only got to eat half of his breakfast, and then had to watch (in full, pathetic Labrador display) while the other half was placed in his treat pouch. A brisk walk around the block and a rousing game of fetch restore him to his happy-go-lucky self, but he can’t shake the feeling that something about this morning is different. He watches as his water bowl, treat bag, bandana, and baggies are placed into a backpack. Then, he sees his green vest, and suddenly he understands. His tail begins to wag excitedly. Today is “Dog Day” at St. David’s Rehab Hospital: It’s time to go to work!
Boudreaux is a certified therapy dog with Divine Canines, a nonprofit organization providing free animal assisted therapy services at elementary schools, health care facilities, residential institutions, and Ft. Hood. Unlike guide and service dogs, who are discouraged from interacting with strangers while on the job, a therapy dog’s primary responsibility is to be friendly and interact with the people they encounter. It’s a tough job, getting love, attention, and treats from friendly strangers who are thrilled to see him, but Boudreaux is more than up to the task.
Our journey from unruly Lab puppy to Divine Canine has been a long but rewarding one. It all started with a basic obedience class, taken out of desperation and in the hope of establishing some rules and boundaries in the household. We liked it so much that we took a Canine Good Citizen class (although we chose not to test), and continued on with air scenting and rally obedience.
It wasn’t until last year that I decided to finally get serious about having Boudreaux certified as a therapy dog. Although it was something I had wanted to do since he was a puppy, I had always been daunted by the amount of work I knew it would require. You see, although Boudreaux has a wonderful temperament and loves people, he has never been a natural at sitting calmly for petting or ignoring other dogs. It took a village to help me with training, but after a month of solid hard work, Boudreaux passed the Canine Good Citizen test—the first step required for becoming a therapy dog. We then signed up to be on the waiting list for Divine Canines.
At long last our names moved up on the list, and training began. Our class met once a week for five weeks, with lots of outside work in between. On our first day of class, Boudreaux and I were assigned additional homework because of his —how do you say—“boisterousness.” Our next challenge arrived when the trainer began using assistive devices, such as wheelchairs and crutches, in class. Once again, we were assigned additional homework: desensitizing Boudreaux to the equipment. The trainer was kind enough to lend us a wheelchair, a walker, a cane, and a crutch. My living room looked like an infirmary, but Boudreaux learned that he has nothing to fear from any kind of assistive device. (In fact, today he often lies down next to patients in wheelchairs voluntarily, knowing that a treat will likely follow.)
After five weeks of hard work, graduation day finally arrived. In a ceremony full of pomp and circumstance, Boudreaux received a diploma, a goodie bag, and—most importantly—the coveted green service vest. This vest is Boudreaux’s uniform, indicating to the public that he is a certified Divine Canines therapy dog, and serving as a cue to Boudreaux that it is time to work.
Divine Canines has many sites to choose from, but so far our regular (and favorite) visit occurs every Thursday morning at St. David’s Rehab Hospital. It is an incredibly positive atmosphere, where both the patients and staff are delighted to see us. On one of our first visits, a nurse gave Boudreaux and me a warm welcome, saying, “Now that you’ve arrived, everybody’s blood pressure is about to go down.”
I have been amazed at what a conduit for communication and connection dogs can be. I often find myself chatting with patients about their dogs, which then leads to conversations about their kids, their jobs, and their lives. Sometimes words aren’t even necessary for a connection to occur. During one visit that I will never forget, a physical therapist asked me whether Boudreaux could get up on the bed with her patient, who had suffered a brain injury and could not speak. As he climbed up by the patient’s side, her face lit up and she threw her arms around him. He licked her face, and she laughed. She then reached for my hand. No words were needed to understand the connection that had just happened among the three of us.
Although we’ve only been volunteering a few short months, it is hard to describe how rewarding this journey has been so far. I have immensely enjoyed getting to know the other volunteers, dogs, and of course the patients. I am also incredibly proud of how far Boudreaux and I have come. I have learned that investing time and energy into training your dog has a unique side benefit: You begin to build an even deeper relationship, resulting in an indescribable bond of trust and love.
Boudreaux and I look forward to many more years of helping others—and helping ourselves in the process.
For more information about Divine Canines, visit
www.divinecanines.org.
For more information about the AKC’s Canine Good Citizen program, visit
http://www.akc.org/events/cgc/.
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This article originally appeared in the Winter edition of the Heart of Texas Lab Rescue newsletter. Thank you for allowing us to post it to our blog.
