Another chapter of Red’s remarkable life unfolded in Manchester,Vt. this morning when Red concluded his third nursing home evaluation successfully. Kristin Commeau, an evaluator for Therapy Dogs Of Vermont, a respected and experienced non-profit therapy dog organization, passed Red and he will get a blue bandanna and a tag and a certification certificate. Kristin was impressive, she watched Red for three hours, gave me some valuable tips and observations about how to work with him – one of them was for me to slow down and give him time to adjust to this new work, slow down is usually the advice I get from everybody, including Maria.

I was much impressed with this therapy training group. The  training was thorough and professional and I chose this group to work with because of that. Red had to undergo hours of testing – people charged at him (so did dogs) grabbed him, tried to rattle and surprise him and Kristin came with us for every minute of our three hours of evaluations. I did hospice work with my border collie Izzy for four years in New York State, but there were many things Kristin pointed out to me that will be valuable in our new therapy work, which will include working with veterans and some hospice work. There are lots of people with therapy dogs and I have often been surprised at their lack of training, I am very grateful for the thoroughness and conscientiousness of this group, all volunteers. It means something to graduate from there.

We went into the memory care – dementia – unit of the nursing home where we were training, I am much drawn to this work. As with Izzy, I am encouraging Red to focus on people, and he is picking up on that. One woman began shouting and crying and Red went up to her and his presence calmed her – this is when therapy work is the most meaningful for me, when you see a powerful connection that is emotional and penetrates both to the dog and the patient.

I feel I am also fulfilling a wish of Dr. Karen Thompson that Red use his gifts with people in this way, she wanted a full life for him, not just a life as a working dog, and now Red has both and it is for me as well as for her that I do this work, it is healing, affirming and among the most meaningful things to do with a dog. People are so happy to see them, their faces and spirits just light.

This was hard and good work, not simple or easy. Kristin cut us no slack, she performed her due diligence with a sense of advocacy for the dog as well as the patients, I learned a lot from her, Red and I will put it to good use. This is an exciting moment for me, I am committed to giving a dog like Red every opportunity to use his great heart and skills to the fullest of his potential, to give him the life dogs were meant to live. Red is a spirit dog, he touches the hearts of people. One woman sat on a bench and cried when she saw him, and she began speaking commands to him in Gaelic – he responded to them. She taught me the Gaelic work for Red, and I didn’t expect to hear this from an elderly woman in a wheelchair in Vermont. Amazing moments.

I congratulate this amazing dog as he begins the next chapter of his journey, I thank Therapy Dogs of Vermont for giving me so much confidence in approaching it. Good for you, Red Dog, you have the greatest heart. Many stories to come.