On Saturday, August 13th we went to Birch Run. Why did we go all the way up to Birch Run? Well, for an AKC fun match. But it wasn’t just the AKC fun match that drew us there, it was the ability to have two of the five dogs tested by a Therapy Dogs International evaluator to see if they were suitable to become official therapy dogs and be able to visit libraries, nursing homes, etc. and share their vast supply of canine snuggle with folks.

I admit, I was incredibly nervous. I wasn’t sure how we’d do since the dogs are overzealous when they haven’t been exercised that morning and since we had to be up and at Rebecca’s house by 8am, that nice morning walk or a jog on the treadmill wasn’t going to happen since I hadn’t gone to sleep early enough that previous evening. (Bad, dog mom!)

However, I was quite wrong in my concerns and the dogs did very well. I had all the faith in the world in Luna. She is eight years old and has been extensively trained to know how to behave in a public setting. It is her job after all. She was beautiful with everything – especially the three minutes she spent with the evaluator schmoozing it up and grovelling for love.

Ryker, even at five years old, is the most rambunctious, live-life-to-its-fullest dog I have ever met that I almost expected him to fail because he got TOO happy. His defensive behavior toward other dogs was also a concern. I was pleasantly surprised that he was also very well-behaved. The only place we almost failed was the Beggin’ Strips treats in a bowl. Since that is not a normal treat in the house, he was all for wanting that. A firm “Leave it!” was all that was needed and we went through the rest of the test like it was second nature – he even play bowed at the neutral dog before that portion of the test!

I’m very proud of the dynamic duo. I have no doubt that, when Mika is mature enough, we will have a third dog for our Therapy Dog crew and a fourth whenever Lyric decides that drive can meld with an off switch. Ha! (Did I mention Lyric runs in two speeds – fast and warp twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week?!)

So, I can proudly introduce Luna and Ryker to the TDI brotherhood and we will begin our journey of being helping ‘paws’ with these guys.