I am blessed with owning and credited with breeding some of the most wonderful dogs on this earth. My Whippets are such sweet creatures and they are turning into great therapy dogs!
Being a therapy dog is challenging as the dog has to possess some innate empathy for people, can’t be afraid of varying situations and needs to have some obedience training for those "just in case" moments. My first Whippet therapy dog was Windy (Houdslow Windsong O’Draban) who was greeted by those she came to visit with unadulterated joy on their faces. And that joy was totally reciprocated by her. She was a snuggler who was snuck into bed with more than one bed-ridden child or senior to give that special comfort that you can only find when there’s a warm heart beating next to yours.
The dogs are/were registered through the Delta Society and the Delta machinery is efficient and thorough in producing reliable therapy companions for the many different therapy venues available. Not every dog is suited to all the venues, so evaluation of the dogs is essential to success of the program. Some dogs are great with the elderly but not so good with children and I’ve always thought it took a particularly strong dog to work with prisoners or the mentally ill. Now there is such huge success with reading programs and working with autistic children that our therapy dogs are in huge demand.
Is there a Therapy Dog chapter in your community? Would you like to be a part of one if there is? You don’t have to own a Whippet as any breed of dog (the societies also accept birds, cats, rabbits and ferrets as therapy animals!) is accepted by TDI and the Delta Society although each animal must pass the exam to see if it has the proper temperament.
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