Therapy Dogs Visit the Library

In addition to blogging, volunteering, pet sitting, and substitute teaching, I am also director of our local public library.  (Yes, I wear many hats.  Though I am not nearly as busy as you might think.  I still have time for entirely too much Netflix.)  It's a fairly new job, though my mom is a librarian, so it's a familiar, comfortable environment for me.  One of the most enjoyable parts of being library director is planning fun programs to bring patrons in; this week will be our fourth session of the Summer Reading program for children.

This summer's theme is "Every Hero has a Story", and so far we have focused on superheroes, community heroes like policemen and firefighters, and, my favorite, animal heroes!  For this session, I really wanted to bring in someone with a therapy animal - I knew the kids would love it.  Well, I tracked down a lovely woman named Joyce, and she did me one better - she brought three therapy Shelties named Quick, Pete, and Eve!  I was a little nervous about this program.  I made sure to emphasize staying calm and relaxed, not grabbing for the dogs, and taking turns.  There was a bit of "I want to hold the dog, me!" and one fast movement that startled one of the pups, but overall they did very well.  The Shelties were gorgeous and SO well-behaved...it turned out to be an awesome day!  

Joyce had a little presentation all planned out, with tricks and props and everything!  And I was proud of the kids, who came up with some great questions for her.  They also asked Joyce if she knew that dogs could "save people when they are drownding", which made me feel kind of proud since we had read a book earlier in the morning about a dog who did just that. :)  At the end of the session, I mentioned something about next week's program being "the last one" (our library does the program for 4 weeks at the beginning of summer), and one of the boys said, "The last one?!  NO!  Can't you make it go all summer?"  :)  Made the hard work all worth it!

This is Eve, who was by far the most petite of the trio!  She was also the most shy - Joyce explained that while she's wonderful with the elderly, kids are not Eve's favorite.  She did awesome, though...even with all these hands grabbing for her :)

Pete was all about the treats - and he used his sniffer on these tennis balls in a muffin tin...

...to find the treats hidden under a few of them!

Our board president captured this awkward photo of me - I seem to be maniacally grinning about the fact that there's 3 dogs in my library.  I loved Eve so much - she sat beside me so prettily.  (And yes, my shirt does indeed say "Crazy Dog Lady".)

Quick was an expert - only two years old and starting his clicker training, he was on top of all his tricks!  Like sniffing out which box contained a small packet of cloves lightning-fast.  Quick also learned to put both front paws up onto a chair on command, though he had never done that particular trick before that day!

The kids colored, made animal masks, and created their own dog/cat art - I was quite proud of my rainbow French Bulldog collage ;)

Such beautiful and well-trained dogs - we loved having them!

And in keeping with the Sheltie theme today...

This beautiful girl is Prissy.  She is located at Underdog Rescue Minnesota and is 4 years old.  Prissy is sweet but very timid, particularly around strangers; however, she LOVES the outdoors and does great playing with other dogs.  Though she needs a bit of time to get used to someone, she is definitely worth getting to know :)  Please share Prissy's pretty mug on social media and help her find a forever home!