I played baseball as kids, our teams used to march in the Memorial Day parade and my mom brought our Kuvasz pulling a cart with the team names on posterboard on the sides. Later my dog 4H club participated in some parades, where my Corgi pulled her little chariot (this is also a great way to sell raffle tickets—no one can say no to a Corgi pulling a cart!) I have also been in a St. Patrick’s Day parade with one of my Tervs supporting the local Humane Society—the downside to that was that people were disappointed when they found out she wasn’t avail- able for adoption, but I spun it by tell- ing them how any of the shelter dogs walking along with us could be trained to do the same tricks and skills. Fundraising walkathons are anoth- er opportunity to bring a dog or two, especially if the organization is related to dogs. Rescue and shelter walkathons are fairly common and most people are grateful for the support and donations. If you do encounter someone who is nasty about your intentionally bred dog being present, point out that breed clubs all have rescue programs to help take care of their own and provide funding and samples for health studies that benefit all dogs. If the person con- tinues to be rude, sweetly ask if they would prefer you make your donation elsewhere. I also know several people who have done Relay for Life with their canine cancer survivors or after losing a dog to cancer and we used to do our local Heart Run and Walk regularly. Parades and walkathons do require dogs that can stay calm in the pres- ence of crowds and potentially loud noises, but your dog does not have to be super outgoing. If your dog is more aloof, just politely tell people that he or she is working and needs to focus and offer to answer any questions they have about dogs or dog training. It is good for the public to be reminded that dogs have varying levels of extro- version, just like people. SCHOOL DEMOS Education about proper etiquette around dogs is sorely lacking. I was horrified at college by the number of times a group of girls would swarm around me and my Terv, squealing and shrieking as they excitedly reached to pet her—without asking. Luckily she is
a very confident bitch and enjoyed the attention after she got over the initial shock of the onslaught, but that is an unfair situation to put any dog in. The average person also has no understand- ing of dog body language and behav- ior and so misses signals that a dog is uncomfortable. Schools are always looking for after school programs, so try volunteering to do a talk on dog behavior. You can do it by yourself or with your local ken- nel club. There are plenty of posters and other materials available online and groups like the AKC and ASPCA will usually send free stuff that you can then give out to the kids. Along with photos and visual aids, bring a friendly dog for the kids to pet at the end. You can even quiz them on what signs your dog is giving that he or she wants to be petted. Sports demos are also very popu- lar, from tricks and obedience to agility and musical freestyle. Even basic skills are enough for a school demo—the kids don’t know what a polished performance looks like and will be impressed by anything you do. And bloopers are always popular! No matter what your dog does or doesn’t do, the kids, teachers and parents will be seeing a happy dog working with his person. THERAPY DOG WORK There are a variety of therapy dog organizations that certify therapy dogs and provide insurance coverage for therapy dog visits. This requires more formal training and dedication, because each dog will need to pass the test for your chosen organization and you will need to either set up visits yourself or go through an established group in your area. Different organizations have differ- ent requirements. I have had a couple dogs certified through Therapy Dogs International, which requires your dog to pass the certification once and then submit annual paperwork on where you have visited with up-to- date vaccination records. The Alliance of Therapy Dogs (previously Therapy Dogs Inc.) requires dogs to pass a cer- tification test and then do three super- vised therapy visits before being fully approved. Pet Partners (previously Delta Society—still accepts animals
in a wide range of species) requires recertification every two years to make sure that the animals are still suitable for therapy work. The plus to being involved with one of these orga- nizations is that it allows you and your dog to visit hospitals, nursing homes and schools—all places where people don’t normally have access to animals and really need the stress relief. If there is a college nearby, your kennel or training club may already be doing “de-stress” days around finals week each semester. These types of vis- its don’t usually require formal therapy dog status—just bring your friendly dog and let college students pet them and talk about their dogs back home while taking a break from studying. READING PROGRAMS Many schools are starting to jump on the various read-to-a-dog programs. Children who are struggling with read- ing are more relaxed around a dog because they don’t feel pressured to get every word exactly right. This is the perfect job for calm, older dogs that are content to sit next to the child and be petted while he or she reads aloud. One of the best-known programs is Reading Education Assistance Dogs (READ ® ). This was launched by Inter- mountain Therapy Animals in Utah in 1999 and now has affiliate organiza- tions all over the US. Other therapy groups also have reading programs. Good luck at the shows, and have fun in your time off! “THE AVERAGE PERSON ALSO HAS NO UNDERSTANDING OF DOG BODY LANGUAGE AND BEHAVIOR AND SO MISSES SIGNALS THAT A DOG IS UNCOMFORTABLE.”
S how S ight M agazine , F ebruary 2017 • 71
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