Bear's journey to be a therapy dog

But he started life very sickly and it took a lot to get him healthy. As soon as he was, I enrolled him in puppy training classes at a local pet store where he learned basic commands and had an opportunity to socialize with people and other puppies. He has always been very social and enjoys meeting people wherever we go and has never been reactive to other dogs. Bear is a handsome boy and people are drawn to Bear because of this, but it was a brief encounter with a young girl that made me realize there may be more to him than just a pretty face! It was after his puppy class and we always stopped at a drive thru for drinks, me a Coke and him a cup of water. On that day, a young girl was taking my payment. She barely spoke, didn’t look at me, and seemed to want to be anywhere but where she was. When she returned my change she happened to see Bear looking at her  from the passenger seat. Bear has eyes that draw a person in. When he looks at you, it’s a connection that’s indescribable. And Bear catching this girl’s attention changed her whole demeanor. Her face lit up in the biggest smile and she spontaneously began bouncing! She literally squealed “Oh, your dog is SO CUTE! What kind is it?” Thinking of the joy on her face, I said to him “Maybe you’re purpose is to be a therapy dog”. And we hadn’t even gotten to the pickup window! Thankfully Bear  didn’t object and we made a goal in that very moment!  To fulfill his purpose, we set out to continue our training journey and his socializing. Anytime I went somewhere that welcomed dogs, he came with me and I encouraged him to explore and try new things. As a result, his confidence grew. He graduated from that first puppy class and then attended E-DOT where he graduated from AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy training. We then partook in their walking classes for more socialization opportunities. After this I found Terri through ROC Dog and told her our goal. Terri actually completed Bear’s assessment and upon meeting her Bear barked and barked. Something he never did before and hasn’t done since. I thought for sure we had failed. But Terri was patient and recognized his excitement. She knows dogs and knows to wait them out. Bear did settle down and showed off his gentle disposition and his appeal. After that, we scheduled our 1:1 training sessions for his AKC CGC certification. Terri is  so flexible and easy to learn from, even down to training locations. Once  he passed his CGC, we moved on to therapy dog certification. He was 18 months old when he earned this!  I am so proud of him! I often get told what a great job I’m doing working with him. But I struggle to take this credit because I’ve done these trainings with my other dogs, but none have had the disposition, confidence or desire to learn that Bear has. He is a once in a lifetime pup! I’m so happy to be able to share him and his joy for life with others as a dog therapy team with A Work of Heart Dogs .