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Blog Entry 9 of 17 A Therapy Dog's Journal

I was curious about pet therapy when I first learned about it in the mid-90s. Pets can have an important role in the well-being of children, the elderly and hospitalized patients. In 2002, I was ready to look for the dog which would be compatible with me as a therapy dog. I wanted a smooth-haired dog; clean and easy to groom. I wanted it to be small enough to carry in my arms, hold on my lap, and travel in a little crate in the car. It must also be trainable, healthy and have a people-pleasing, forgiving temperament. I liked many of the characteristics of dachshunds. I owned one before, but she passed away in 1997, at age sixteen. This dog won an AKC obedience title. I narrowed my search for another dachshund. There were puppies available, but I didn’t want one from a pet store or puppy mill. In 2004, I heard about a litter in Utah. After several long distance calls and emails, I was excited about the runt. I drove to meet the breeder at a dog show in Greeley. Jewel and I were a good match. We visited for a while then I bought the puppy and brought her home. Jewel is a ten pound, smooth-coated, black and tan daughter of AKC champions. Jewel was sold to me as a pet, and has never been a show dog. But she’s a very healthy, happy and pretty little girl. Some day I might write her story as a book for young children, but am starting with this blog. It tells the adventures of Jewel: Therapy Dog.

Blog Url: http://denver.yourhub.com/~JewelWeekly

Snow tonight! Cover your dachshunds

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Contributed by: Gail Kirkegaard on 3/1/2008

Today's forecast is sunny with a high of 74. Several inches of snow is expected overnight, and only 34 degrees tomorrow. I'm a Colorado native. I'm familiar with these weather extremes. News anchors will remind you to take care of your plants and pets.

I've never kept a dog outside. Mine have always been housedogs. I can't imagine making a dog live outside, even a husky. Dogs have so much to offer to their human companions, I feel they should be part of the family. Some breeds absolutely need to be inside where it's warm. If they had a say, dachshunds would insist that it be in the contract when you adopt them.

Jewel's contract went a bit further. She cleverly hid a clause about rights to the master bed. She is only a few inches tall, and can't get on the bed without help. Helping her up is merely an inconvenience, but dachshunds can seriously hurt their backs jumping off a bed. She used to do it frequently, and it worried me. I was relieved when Bob built her some carpeted steps to get on and off by herself.

Phoebe, our German shepherd mix, has few privileges compared to Jewel. We saved her from impending doom at the Dumb Friends League, and enthusiastically admitted her into our family as a pup. Her gnarly-tooth smiles reveal her eternal gratitude and devotion to us. That's a herding breed thing. I'm not sure hounds understand. Unlike Jewel, Phoebe isn't allowed on the beds or sofas. She's an eleven year old carpet dweller, and sleeps beside us on a cushiony matt made for a senior dog's aging bones.

Both dogs have to obey the house rules. They stay away from the table while we eat. I consider it bad manners when dogs hang around at dinnertime. Another rule is the backyard potty, for which Jewel gets a B-. She does her best, but has had a few accidents, thank goodness no more than a couple times a year. I think it's because we miss her urgent bark at the door, and she can't wait very long. We could eliminate her elimination problem if we had a doggy door, but our cats need to stay inside. On the other hand, Phoebe gets an A+ for her reliability. She would hold it for hours if she had to. She'll look for us all over the house, and, like Lassie, runs back and forth between us and the door, and if need be, will wake us or one of the kids, until someone finally gets her message.

Jewel isn't happy enough with simply being allowed on the bed. She needs to burrow under the covers and nestle into the crook of my knees. I sometimes waken during the night and say, " Honey, roll over. You're snoring again." Not Bob, Jewel. I think she has a nasal problem. Bob and I often hear wheezing under the covers. What's more, for a small dog, she has an unfathomable talent for taking over a king size bed. Sometimes she stretches across it sideways between us, then throws her tiny feet out and jabs us in the ribs. Worst of all, she tactfully pokes her icy nose into our belly or armpit. The surprise ensures that we'll roll over, resulting in a still larger area for herself on the mattress.

In the attached picture, you'll see where Bob shovels the patio and an area of lawn for our dogs after a snowstorm. Bob, the cat lover, has done a lot for my dogs. He built a kind of stall for them in our garage, with a dog door from the backyard, so while we're away from home they can escape the weather and stay warm, or cool as the case might be.

If the dogs come inside with snow all over their coats, they go directly into Phoebe's crate to dry off. They're so quiet in there I have forgotten them a few times. A couple of hours later I wondered why they weren't following me around the house, and I finally remembered where I put them.

The crate is also nice to have on Halloween night, when the dogs are prone to bark every time the doorbell rings. It's much nicer with them locked away until the haunting is over.

Jewel won't let me dress her in any of the cute sweaters and outfits available for dogs these days. I adore so many of them, but she squirms and complains when we try them on at PetsMart. She hates clothes, and pulls them off as soon as possible. But her therapy dog vest is different. She accepts it, and wears it proudly. She and her peers wear their vests at Pet Partner meetings. Like Girl Scouts, they have their uniform. Some display advanced award patches on their vests. Many even have their names embroidered on their vests. I'll get that done for Jewel one of these days.

I'll always have at least one housedog. If I am too feeble to care for one thirty or forty years from now, I hope someone will bring a housedog to visit me once in a while. They are lots of fun to play with, sometimes comical, and a big comfort, and I've read how they can add years to our lives. Visiting dogs, such as therapy dogs, offer hope and friendship to those who otherwise feel lonely and forgotten.

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CONTRIBUTOR INFORMATION

Gail Kirkegaard

Lakewood , CO

Gail Kirkegaard has posted 17 blog entries and 208 comments since joining on 3/2/2006. Gail Kirkegaard 's average blog rating is 4.84.

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