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Teddy's Loving Care (TLC)
The Work of a School Therapy Dog
By Karla (Wunderlin) Unke AuthorHouse
Copyright © 2015 Karla (Wunderlin) Unke
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-5049-2722-2
CHAPTER 1
Meet Teddy. Teddy is a pure bred Golden Retriever.
Teddy is a very special dog with a very special job. He is called an assistance dog, or service dog. Service dogs help people. Some service dogs help blind or deaf people, some help people in wheelchairs or those who have Diabetes. Still others help police officers fight crime, while others help rescue people.
Teddy is a Certified Professional Therapy Dog. These types of assistance dogs often visit hospitals, nursing homes, or libraries, for example. Other therapy dogs, like Teddy, work at schools to help children.
Teddy's job is at Whittier Elementary School in Clinton, Iowa. This means he goes to school every day. His job is to give joy and unconditional love. He LOVES his job and he is very good at it!
A therapy dog like Teddy has to have very special training to do his job well. Teddy was trained in Kansas at CARES, Inc. which stands for Canine Assistance, Rehabilitation, and Education Services. He traveled a long way to get there from Iowa where he lives. He had six weeks of very intense training and even has a diploma from his graduation!
Every therapy dog has a handler. The handler is the person who works with him. She has to know his commands and when to use them to help the service dog be the best he can be. Teddy's handler is the school counselor, Karla. She had to go to Kansas for a week too, to learn to be Teddy's handler. Teddy and Karla have been together at work and at home ever since!
A therapy dog also lives with his handler. This is because dogs are "pack animals," and feel safe and comfortable in the home of the handler. The handler becomes the "leader" of the therapy dog's pack. Teddy lives with Karla and her family.
A therapy dog like Teddy has to have just the right personality. He has to be calm and love being around people, especially children.
A therapy dog like Teddy has to have good manners and a lot of self-control. While he's working, he cannot bark, lick or jump on people. He has to get along well with other animals, especially other dogs. He can't sniff things or even eat "people food," like most dogs like to do. These manners make it so he can help as many people as possible.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from Teddy's Loving Care (TLC) by Karla (Wunderlin) Unke. Copyright © 2015 Karla (Wunderlin) Unke. Excerpted by permission of AuthorHouse.
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