In my most recent blog post, I introduced you to my “troublemaker” mother and reflected upon the influence that she has had on me and so many other women. Today I want to introduce you to the newest member of my family, our rescued puppy Peanut. In fact, at four months old, he definitely is carrying on the family trend of being a troublemaker.
Introducing Peanut
Peanut was found in Tennessee as a stray dog living on the streets with his littermates. He was filthy and covered in fleas and had not experienced much in the way of comfort or love in his short life. Fortunately, he was rescued and transported to Safe Haven Dog Rescue. We met him in July, and we are completely in love with him.
We believe that Peanut is a Labrador/Shepherd mix, and we might do a DNA test simply out of curiosity. There was some speculation that he might part Carolina Dog, which is a domesticated dog but is also sometimes found living wild in the Southeastern United States. It does not matter what mix he is; he is our goofy, clumsy, sweet, curious boy.
Right now we are working on basic obedience and manners with Peanut, as well as making sure that he is socialized and grows up loving and trusting people. However, I also am planning on taking him through additional training so that he can work as a therapy dog and comfort clients in the Forward Emotion office. 
What is a Therapy Dog?
There is often a lot of confusion surrounding the many different types of service dogs. Because I work with clients who may qualify for service dogs or emotional support animals, I thought it would be helpful to explain a little bit about the different types of dogs who assist people.
Service dogs are specifically trained to perform certain tasks for people with disabilities. Typically, service dogs are selected as puppies based on specific traits for the job that they will be doing. Some organizations even have their own breeding programs to increase the likelihood that they have access to puppies with specific traits.
Service dogs go through extensive socialization, obedience training, and very specialized preparation and testing before being matched with a human. Service dogs include Guide Dogs (also known as Seeing Eye Dogs), Hearing Dogs, Psychiatric Dogs, Seizure Alert Dogs, and Autism Dogs. Service dogs also assist people in wheelchairs by performing tasks like opening doors, fetching items, and carrying objects to their humans.
Service dogs can cost thousands of dollars to train. There is a strict one-to-one relationship between service dogs and their humans. The public is not permitted to interact with a service dog who is on-duty. In many cases, family members are discouraged from developing a bond with the service dog, even when they live in the same household so that the dog is bonded solely to the human it serves. 
Emotional Support Animals provide emotional well-being to one human but do not perform the tasks that a service dog can do. These dogs offer comfort and support to their owners simply by being dogs. Emotional support animals must be prescribed by a licensed mental health professional. I recently saw a quote that read, “All dogs are emotional support animals. Most of them are just freelancing.” It is important that emotional support dogs be well socialized and trained in manners and obedience so that they can safely accompany their humans in public. Although emotional support dogs are not legally permitted to accompany their humans to restaurants and malls like a service dog, they can fly in the cabin of airplanes.
Therapy dogs are trained to provide support to many people and the general public. Just like emotional support dogs, they offer comfort simply by being dogs. Their training is to ensure that they are well socialized and used to being in many different situations and around large groups of people. The best therapy dogs are ones who are calm, confident, and happy hanging out and getting petted by anyone who needs to experience their calming presence. Therapy dogs are often seen in nursing homes, hospitals, and after tragedies occur. Lately, therapy dogs have offered comfort in courtrooms, classrooms, and even corporate offices. When these dogs are off duty, they spend time as beloved pets and family dogs. Raising and handling a therapy dog is a volunteer experience for both dogs and their humans. 
Peanut’s Future as a Therapy Dog
In order for Peanut to become an official therapy dog, he will go through puppy training and manners/obedience classes. We will also work hard at making sure he is well socialized so that he is confident and happy around all types of people and in strange situations. This is really the same training that any pet owner should complete with their puppies or rescued adult dogs. Dogs thrive when they know the rules of the household and how to behave and react in a variety of situations. Training makes a happier, more confident dog.
After going through these training classes together, Peanut, my daughter, and I will take the Canine Good Citizen test. The Canine Good Citizen test certifies that dogs can perform commands and react in a calm, friendly manner out in the world outside their home. In order to earn their Canine Good Citizen certificate, dogs must greet a friendly stranger, sit politely while a stranger pets them, calmly allow another person to hold their leash while their owner leaves the room, and a variety of other real-life situations. After earning the Canine Good Citizen certificate, the next step is to become a certified therapy dog through a therapy dog certification organization. 
Of course, if at any point the training stops being fun for Peanut, or if he is not the right personality fit to be a therapy dog, he will still be our beloved family pet, providing love and companionship for our family at home. He can also hang out at the Forward Emotion office as a companion (remember that freelance comment above) even if he is not a certified therapy dog. If he does earn a spot as a Certified Therapy Dog, though, we can go out into the world and spread his doggie love and canine comfort with people who need some canine therapy.
