When I adopted Beau at the shelter, they told me to take him to a vet for an exam and the rest of his shots. Remember, I had just adopted Beau so I didn’t know much about his personality. When the vet tech put us in a room, Beau shocked me by jumping up on the bench and trying to “get the cat!” This was my first clue that a) Beau was NOT a fan of cats and b) he could see the image in the picture????? When the vet came in, he examined Beau. He said that based on Beau’s teeth (he had all of them), he suspected that Beau was about 18 months old. Then he said that although Beau likely was part Labrador, the ruffle around his chest and the long fur on his honches and tail suggested that he was also part Border Collie. After reading about Border Collies when I got home, I agreed with his comment. Then I mentioned the incident with the photo of the cat. None of my other dogs had ever reacted to a photo. He said a small percentage of dogs can understand what they see in photos. As time went by, I noticed that whenever we went into a new place, Beau would stop and look carefully at everything on the walls. Later when we worked in a hospital, he even noticed the round mirrors that are ceiling level and help humans see around the corners so we don’t bump into a patient or hospital worker. It always amazed me when he “saw” something new… something that most dogs would totally ignore!
The Border Collie attributes were much stronger in him that the Labrador traits. Beau was definitely NOT a retriever. He would not play with toys like most dogs… and when I tried to play with him with a ball, he would just stand there and look at me. Beau focused on people… not toys. At times, I felt like he was trying to “herd” me when he would lean into my knee to try to get me to move. No, Beau was not a typical dog.
Beau was also fascinated with TV and would watch it carefully for hours if he could. I am not much of a TV watcher, so this happened most often when we were visiting someone who had a TV on. He liked watching animals, cartoons, and even would watch shows that had neither. I often wondered what he thought about what he saw.
He also loved to watch the world go by outside the window. And if he could go outside, that was even better! He was the most observant dog I have ever known! Yet he rarely barked… and never barked at anyone walking past a window or anyone he saw when we were outside. He was calm. He was smart. He paid attention to details. I began to think that he just might be the perfect dog to train as a therapy dog.
Attributes that make a good therapy dog are: friendly, quiet, obedient, non-aggressive, outgoing, gentle, relaxed, not easily startled, not afraid of medical apparatus’ such as canes, wheelchairs, walkers, etc. Beau met all of these criteria. But before we could attempt therapy dog training, he had to master obedience training, and socialization with lots of people.
It was obvious that Beau had received some obedience training prior to becoming a stray. He was housebroken, and knew the basic commands of sit, stay, etc. He wasn’t great walking on a leash though – always wanting to pull. So we spent hours walking, while I repeatedly corrected him saying “don’t pull!”
I also started taking him to work with me. In my vocation, I meet a lot of people! Beau was always excited when someone would come into my office. I put a baby gate across the door so that he could see everyone coming and going. People soon got in the habit of greeting Beau when they came to the office… even if they didn’t come to see me. Before he was a registered therapy dog, he had a fan club!
I worked with Beau for about a year before I thought he was reliable and obedient enough to train as a therapy dog. Because I spent so much time working with him, we had already become a team of sorts. He trusted me and followed my directions the first time I asked (usually).
One anecdote that I love to share about our first year together is this: I was sitting in the family room and I could hear Beau in the kitchen. I could tell that he had put his front paws up on the counter even though I couldn’t see him. I said sternly, “Beau, what are you doing?” Then I heard him put his feet down and go into his crate. I crate train my dogs and that is where I would put him when he wasn’t behaving. I found it hilarious that he put himself in “time out!” As I said, he was super smart!
Stay tuned. Next… becoming a Pet Partners therapy dog team.
Grace Notes 