story paws: A therapy dog organization

This summer (2024) Raja passed her Pet Partners Evaluation to become a registered Therapy Dog!

She’s always been very social, so Steven and Elyse felt that becoming a Therapy Dog would be a perfect fit for her. Raja loves meeting people from all walks of life.

Therapy Dogs work in Therapy Dog Teams which are considered a partnership between the handler (human) and the dog. Therapy Dog training uses positive reinforcement and is never about “making the dog do something.” It is important that these teams love their work and have a close bond and mutual respect.

Just like humans want a job they like, so do dogs. Each dog has a different personality, likes and dislikes, and certain mannerisms and behaviors. For example we know when Raja trots happily and her ears are out like pigtails bouncing up and down that she is happy and at ease. When she sits and wags her tail rapidly, she is happy and trying to contain how excited she is.

Now that she is a registered Therapy Dog we look forward to meeting a variety of people in many different locations.

Raja’s proud yet serious face after she passed her Canine Good Citizen test.