# Therapy Dogs from LWDC



## W.Oliver (Aug 26, 2007)

Two of the working dogs from Liberty Working Dog Club passed the third and final evaluation for Thearpy Dogs, Inc.

my friend, Dan Oas and his GSD Hugo Varg BH, FO, CGC, TT, TDI
and myself Wayne Oliver, and my GSD Dayna von Royale FO, CGC, TDI

Theary Dogs, Inc. offers us an opportunity to offer a wonderful service to those in need, while at the same time provides a venue to stretch our well rounded GSDs. We're both very proud of our pooches, and proud to be members of LWDC!

Thank you Dan for encouraging Dayna and I to participate with you and Hugo! Thank you ken k, forum member and Thearpy Dog, Inc. Evaluator for being a GSD man and understanding the breed.


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## Vinnie (Sep 4, 2001)

:congratulations: and :congratulations:


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

Congrats to Hugo and Dayna(along with their great owners) to put smiles on the faces of many in the future!!
Did Ken bring Lilah along for support?


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## Chris Wild (Dec 14, 2001)

Congrats, guys!


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## dOg (Jan 23, 2006)

No he brought Max. We had 4 GSDs, a Pit Bull, a Samoyed and an Afghan. Quite a crew! We did 2 different wards & ICU, rode in 3 elevators, several dogs inside each time. Thanks to Ken, we got it done. After Hugo Woofed at a Wolfhound after his 2nd visit, things were looking bleak. Luckily, Wayne knew of Ken, and Ken knew what a single Woof! was and we're happy to be where we worked hard to get to!

But enough about us, these are the stars who bring the smiles!


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## Samba (Apr 23, 2001)

That sounds like a good time. Congratulations on passing the evaluation!


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## Deejays_Owner (Oct 5, 2005)

A BIG :congratulations: Dan & Wayne!!


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## dOg (Jan 23, 2006)

*Therapy Dogs*

Let's try this cropped shot:


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## ken k (Apr 3, 2006)

congrats Wayne and Dayna and Dan and Hugo, it was a pleasure testing your well mannered and trained GSD`S, (and you guys were alright too) it was fun, all the puppers got lots of pets, and Hugo is in love with that Samoyed, and I must say, i was really impressed with Jada the pit bull and her handler, you would have never known that 4 weeks ago, she would not let me touch her, Wayne, Dan, so tell me now, what do you all think when 6 of us all packed into the elevator? LOL


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## ken k (Apr 3, 2006)

onyx'girl said:


> Congrats to Hugo and Dayna(along with their great owners) to put smiles on the faces of many in the future!!
> Did Ken bring Lilah along for support?


Miss Lilah did not make this trip, shes blowing her coat for the last couple weeks, its hard to brush miss antsy pants, were making progress, she will sit still for about 2 minutes


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## Jason L (Mar 20, 2009)

Congrats guys!!!!


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## dOg (Jan 23, 2006)

> what do you all think when 6 of us all packed into the elevator?


canine sardines, please don't get stuck!
:wild:


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## W.Oliver (Aug 26, 2007)

ken k said:


> Wayne, Dan, so tell me now, what do you all think when 6 of us all packed into the elevator? LOL


I think the Therapy Dog, Inc. evaluation could be skinnied down from three separate one hour evlauations to a couple of elevator rides....that was the most challenging test of the entire experience. Imagine riding a small elevator with four GSDs, an Afghan Hound, a Staffordshire Terrier, and six handlers....crowded is an understatement. Think about a dog fight breaking out in that confined space! What a mess that would be! Fortunately all the dogs in question are of sound temperament, and this is simply fodder for a funny story.

Another funny aspect of the Therapy Dog expereince is in contrasting lastnight with six large dogs, to my first evaluation several weeks ago. A very nice evaluator lady and her tea-cup Yorkie, along with another lady and her Bichon Frise, as well as big-ole Dayna and I....plenty of room in the elevator on that occasion! Of course the purse dogs peaked Dayna's prey drive, and I was stressing about Dayna snatching one from under the ladies' arms, and eating it in front of horrified hospital staff and patients! I imagine the TD, Inc. evaluator lady might have freaked a bit too!

Thanks again Ken!


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## dOg (Jan 23, 2006)

Doubt that would never happen, unless the elevator did get stuck, for a very long while, WAY, WAY past dinner time! But seriously, I could have been fine using the stairs. Though we do have a plaza in Milford with an elevator and we do use it to train for just that purpose, we had never loaded it quite that tight. But I credit that exercise for both helping produce the exemplary behavior we got out of 24 dogs in the parade and helping me not get claustrophobic last night.


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## Castlemaid (Jun 29, 2006)

:congratulations: That is awesome!!! Great work, and here! here! to a couple of pretty cool dogs!!!


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## G-burg (Nov 10, 2002)

Way to go guys!! :toasting:


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## ken k (Apr 3, 2006)

W.Oliver said:


> I think the Therapy Dog, Inc. evaluation could be skinnied down from three separate one hour evlauations to a couple of elevator rides....that was the most challenging test of the entire experience. Imagine riding a small elevator with four GSDs, an Afghan Hound, a Staffordshire Terrier, and six handlers....crowded is an understatement.



i had no doubt there would be any problems on that ride, the other Shep and Afghan are used to that situation and more, again it was a pleasure to test 2 very well trained and mannered GSD`s, just think there was almost 400lbs of GSD there


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## W.Oliver (Aug 26, 2007)

ken k said:


> .....just think there was almost 400lbs of GSD there


Too funny, that is exactly how I characterized the scene for my wife. I went on to tell her how much I enjoyed the Alan Funt Candid Camera moments as the elevator stopped in route and the bewildered faces when the doors opened and the pedestrians peered in disbelief! Six handlers, four German Shepherds, one Afghan Hound, and a Staffordshire Terrier in a pear tree! Priceless!


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## W.Oliver (Aug 26, 2007)

The essence of the entire Therapy Dog, Inc. experience, for me, can be best summed in my recount of an incident in the ICU. Dayna and I knocked on the door of a room where a very elderly lady lie in bed, obviously in very serious condition, with her middle-aged daughter, looking so very tired, watching over her.

I asked, “would you like a visit from a therapy dog?” to which the daughter replied, “yes, my mother had German Shepherds in the past, she will love this.”

As Dayna and I enter the room, the lady became more alert, and as she opened her good eye, she said in a weak voice, “very nice looking, just wonderful”, to which I promptly responded, “thank you Mame, you’re so kind, how do you like my dog?” When she and her daughter caught their breath from laughing, the elderly lady coughed a couple of times, pointed a crooked finger at me and said, “you’re a mess, that dog is beautiful”.

We spent the next several moments talking about the German Shepherd she had as she lie in bed and stroke Dayna’s head.


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## ken k (Apr 3, 2006)

W.Oliver said:


> The essence of the entire Therapy Dog, Inc. experience, for me, can be best summed in my recount of an incident in the ICU. Dayna and I knocked on the door of a room where a very elderly lady lie in bed, obviously in very serious condition, with her middle-aged daughter, looking so very tired, watching over her.
> 
> I asked, “would you like a visit from a therapy dog?” to which the daughter replied, “yes, my mother had German Shepherds in the past, she will love this.”
> 
> ...



thats what its all about


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## dOg (Jan 23, 2006)

One day at the nursing home I used to visit locally with the dog I used to do this with 8 years ago, a nurse stopped me to tell me about the woman I had just had a lengthy conversation with, "_That's the most she has spoken in 3 weeks!_" 
That's your paycheck, and it's huge.


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## ken k (Apr 3, 2006)

agreed, we were at St, Marys couple weeks ago, Tammy and I, she had Alex and I had Max, this patient would only let the GSD`s in the room, we talked for a few minutes, and when we were out in the hallway, His family told us and the nurse`s "thats the nicest hes been to anyone" 

it well worth the time and effort to do this


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