Hidden Benefits of being of service with dogs!

Good morning all! I am a "new baby" to all this blog stuff, so here it goes! I have trained Rocky to be a therapy dog through to huge organizations: The Delta Society and Therapy Dogs International. He is an official "card-carrying" therapy dog with his own little ID badge!

We have in the past few months focused in on a dementia clinic! Let me tell you, sometimes being of service means "truly being of service". I noticed the first couple of times that I myself wasn't "enjoying it". I complained to my friends that it was dull, not exciting and I didn't feel any interaction with the people. Well, two things I learned. One: I'm there to be of service to the people that need cheering up, interaction and assistance to draw them out. Two: It is not about ME!!! This is such an important lesson, as I realized selfishly that I was looking for kudos and appreciation from them to make myself feel good and warm inside and accepted! There was to be no such reinforcement. The good news is that I have stuck with this with Rocky and now not only is Rocky truly helping these people with their memory of him, their true love for him and their excitement of emotion with him, but in the process I realize I'm being of truly good service and in that realization I am making more of an effort to truly engage these people and change their lives! Now, instead of a dull energy of "slow death" in their community room, I see smiles, excitement and animation in their faces. This is truly a blessing to me and is even the most catatonic of them and ones that slept while we visited, woke up and are the people interacting and loving Rocky the most! Wow! I would have never seen this if I had quit before the true results were to be realized!