Annie is the third A in AAA Therapy dogs. Along with Aphrodite and Aura. A friend of mine for more than 25 years called me one day and said, “I have a potential client that called me and wants to purchase a puppy I have, but she will only buy the puppy if I can provide basic training and get her ready to become a Therapy Dog.” He knew I had already trained and passed a few Therapy Dogs. He asked if I would be willing to do the training and talk to his customer. I agreed and I talked with Grace, his customer.
Grace worked a full schedule at an active military base in Washington state. She is a psychologist there that sees 300-400 patients over a period of time. She wanted a Therapy Dog that she could take to the hospital and have in her office to meet with patients when they come in for their sessions, but working full time she felt it would be too much to take on a puppy and do the training. She asked if this was a service I could provide. Having trained a few that were already working at the West LA VA hospital, I said my wife and I would love to take her on and work with her. I said the timeframe would be 90 days or less and we would get her AKC CGC test successfully completed. The AKC CGC test is essentially the same as the Therapy Dog International or equivalent test that would be required to be in a clinical setting. We agreed to terms and at about 3.5 months old an English Cream Golden Retriever puppy with no name was flown to Ontario International Airport for me to pick up in Ontario, CA. We gave her some time to settle in and be named so we could start training.
Her owner Grace decided to name her Annie, and the training started. To say Annie was a fast learner and eager to learn would be an understatement. Annie excelled at her training and loved the one-on-one time she spent with my wife and me. We crate trained her per Grace’s request and also taught her how to be a house dog. She was not familiar with house rules at all, but she did very well.
Then about 45 days later the day came for her AKC CGC test. Guess what she passed it with flying colors. She was the best and most well-trained puppy there that day! She received her AKC S.T.A.R Puppy, AKC CGC (Canine Good Citizen), and the following weekend she achieved her AKC Community Canine and her AKC Urban CGC. All total 4 awards at 6 months of age.
Annie then went to her owner Grace in Washington state. Her big day came and she was set to go from Ontario Airport in California to Seattle, Washington. It was one of the hardest days for my wife and I . We really fell in love with Annie and still to this day think of Annie as our own. But we knew she had to go. She traveled well and arrived safely in Washington with Grace. We discussed that Grace would have to follow up on her training and keep her interest in learning until she turned one year old. That is when she could officially take her Therapy Dog test and become certified as a Therapy Dog.
Grace did an excellent job with Annie and kept up with her training. She and Grace became a great team and at one year old she finally became certified as a Therapy Dog. I can’t tell you how proud Nikki and I are of both Grace and Annie. They both were a pleasure to work with and we keep in touch to this day and will continue to. This was a great experience for us, Grace and Annie.
Thank you Grace for trusting us with your precious Annie!
If you have any interest in having your puppy trained similar to what we did for Annie, please reach out to us and let us know. Our space is limited.
