felix, noriko + gary’s story:
therapy dog (private training + group classes)
“nearly two years ago my wife and i adopted felix from a rescue organization. at that time he was 2-3 months old, scrawny and sick, having been discovered and rescued from a dumpster. while we both grew up with dogs, felix is our first dog and we wanted to be good parents.
in addition to nursing felix back to health, we felt that we should start him with some good basic training as soon as possible. when doing extensive web searching, we came across dog’s best friend and really liked the positive training approach. after our first meeting with rebecca, we were convinced that this was the way to go.
so we started training felix with rebecca with private classes, followed by group classes.
our initial objective of the training was for us to understand how to manage felix and for him to learn basic manners. however, as our training with rebecca progressed we realized that felix is a quick learner, eager to please, and has a sensitive disposition. he eagerly accepted the challenge of higher level training with rebecca, and passed the akc good citizen test before he was one year old.
after passing the akc good citizen test rebecca mentioned that felix may be a good candidate to become a therapy dog. we had never thought about this before, and considered this possibility for a few months. rebecca is always focused on what is best for the dog, and we wanted to make sure that therapy work is something that is a good fit for felix and us.
we decided to give therapy work a try, but to do so first felix had to pass the tests required to be accepted into a therapy program. the local therapy organization love on 4 paws ran felix through a series of tests, and he passed with flying colors.
it is now about 15 months since felix and we have been working with love on 4 paws. felix volunteers at a number of places, but mainly at hospitals, a cerebral palsy facility, and special events. when he puts on his therapy vest he knows his job, and we are blown away by the work that he does with people in need of a good snuggle from a dog.
recently felix was awarded the title of akc therapy dog. we are very proud of him, and very grateful for all of the training and teaching done by rebecca.”
— noriko + gary