Organization prepares pups for support work
CONNOQUENESSING TWP — When Debbie Hulick sneezes — or imitates an “ah-choo” sound — her dog, Misty, reaches her mouth into a tissue box and gives a square to her owner. While the command has limited use, the simple action of Misty taking out a tissue and giving it to a person is enough to bring a smile to anyone who sees it — the pup’s true goal.
Misty is a therapy dog certified through Therapy Dogs International, an accreditation she obtained after training with the Butler Dog Training Association. The association not only tests dogs to get their therapy certification, but organizes visits to local schools, nursing homes and summer camps.
Hulick said the dog training association helped Misty learn basic socialization skills, and gain the discipline to work with many different kinds of people, allowing her to visit people as a certified therapy dog.
“She’s so good at it. She never barks at people, she never jumps at them,” Hulick said. “We go to elementary schools, kids read to the dog and she just looks at them.”
The Butler Dog Training Association has classes for dogs of different ages, and for humans with different aspirations for their dogs. The Therapy Dogs International test is administered in-house by the trainers, like the Butler group’s director of training, Nancy Kieffer. According to Kieffer, the classes for therapy dog training often fill up, because dog owners want to share their pets with as many people as possible.
“We have approximately 35 certified dogs who work in many capacities: school reading programs, college finals weeks,” Kieffer said. “It’s amazing how many people come. They want to give back.”
Kieffer said dogs have to be at least a year old before they can be certified as a therapy dog. Pups who have crossed their first birthday can take the test without classes, but Kieffer said Butler Dog Training Association teaches puppy classes, and the therapy dog sessions set them up to pass the certification test.
While not every dog may be a good fit as a therapy dog, Kieffer said almost all of them can benefit from obedience classes. And so can their humans because the association is “really teaching the owners” how to handle their dog.
“Sometimes a dog doesn’t want to visit with strangers,” Kieffer said. “There’s probably about 14 different exercises that the dogs have to go through; those combine, it tests their temperament, obedience skills.”
On Tuesday, July 30, a group of certified therapy dogs and their owners sat together in the association’s home at 1017 Evans City Road in Connoquenessing Township. Although dogs of all shapes and sizes were scattered around the room, none of them barked and many didn’t even arise when people came in and out of the space.
Sheri McCormick’s young golden retriever, Andi, recently became a certified therapy dog, but the dog lover has taken several dogs through classes with the Butler Dog Training Association. McCormick said the organization offered her a way to “give back” through her dog ownership by allowing her golden retrievers to visit nursing homes and schools.
“It just teaches them how to behave; don’t jump on people, sit calmly for petting,” McCormick said. “Some people in nursing homes, they hardly get visitors. So for someone to pop in and have a dog that wants to spend time with them, even people who don’t necessarily like dogs like having a visitor.”
According to Kieffer, dogs only have to take the therapy dog test once to be certified, but their owners have to renew the certification every year with the organization on time, or else the dog will have to take the test again. Kieffer also emphasized that therapy dogs are not service dogs, and service dogs are regulated through different means.
Nancy Slezak has taken a few dogs through the therapy dog training program, and her pups have even visited foster children as they were navigating the court system. Her dog, Rag-A-Muffin, has been able to make children feel more comfortable even in difficult times, which Slezak said has been a rewarding experience.
“It’s wonderful to see the dogs divert attention,” Slezak said. “It takes them out of their sadness.”
The number of distinct breeds and ages of the dogs present in the association’s gymnasium-like home July 30 demonstrated that therapy dog training is not limited to any specific dog breed or age. A retired 9-year-old greyhound racer, Carmella, laid calmly near a 2-year-old half poodle, half Shih Tzu, Peaches, in the auditorium, both certified therapy dogs.
Peaches’ owner, Anna Dickson, said the dog experienced some trauma at a young age, which training by the association helped her overcome. The therapy dog training was somewhat like therapy for Peaches herself, Dickson said.
“She became really shy and bashful to dogs she didn’t know. I brought her here because I wanted her to overcome that,” she said. “With all the training and visits, she has really come out of her shell. These dogs here are all her friends.”
Many of the dog-owners pointed out that their dogs love the attention they get at visits to nursing homes and schools. While nursing home visits through the association have decreased since 2020 and the COVID-19 pandemic, people like Jeanette Nestor find ways to their dogs to visit with strangers. Nestor said she takes her dog, CJ the basset hound, to a Concordia adult day care center for visits, which are normally well-received by the people in the center.
“We go to see the older folks and they love her too,” Nestor said.
Although it can take a long time to get a dog trained to the point where it can visit nursing homes — once a week sessions for eight weeks for basic manners and obedience alone — the result is well worth it for the people who can then introduce their dog to the world.
Sheila Mueller’s dog, Otis, passed his therapy dog test about a month ago at 5 years old. Mueller said Otis has been taking classes since he was a puppy because she wanted to find ways for the two of them to have fun together.
The training was long, Mueller said, but the association helped her train Otis, who “loves everyone,” enough to actually share his love with everyone.
“It took a lot of work; a lot of work a lot of practice,” Mueller said. “I was not certain about doing therapy dog, but I would like other people to enjoy his fun personality.”
For more information on the Butler Dog Training Association, visit its website at butlerdogtraining.com.
