Does anyone do pet therapy with their pit bulls? IF so, please post about where you go, why you got started into it, what determined your dog was therapy worthy?
I do pet therapy with my pitx Rufus. We go to the local hospital every saturday and the local nursing home once a month. I decided to do therapy with him because while we were taking regular obedience lessons my trainer kept saying with his temperment he would make an excellent therapy dog(he is a larvae). So i kept him in obedience training until he hit 2 years old.. at 1 1/2 years old we took the AKC CGC and passed, and the tester told me again, he would be great for therapy work.. i decided to find out about the therapy test, and read it, and figured he could pass. We took the therapy test almost 2 years ago, and he and i have been visiting now for almost 2 years (april is our 2year anniversary) .. we are now starting with the READ program at a school near me, the kids are mentally and developed challenged, and they read to the dogs.. our first visit is this coming friday.. Rufus is a very laid back pitx, and he loves to fall asleep in the patients laps if they let him. his laid back and quietness pleases alot of patients.. We visit the mental health ward and the rehab at the local hospital, and the nursing home with the elderly patients. He gets very excited when i say lets go do therapy work.. he knows which patients need more or less from him, and he is very quiet when he is working..I like the fact that people see him and say, wow, i never knew a pit bull could do therapy work- so i tell them that the breed is excellent for therapy work. i figure if i can change one persons mind at a time that will work.