BB has been with the Therapy Dogs Singapore organisation for about a year. *wow* Never knew how time flies. What we do is that, we go for visits to adopted TDS homes. There are about 5 homes that they schedule to visit once a month, each. We have to commit as least 4 hours for every 6 months. This is a non-profit organisation, so all visits are voluntary, Sometimes they do have ad-hoc visits to some other places on random too! For us, we have been visiting Bishan Home for the intellectually disabled constantly almost every month. Not until 6 months ago, BB tore her ligament and had to go thru operation and was on "medical leave" for 6 months. Now that she is fully recovered, we are back to "work" since last Saturday!
We also joined People Association for some ad-hoc visits. They call their team, Pets and Friends. I went to St. John Home for the elderly for therapy visit before and Ling Kwang home for Elderly last Saturday. Not sure if they have commitment hours, as i never heard about it before.
Before joining Therapy Dogs Singapore, we need to go thru certain procedures to ensure that both me and BB are ready for this job. First, i have to visit a chosen home to see my comfort level. If im ok, I had to bring BB to the vet for full body check up. The vet had to write a report to testify BB is in 100% good health condition for this job. Lastly, we have to go thru a test for temperament. BB is a natural. She ignored most of the items which was being used to test her reaction. just make sure no aggression is being shown during the process, and everything will be ok! BB had no expression at all *HAHAHAHA* so it was a natural pass! i was so proud of her!
The day she passed her test
Well, it goes way back when i got BB from a farm. i was a first time owner and i didn't know what to expect. I learnt everything on the way and found out that there was this organisation. I set my mind that one day, i will join them and do good deeds. I wanted to share the joy with others. So one day, i met a friend, whose dog is under TDS. He encouraged me to join the organisation since i already had an idea of joining. At first, i was afraid of committing the 4 hours for every 6 months. But i decided to give it a try anyway.
I chose to visit Bishan home as it was the nearest to my home. Once i started to visit this home, i know i couldn't stop this monthly routine. the residence do actually look forward for us to visit them every month. i was very happy and felt very appreciated by all the residence there. BB and i didn't visit for 6 months and they could still remember us and was very concerned why we didn't visit them. I explained to them slowly and they were happy that we are back again.
Basically therapy service is easy. We just have to allow the residence to play and touch your furkid. You can also create your dog's favorite activity for the residence to play. some of the volunteers brought toys to play fetch, brought treats to show the residence some tricks and 2 leashes so allow the residence to walk them within the area while we guide them using the 2nd leash. BB is small so usually we will just sit around and her favorite residences will crowd around her and pat her while i chit chat with them.
One important thing is that we are not allowed to post photos on social media with the residence faces as to protect their family's privacy. So i will not be able to post any of the photos in her related visits.
Sometimes during my visits at bishan, i will tear and felt upset for them. When i visit old folks home, some of the residence reminds me of my mum who had lost her battle with cancer 2 years ago. Each time i see an old folk, i always wished that i could take care of my mum till her old age. My mum was only 60 years old only and didn't get the chance to see me build a family. I believe that all the residences have their own stories to tell but they wouldn't know how to share. All i can do is to share the joy with them. Just 1 hour per month is reasonable to set aside from my busy schedule.
As much as i wish to bring my Clover along, she is just too feisty to join us. *haha!* We don't have a choice but to leave Clover at home alone for that 1 hour of therapy visit. BB usually gets very drained and tired after an hour as she needs to face so many people and she is only so tiny. But she love the touch of people so this job is suitable for her.
Well, if anyone's furkid is suitable for the job, mild and friendly nature, and if you can set aside time to commit, join TDS! I am proud that my BB is part of TDS and a therapy dog with healing paws. She is so small and only weighs about 2.5kg and she is able to make a difference in someone's life and make someone happy.
Love,
Bumver mummy
