If you’ve read my blog for more than five years, you’ll remember me talking about therapy dog training a lot. We had the smartest little cocker spaniel, Mavis, and we worked so hard on training her for therapy work. While it didn’t work out in the way I wanted it to, I never let that dream go.
Out of that experience, I learned a lot about trusting God, training dogs, and I gained a lifelong friend who is now Mavis’ owner.
Fast forward a few years, and we brought home Niva. Our wild woman, Niva. While Niva is energetic, she has an amazing temperament. She has zero sass in her and is all sweetness.
It has taken a couple of years for her to calm down (as much as a husky ever truly calms down 😂), but I started thinking about whether or not Niva would be a good candidate for therapy work.
An animal shelter near us offers a therapy dog training program, but any dog who enters the program has to pass an initial evaluation. So, Niva and I went in for an evaluation… and we passed!
We had to demonstrate a few skills (sit, down, stay), Niva had to show that she was friendly and liked to be touched, and we had to prove that we worked together as a good team and were open to taking direction.
So, now we will be starting six weeks of therapy dog training together at the end of the month(!!!). Once we take the classes, there will be a test. If we pass, I have to take a therapy dog handler course, and then we will be a therapy dog + handler team in 2024! We will be able to visit hospitals, nursing homes, residential treatment centers, hospices, and more.
While the initial evaluation is behind us, we’ll see how the classes and test go. I would love if it works out because this has been a dream of mine for years. I am also realistic and know that sometimes you can give something your all and it just doesn’t work and that’s okay, too.
I’m going into the whole experience with a relaxed attitude. If Niva isn’t a good fit, the training classes will still be beneficial for us both. It feels weird and good to be back in “training mode” again. I feel like I’ve lived 20 lives since I worked on therapy dog training, but it’s all coming back to me.
All of this almost didn’t happen, though, because Niva pulled on her leash during the evaluation and hurt my shoulder, lol. It didn’t hurt in the moment, but later on my shoulder was killing me.
It was bad enough that I saw an orthopedic doctor to make sure I didn’t majorly injure it. I have an MRI scheduled for next month, but thankfully with lots of rest, it’s starting to feel much, much better.
On top of that new adventure, I have also been busy behind the scenes with the Mid-Atlantic Mother’s Milk Bank in Pittsburgh!
Mordecai’s new t-shirt. Thanks for sharing your milk, buddy 😊
My friend who had twins in the NICU and was using my breastmilk decided to switch her daughters over to formula (by the way, the babies are doing great; one is home and one is set to go home very soon!!).
So, I had some breastmilk leftover and decided to donate it to the milk bank. The Mid-Atlantic Mother’s Milk Bank takes women’s donated breastmilk, pasteurizes it, and then gives it to hospital NICUs throughout the Mid-Atlantic states for babies who need it.
The screening process to donate felt daunting at first. I had to be interviewed to see if I was a good candidate and was asked about medications I take, caffeine intake, my health, diet, and more.
From there, Mordecai’s doctor was contacted to make sure he is growing well on my milk and was able to share. Then my midwives were contacted to check on my health status. The last step was for me to have bloodwork to check for any health issues or diseases.
Once all of that was squared away, I brought somewhere around 150 ounces of breastmilk to the milk bank in downtown Pittsburgh! My mom tagged along with me and we got a tour of the facility, which was so neat.
The staff there are so kind and work really hard. It’s a special place and I’m so excited to keep on donating my milk as much as possible. Definitely one of the most rewarding things I’ve done 🤍
So, there you have it! Upcoming therapy dog training, breastmilk donation, and an injured shoulder. Just another day in my random life and I love it.
Living My Full Life 
I commented for all you doing for others. Always thinking to help others in need. Hope all goes well with Niva training
The breast milk donation and all the time you spent with Kimberly and her babies is just precious! God is looking down and smiling 😊!
Love 💕 You
Dad
🙂
You’re such an inspiration Allie! One of my dreams is to train my future dog to be a therapy dog. I think I have a chance with a cattle dog? Lol! But now that my new job will have my going into hospitals and clinics, I think it would be great fit to have a dog who is therapy certified to join me on the road 😊. Looking forward to seeing how Niva does and learning along with you!
You’re amazing, Allie! 🙂 Therapy dog training and donating milk — what lovely, generous things to do to give to others.
Very excited to hear about your therapy dog training journey.
Awww, Grace, you just made my day! Thank you! I will be sure to post about the therapy dog training. Hopefully it’s not a disaster with a hyper husky, lol!!