Niva and I had our very first therapy dog visit last week and it was everything I dreamed of and more! Since I had some questions about what it was like, I figured I’d share our experience.
The night before our visit, our family took Niva to the pet store and gave her a bath. I wanted her to be fresh and clean!
The next day, I got us prepared for our visit. Niva wore a martingale collar with her therapy dog tag and her usual leash with her therapy dog sleeve over it.
I wore the shirt provided by the animal shelter we were certified through and my handler badge.
My mom came over to hang out with Sadie and Mordecai and I loaded Niva up in the car. Off we went! Our first visit was at a school for Deaf children and it was truly the perfect fit for us.
We went into the main office and checked in with the school’s program coordinator. I signed in and got a visitor’s badge and the coordinator then brought us up in an elevator to the classrooms.
We started off in the high school classrooms, then worked our way down to middle school and then elementary, visiting about five classes total in an hour.
The kids, especially the youngest, loved meeting Niva and she absolutely loved meeting them. Their eyes lit up and I couldn’t stop smiling. We were doing something I had dreamt of for years and it was just so special.
Better yet, I was able to use sign language to speak with the kids and staff. It just felt like the perfect blend of sharing my sweet pup, using my favorite language, and volunteering my time in a way that brought joy. So much joy!
The kids loved giving Niva treats and had so many questions. It was fun to answer how old Niva is, whether or not she has dog friends, why her eyes are blue, and whether or not we cut her hair. There were screams of delight and lots of laughter.
After our hour of visiting, we signed out and headed home! Everything went so well that we were invited to come back to the school on a weekly basis and I was 1000% on board with that! So, we will be visiting a school each week and we are also set to visit a few retirement homes in the coming weeks. Can’t wait!
Living My Full Life 
I love that you took Niva through therapy dog training! That’s an incredible accomplishment and also such a kind thing to do for others. What a way to give back !
It was such a commitment but so worth it!! It’s the perfect way for us to give back and volunteer!
I would have loved to see the joy on the children’s faces when you an Niva arrived! I saw and heard the joy you experienced as soon as you arrived back home from your visit!! I know its been a dream come true for you, an I’m so proud that you followed through and are now living it!! It’s amazing for the kids to know that mama and Niva are doing such an wonderful thing for others in need for love and kindness through a dog 🙂
I wish I had a body cam for those moments. It was so, so sweet. I couldn’t have done it without YOUR help!! Love you so much!
Wow! What a success this was. This brought me so much joy, especially because you both enjoyed yourselves so much. Looks like this was a great decision for you both!
Thank you so much! It felt like such a gamble to go forward with the training and test with not knowing how it would go but I am so glad we went for it! It’s the perfect fit for us!
This just sounds like the best overall fit and I find this so heartwarming 💕
Aww, thank you so much! We are loving it!