My dogs and I have a history of going to the local nursing home, as well as going to schools to do demos and performing at fairs, Boys and Girls Club, etc. I've had GSDs since 1988 (my big boy, Dawson) and Chows since 1991 (my little Kylee Cub). I also took my Australian shepherd, Lady K, to perform along with those first two. After those three came Trick (GSD - the world's most amazing dog), Dora (Chow) and Khana (current Chow girl) all visited the nursing home and schools. I don't remember ANYONE being afraid of any of them!

So many people over the years have commented on how mean Chows were, all while they were petting my little fluffy dogs! *LOL* None of mine have been mean, and all of them liked to meet people. Khana is amazingly sweet and one of the biggest problems I have is keeping people from petting her when she's wearing her Service Dog pack. She's supposed to be WORKING but if she gets a chance to entice someone into petting her, she takes it. She's got this way of looking directly at a person and smiling invitingly with her whole body ... *L*

I've found one of the best ways to break the ice with someone who is hesitant to come near your dog, is to do some tricks with your dog while they're watching. If a dog spins circles, or shakes paws, or rolls over - it couldn't POSSIBLY be mean! If you think about it, that doesn't really make sense, but I've found that it works. I think in part it shows that you have some control over your dog because it's responding to commands, so the person is more comfortable. But it also makes the dog seem cuter and more cuddly when it does funny, cute tricks.

Any dog with the proper temperament and training should be able to be a therapy dog. Khana was listed as a Delta Society Pet Partner for a while, but I didn't re-certify when Delta decided to limit the way you're allowed to feed your dog.

Melanie and the girls in Alaska