Some dog breeds have a bad reputation. Forbidden by apartment communities and villainized in movies, the big three outlawed as aggressive breeds are Pit bulls, Rotweilers, and German Shepherds. While breeds certainly have characteristics-herders herd, fetchers fetch, there are no "mean" or "bad" dog breeds. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention states in its Dog Bite: Fact Sheet, "there is currently no accurate way to identify the number of dogs of a particular breed, and consequently no measure to determine which breeds are more likely to bite..," it goes on to say that OWNERS should be responsible for their dog's actions. Dog lovers know that aggressive behavior is taught or can also be a result of abuse, and need to educate the public that these breeds are not "bad". One way one dog and one dog lover are helping to restore a breed's "bad rep" is by working as a therapy dog.
Tess is a seven year old Rotweiler who has been a therapy dog for six years. "Rotweilers are not mean," her owner, Denise says, and Tess is determined to prove it. As a therapy dog, she visits hospitals to comfort those who are sick, and libraries to help teach kids to read. She has undergone training from the time she was a pup, so that she knows how to act and interact. She had to pass several tests including: completely ignoring other dogs, leaving food (or pills!) dropped on the floor alone, approaching wheelchair bound people gently and from the side, without putting her paw up on broken or brittle arms and legs, and more. Folks at the hospitals are scared and lonely and a visit from Tess may be just what the doctor ordered. Petting a dog lowers your blood pressure and can help alleviate stress. This seventy-five pound dog will lay still through pretty much any kind of petting imaginable, and that is why she is great with kids, and loves to visit CHKD.
Another thing that Tess enjoys is helping children learn how to read. How does a dog help a kid read? Well, it is just a matter of listening. When an adult listens to a child read, it is automatic for him to correct mispronunciations, or try to help with big words, but Tess just listens. Sometimes she gets excited during the dramatic parts, but she doesn't judge if the child mispronounces every single word. This helps the new reader develop confidence and independence, which makes her want to read more! Tess loves to visit the library. She also visits the Summer Reading Program at the Newport News Public Libraries (fun and free!). She and her friend Daisy, a yellow lab interacted and educated about forty children, showing them how a therapy dog works, and how pleasant a trained dog can be. Some of the children were afraid of dogs, but after watching Tess and Daisy remain calm and docile, every single child petted the dogs after the program.
A lot of Rots and Pit bulls come through our shelter doors. These are not bad dogs! Most of them have the potential to be just like Tess, calm, well-trained, helpful dogs. While all of them might not be appropriate for therapy work, you can certainly take them to training to learn proper dog manners. There are many places in Hampton Roads that offer training, either for dog "good citizenship" or therapy or just basic obedience. We recommend all dogs adopted at our shelter take obedience classes. A little time and love from his owner will make a dog of any breed a responsible good member of society.
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