Elvis, A Therapy Kerry in the UK

by Rod Bull

Elvis

Elvis (Kamaghan Built to Thrill)

It's his photo ID for his Pets as Therapy visiting card.
Owned by Rod and Jo Bull- Staffordshire England.

Our Kerry Elvis, now 12 months old is now a registered Pets as Therapy dog and has begun visiting. In the UK Pets as Therapy, a charity that has been running for over 20 years, has an accredited scheme to introduce dogs ( and cats) to medical and social care institutions.

After we bought Elvis it soon became apparent that he had the right temperament , as he loves everyone ( tho' not all dogs !) and was a very calm boy.He whizzed through the beginner and intermediate classes at our local Dog training Club to the advanced section in 3 months.All this came as a bit of a surprise to me! Having had a Kerry before I was more used to the "And why,exactly, do you think I should do that?" response than the "OK boss, is this right ?" I got from Elvis.

We applied to PAT and Elvis had to be assessed for suitability. This involved things like walking on the lead without pulling, taking a treat gently, not heading for the hills when a loud noise was made, and a willingness to be cuddled. Elvis had no trouble with any of these, but after the assessor dropped a tin containing bolts just behind him, he showed something of a reluctance to be petted by the perpetrator until a treat was produced !

A few weeks ago our registration came through. The Charity maintains a waiting list of places that want a visiting dog, some of which have waited for many years. We contacted one local to us, a nursing and residential home for the elderly, and the Manager was very pleased to hear from us and keen for us to start. She also told me that she had a plan to have small animals on some of the wards, including rabbits ! I gently pointed out that this might not be compatible with Kerry visits on the basis that it was likely to result in a bunny jigsaw puzzle, and she understood....

Elvis loves the visits. His tail doesn't cease to wag during them, and it is really touching how he often chooses the most disabled to plant wet Kerry kisses upon. He's obviously awakened some happy memories of dog ownership and he has never failed to put a smile on the vast majority of faces. The nurses also make a big fuss of him. The only issues are the number of treats he gets given- I normally keep them on his behalf and ration them subsequently- and the fact that he gets absolutely knackered ( apologies- English idiom for very tired) after an hour or so.

Anyhow, its a great way of spreading some happiness and making others aware of what great dogs Kerries are- so if anyone is interested in the UK, and I think there are similar schemes across your side of the pond- then I'd very much recommend it, and so would Elvis.