Valencia

Please Note: The dog in the accompanying photograph is the subject of the story, but the person pictured is probably not the patient in the story.

Valencia, our Yellow Lab, is a wonderful therapy dog. We raised her as a guide dog puppy. She came back to us as a “career change” dog; she needed to change careers due to allergies and ear infections. She has been with LO4P for nearly 2 years now.

We have been going to various hospitals and also to the Blend School for blind students. At Blend, we like to have her walk with the children in the hall, since she was trained as a guide dog. Hopefully, one day, these students will have their own dependable guide dogs to guide them. One of the girls, who is probably in 5th grade, loves to lie on the floor with Valencia. She feels her ears, eyes, and whiskers, which Valencia doesn’t mind at all. She even opens Valencia’s mouth and feels her teeth.

While we were raising Valencia for Guide Dogs, we were not supposed to teach her any tricks. Now that she goes to hospitals, she gets up on beds or on chairs next to the bed so the patients can pet her. If someone stops stroking her, she has learned to put her paw up, saying, “Please don’t stop petting me!”

Valencia is a loving, gentle dog who loves everyone. She is a great asset to the program, and we are proud to be involved with such a special group!