Update: 11:00pm on 2/26

Forrest has been fortunate to have 3 visits from amazing therapy dogs during his hospitalization. It’s no surprise, as a lifelong dog lover, that he really connected with these wonderful canine “therapists!” We also marveled at the powerful impact the dogs’ visits had on other patients and on all of the hospital staff. We envision the day that Forrest, healed and healthy, is able to take his own dog to visit hospitalized children, to share his story of recovery and the special joy that a dog can bring to children. So it just seemed natural to prepare our own beloved Labrador, Sundance, to become a certified therapy dog. Especially since Sundance had the advantage of early training with Colleen Hayduck, our star CCI volunteer puppy trainer. Kent jumped online and found us a TDI (Therapy Dog International) certification test in Georgia, but the clincher was we only had 10 days to prepare for the test! No problem! We can do this! Kent drove Sundance down to Atlanta so that he could take a refresher obedience course with a local trainer at Comprehensive Pet Therapy. And just to make sure we were ready, Colleen volunteered to drive up from southern Georgia yesterday to tune up Rae and Sundance prior to the exam today.

Early this morning the team gathered in Lawrenceville, GA for the event. It was tension packed. 30 dogs were being run through a grueling human and animal gauntlet which demanded total concentration of the handler (a very nervous Rae) and the gorgeous wanna-be therapy dog (Sundance). Both had to overcome multiple simulated distractions, loud deliberately obnoxious people swinging crutches, zooming circles around them in out-of-control wheelchairs and walkers, barking dogs, groping strangers, squealing children, and tempting hamburgers on the floor that Sundance had to pretend he didn’t even see! All these challenges are necessary to insure that a certified TDI dog can maintain his cool no matter what a hospital or nursing-home environment throws his way. Somehow the stars aligned at just the right moment, we drew a kindly evaluator who gave us a fair shake and Sundance gave it is his very best effort, turned his nose up at the hamburger, smiled thoughtfully at the squealing children, and did NOT jump in the man’s lap who clearly invited him to share his wheelchair! I have to admit I was totally surprised, but ….We passed! Sundance earned his TDI certification, official patch, and TDI bandanna that will allow him to share with other hospitalized children who, like Forrest, would love to receive the joy of a wet kiss, warm fur, and that unconditional loving gaze of a Labrador Retriever.

Of course this victory demanded a celebratory visit to Shepherd Center’s Secret Garden so that Sundance could share the great news with Forrest and let off some steam with a proper game of fetch! After Forrest and Sundance played fetch for awhile, several of us played catch with Forrest, both hands, single hand and then right and left hand… Forrest beat us all.

- From Rae and Sundance (certified therapy pair) and the rest of Team Forrest (which included today, super brother Austin, Dad this weekend and Monday and Colleen, super dog trainer).

PS from Sundance: I’d like to thank all the two-legged friends who made it possible for me to reach this cool goal today! Deep Run retrievers gave me a strong start, Robyn for keeping me at the Farm, Pops for driving me to Georgia, Aunt Lynn for all the late night walks, Patricia at CPT, Colleen, and Vangie who made space for me at the TDI test!

TDI Success

Family together again

Forrest smiles seeing Sundance