An inmate allegedly punched and seriously injured a therapy dog puppy.
One thing I have learned over the years, not everyone is going to be nice to your dog. This is also true for therapy and service dogs.
Good hearted volunteers who take therapy dogs to visit various people often have their guards down when doing their work. A built in assumption is that others are going to appreciate their dogs equally. Unfortunately, that isn't the case. Whether visiting children or adults, regardless of the situation, I recommend two adults per therapy dog. One person is a lookout and helper. The other person is the dog's owner and handler. This way, everyone's welfare can be seen from all angles. I have used this approach for a while, and I think it should be standard practice.
In this article, the alleged bad guy is a habitual offender. What kind of 27 year old man would feel it ok to punch a gentle 13 month old King Charles Cavalier Spaniel so hard that the dog suffered from a concussion? The news says they are going to charge this creep with the maximum allowable penalties, maybe as much as 8 years in prison.
Be careful in all therapy dog environments. Not everyone is going to be good to your dog.
No comments:
Post a Comment