Fun discovery!

I knew there are many many many kinds of service dogs and therapy dogs. I knew there are organizations training dogs for autistic children. There are dogs who warn children (and adults) of seizure and low blood sugar. I didn't know there are organizations training service dogs as "ministry dogs" - check this out! If you have a wonderfully obediant social dog and you take him/her literally everywhere you go, including worship services, even loud worship services, you are probably creating your own ministry dog.

Service dogs are social but one person dogs by necessity. Most therapy dogs love everyone. I met a staff member from a children's resident rehab facility a few months ago who has a dog who is both and she said it's unusual to find both qualities in the same dog as needed, intuitively and at her direction. Her dog is a dog like that.

If you live in the area where the [NEADS] Laura J. Niles Early Learning Center is located and you don't want a dog for yourself or your kids but you and your kids love dogs, check this out! They have a puppy petting program. Looks like you can go for an hour on a weekday afternoon and just pet and play with puppies! (You're actually helping the organization socialize their dogs. It's called puppy socialization - one of, if not the best thing, you can do for your dog.) How cool is that!

(see tags below - "local" to someone but not to me! kids in community as in "out in the community", serving? no! too much fun - this is a service to the people training service dogs and to those who will someday own and use these dogs, and random speaks for itself!)