Dolly began her journey as an AKC puppy from Cooperfield’s Goldens. We partnered with a certified trainer with Wilmington Dog Wizards, Lauren. She picked up Dolly at 8 weeks and began intense training of basic obedience skills. Dolly was automatically introduced to public settings, dogs, children and a variety of distractions. She was trained to follow commands : sit, stay, place, off, come, down. Dolly was certified as an AKC STAR Puppy by completing all of the requirements. She moved on to her AKC Canine Good Citizen Title. Dolly was able to pass several commands during a test.
We continued to provide opportunities for Dolly to practice her skills. By providing her with a variety of environments, people, animals and challenges, Dolly became confident in her expectations.
We pursued certification as a therapy team by participating in weekly classes at Jackie’s Basic and Beyond in Cary, NC. Dolly was exposed to situations similar to hospitals, nursing homes, and schools. She learned more advanced commands to become prepared to take the test with Dogs With A Purpose. Dogs With A Purpose was developed as an organization that focuses on being a center of excellence for canine assisted therapy. We became an officially certified working team in March 2021.
We have the goal of spreading joy and love to others as a certified therapy team.
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