Nic, a 7-year-old Spaniel mix, spends his Saturdays quietly at the library. He claims he has heard a great majority of the books in the Children’s section, and, yes, he knows who Dr. Seuss is. After five years of being part of the “Read to Rover” program at the library during the summer, and at a local grade school during the school year, you might wonder, why would we participate in a therapy dog program? Nic does it for several reasons. First, he loves people, especially kids. He really loves them! Put Nic in a room full of people and dogs, and he will walk right past the dogs, and go first to the people. If he has never met them, so much the better. He wants a smile on everyone’s face. Kids have gone to their reading teachers, and told them they practiced their reading just so they would be ready to read to Nic.
     Add to Nic’s resume that he has also visited a few nursing homes, an adult day care center, and for several years was the mascot for the rescue that he was adopted from. He has greeted people in pet stores, adoption events, and has been one of the few dogs allowed in a department store in the mall. While he loves being at home, or outside playing ball, he would much rather be going up to a stranger, and saying, “Hello, I hope you are having a good day!” One of his favorite days at the library was when there was a tornado warning, we went to the basement, and he thought all these people were gathered just to see him. He enjoyed comforting the scared kids that day.
     Nic has completed advanced obedience classes, agility class, has his Canine Good Citizen award, and has been through Therapy Dog training, with Pets Helping People, a Milwaukee, WI based Therapy Dog group. Where’s the rags part of the story? Nic’s road to being a therapy dog was a long one, and didn’t get off to a good start.
     Nic was found as a stray in Indiana by a small humane society. He was wandering the roads at 7 months of age. Because it was a small rural humane society, adoptions were few. They kept him for a month. They said no one would adopt him because he was too friendly, and would just fly at them when they opened the cage. Nic was rescued by the former Happy Tails Dog Rescue in Milwaukee. I applied for a dog with that rescue, and found that the dog I was interested was adopted. The director said, “Oh, don’t worry, I have a dog that is perfect for you.” His rescue name was Chaos. Maybe he should have kept that name. When I met him, he flew at me, said “Hi Mom, I’m yours,” and I fell in love.
     Living with Nic wasn’t easy at first. Nic broke out of his crate the first time alone, he walked on the coffee table, and he ate felt pens on the carpet. I enrolled him in obedience class. It didn’t go well. We left after two weeks. I enrolled him in another class. The teacher said it was a miracle this dog could learn anything. We didn’t finish that one either. I told another teacher that my dream was to have a dog that could pass the CGC. I thought maybe some day I would have a dog like that, but I sure didn’t think it would be Nic. Finally, we found a school that was not going to give up on him. We made it through Basic obedience, and then CGC. That was quite a big day for us! A year later, Nic went to therapy dog class, and passed, and the rest is history. He now spends his time helping kids become better readers, and bringing a bit of sunshine to anyone he meets.
     Has Nic changed over the years now that he is a therapy dog? Does he act like he is on the ‘riches’ end of the ‘rags to riches’ story? No, not really. He’s still an active dog, and loves to chase squirrels and birds in the yard. Yet I think he knows he has a special gift of friendship that he likes to share with so many people.

* Seventh Place Award Recipient