Therapy dog is trained to make people happy

WISH-TV anchor Hanna Mordoh and Pet Pals TV’s Patty Spitler were joined by Donna Burns and Ollie the therapy dog to talk about what therapy dogs are and the ways that they impact people’s lives.

“He visits nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and he can visit hospitals. He can also visit schools and each of the schools and the hospitals have their own set of rules and standards. So he not only has to learn what we’re teaching him, he has to learn from them as well,” says Burns.

Ollie, like most therapy dogs, is very loving and affectionate. Therapy dogs are dogs that volunteer in settings like schools, nursing homes and hospitals to provide emotional support to people.

Part of being a therapy dog includes training, and even sometimes learning tricks. Ollie is able to play hopscotch and basketball. It usually takes between 6-12 months to train a service dog depending on their temperament.

See Ollie do a slam-dunk!

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