National Dog Show Spotlights Therapy Dogs

Purina sponsors the National Dog Show every year on Thanksgiving Day (I watchted last year and will watch again this year) and it's better than...almost anything. It certainly beats reality shows with "humans". Ok, there are humans in the National Dog Show, but they are eclipsed by the dogs.

David Frei, who returns as one of the show commentators (along with John O'Hurley - former actor who portrayed J. Peterman on Seinfeld), says, "If you have a dog, it's the alma mater factor; you compare your own dog lying on the sofa next to you with the Champion Retriever or Brittany you see on TV."

I'm not sure I agree completey with that. First of all, my dogs are not allowed on the sofa (sorry, my house, my rules and yes, I love my dog just as much as you love yours), and second of all -

I'm a mixed breed gal. Champions are beautiful and wonderful and just as lovable, but my dogs are shelter dogs and they are most often mixed breed. (that could change - with some people reluctantly surrending their precious ones to shelters today, we may be able to rescue a Greyhound or terrier or other full-bred dog in CO)

The best part of this story, besides the great TV viewing, is that David Frei is now talking about how and why he certified his own dogs as therapy dogs, a topic we've discussed before, on this blog and the Scratchings and Sniffings blog. "The non-profit program," writes Steve Dale of the St. Louis Today website, "began as a charitable activity of the Westminster Kennel Club, but today supports therapy dog activities at 11 sites, including Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital in New York City; Ronald McDonald Houses in New York City and Milwaukee, WI; St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN..." among others.

Says Frei, "I can't even count the number of times a little child in the hospital has smiled or laughed because a dog is there."

Truer words were never spoken - kids, adults, seniors - we all smile when a dog "is there." Because dogs bring love into our lives.  

The program is Angel on a Leash and Rufus, the Colored Bull Terrier who won the 2005 dog show, and went on to be awarded Best in Show the following February, at Westminster, is now a certified therapy dog who works mostly with children.

During this year's National Dog Show Frei will talk about "his" therapy dogs and why therapy dogs are so valuable.

Maybe he'll even mention that many recent Westminster winners have become therapy dogs. Why? Let's let him tell us.

See you on Thanksgiving day, in front of the TV: NBC, 11 a.m. Central Time.