Mint the therapy dog

Hello. Mint here!

Last Saturday I went out with Mum while Cinnamon stayed home with Dad. When Mum told Cinnamon to go home, meaning "enter her crate", and took me to the garage, I didn't know what I was in for.



I was in carpark of SPCA Auckland's Education Centre when I got out of the car, and when we were approaching the building, I saw another beagle who I knew from Auckland Beagle Club's beagle walks!



A while later, we were all called into a theatre-like room, and a couple of women spoke in turn there. It was so boring that I wanted to run around the room, but Mum gave me a stern look and told me to enter my crate and stay there. You know, it was so hard!! In a totally new environment I couldn't do what I would usually do at that time of day - a nap, and I was not allowed to explore the place either...

After those boring speeches, finally came my turn! I was told to sit, lie down, stand, wait, and come, which I did with no problem of course. When everyone was standing on the entrance porch of the building, someone dropped a baking tin, making a big noise. Why was she carrying an empty baking tin in the first place!? Also, inside the building, people using clutches, a walker, and a wheelchair passed by. A woman with clutches dropped them in front of me, another woman with a walker was using her walker so clumsily that she was making big noises. A woman on a wheelchair told me to come close to her. I wondered what on earth they were doing. A group of clumsy women!! In the end, another clumsy person seemed to have dropped a slice of cheese on the floor. As Mum told me to leave it, I walked ignoring the cheese.

All of this was a strange experience. But, later someone came to Mum to tell her that I had passed an assessment to become a therapy dog! My friend Ruby the Beagle also passed!!



I don't know what therapy dogs do, but I have a feeling that it is a fun thing. So, I look forward to doing my first job as a therapy dog!