SHARON — Lucky the Dog loves a good story just as much as the next, well, person. Every Tuesday during the summer, Diane Monroe and her 2-year-old part-Labrador retriever (whose full name is Hard Scrapple Lucky) come read a good book at the Hotchkiss Library.
Lucky is a fully trained Delta Therapy dog involved with the Pet Partners and Paws to Read programs.
“Lucky puts his heart into everything he does and is a perfect citizen,� said Monroe. “He’s what I call my ‘kid-friendly’ dog.�
During the summer, every Tuesday afternoon at 5:30, Lucky and Monroe stop by the library so children can “read� stories to the friendly canine.
He’s awfully big, but he’s known to be a good listener and he responds to the stories with loud “talking� sounds.
Monroe has two other dogs that have been trained as service dogs, but it seems the children like Lucky the best.
And the feeling is mutual.
“He gets so excited when he gets into the car. He whines and cries the whole way to the event,� Monroe said. “When we get there, though, he totally calms down and is ready to work.�
For most Labrador retrievers, “work� means, well, retrieving. Lucky has an interesting quirk: He loves to run after thrown objects. But he doesn’t know how to retrieve.
He has a bit of hunting dog in him, but without the retrieving portion of the job, it just doesn’t seem to be the right career path for him.
Perhaps that’s why he is so good at being a therapy dog.
“My mother is in a nursing home and I wanted to know that if I brought one of my dogs in with me, that they would be able to behave,� said Monroe. “I wanted to bring my dog as a source of strength for myself and my mother.�
Monroe went on to explain that nursing homes can be stressful and frustrating and dogs can sense that.
“Doing these programs is fulfilling,� said Monroe, “Older people at times seem to be comforted by dogs if they’ve had them in the past. The dog’s head in a lap can comfort them, it brings back memories of a past pet.�
Monroe went on to explain that going through an obedience program for therapy dogs is a good idea, especially if you are planning on taking your dog into a nursing home.
“You don’t want to bring your dog into a situation that you are not sure how they will react to,� she explained. “If an alarm goes off or even if you are just trying to get your dog into an elevator, you need to know how your dog will respond.�
Monroe has also been taking her three dogs to events at North Canaan Elementary School for the past two years, as well as working with special education students in Region One for the past three years.
“I love doing this service work and my dogs enjoy doing it as well,� she said. “I will continue doing it until my dogs have had enough.�
