I received Peekaboo as my own dog in August 2008 and he graduated as a therapy dog in December 2008. He is such a lovable dog and especially likes working with children. Peek had a lot of things wrong with him when he came to live with me. His front paws turn out due to being kept in a crate that was to small for him when he was a puppy. He also limped due to a torn ligament in his back left knee. I had the knee repaired and Peek and I began the bonding process. After Peek graduated, I met with the principal of Foothills Elementary to see how he would do with the 1st grade students reading to him. He was so scared during his interview with the principal that he just sat there and shook. I don’t know if it was her role as principal or just all the activity around him. The year 2008 was the beginning of his reading program with the 1st grade. The next year, he met with two 1st grade classes. In 2010 he had two 1st grade classes and one 2nd grade. It is wonderful to see how well Peek works with students who are afraid of dogs. In 2008, there was a little girl with downs syndrome. She was so scared of Peek and would sit far away from him while she read. Peek seemed to understand what she was saying. and he would just stare at her with his big, amber eyes. By the end of the year, the little girl was sitting next to Peek and feeding him out of her hand. The following year, there was another girl who was afraid of Peek. She watched the other children as they read their stories to him and gave him treats. Soon, she was also reading to him and was always one of the first to ask if she could pet him.
When I start a class, I begin by going over a book entitled, “May I Pet Your Dog”. The book teaches how to approach a dog, always ask if you can pet the dog, and how to interact with the dog. Both 1st grade classes asked if Peekaboo could be in their class picture which he was.
Peek also goes to the nursing home once a month. He doesn’t act as if he enjoys it very much, but one day he meant a lot to one elderly lady. Peek and I were just leaving when we heard someone crying. An elderly lady was sitting in a wheel chair in the hall and she was weeping softly. Her doctor was there talking to her. Peek went up to the lady and pushed his nose under her arm and into her lap where he kissed her hands. The lady was startled at first but then began to laugh. The doctor looked at me, winked, and walked away. Peek did his job.To realize how popular Peek is with everyone, he recently had knee surgery to repair a torn ligament in his knee. I had knee replacement surgery the year before. Peek received 91 get well cards from his students and friends. I received approximately 10.
Peekaboo is and will continue to be a wonderful therapy dog.
