Dogs: This page is to celebrate dogs in our daily life and in the community

First up is Catriona with her beloved dog pictured opposite Max (RIP) of whom she writes below:

I was immensely proud of my rescue dog Max in so many ways, his joy of life, his countless rosettes in both agility and showing, his few rosettes at Long Dog Racing and Obedience - but the love he both gave and received in his work as a therapy dog truly made me the most proud and has given me the best memories.

He absolutely loved going to the local care home, and rather to my surprise so did I, feeling like royalty, basking in his reflected glory; Max made a real difference to the lives of many people. On one occasion he was asked to go and visit someone who had had a stroke which seriously impaired their speech. We went into the room and after Max had been introduced we had such a normal conversation that I thought I was in the wrong room until I heard her daughter sobbing with relief outside the room and realised it was indeed the right room. Max won a cup for being the best rescue dog in England going round nursing homes and one of his special ladies who had not been out of their room for two years came down into the sitting room for the presentation because, as she said; 'Max was her best friend and she wanted to be there for him'. When she died the only personal items in her room were drawings she had secretly done of Max.

There are many ways your dog can help and also have fun: while I went every week to the local nursing home with Max our other rescue dog, Rosie a GSD cross who is addicted to toys, works with children who are scared of dogs. She seems to do this by the simple expedient of bringing one toy to the child, who then screams, Rosie then obviously thinks 'wrong toy' and gets another, and another, and another - and by the time there is a big pile, the child has their arms around Rosie and is cuddling her.

All you need is a dog with a good temperament who loves people. You and your dog would need to meet the local organiser and pass a short test. If you are interested do please talk to me, or look at therapy dogs on the web: canineconcern or petsastherapy