First weeks as a Therapy dog

Doctor Dog blogging here! My first week as a professional therapy dog I took it pretty slow. Mom had clients come to the office, and then they were impressed by how cute I am. One eleven year old girl was afraid of me, as well as a sixty year old man, so I had to sit in the corner and let them get used to me just by being still. No danger in these paws! I realized pretty quickly that some people want my affection while they're talking, so I go and sit next to them, or even lay my head in their lap. Some people really want me to perform my tricks for them. Mom says this helps kids build confidence, self-efficacy, communication skills, and build the therapeutic rapport. I think they just like seeing me roll over.

As weeks went by, I noticed a pattern developing. When most people come in to the office, I'm the first thing they look for! They smile, pet me, ask me how I'm doing, and some people let me lick them (mom says this is a no-no, but how can I resist their delicious faces!?). People come to therapy to talk about difficult stuff, sometimes it makes their hearts beat faster, salty tears come out of their eyes, their faces turn a different shade of grey, and they talk louder than normal. I've noticed when this happens, they look at me or touch to help calm their bodies down. If they aren't calming down, mom starts petting me and says, "Doctor gets scared of loud voices, let's do some deep breathing together," and then they start pulling the air in through their noses. I must have some zen effect on them. I'm starting to feel like a human-mesmerizer!