Shared Canine Companions

        After a lot of thought and deliberation I decided to name my organization Shared Canine Companions, or SCC for short. The concept was simple. I would pull small dogs from shelters and either rehabilitate them to become potential therapy dogs or adopt them out if they weren’t a good fit for the work. I would recruit volunteers interested in pet therapy, and as the trainer, help them pass an in-house behavior certification process. We would visit hospitals or other places in need to share our pet companions providing “lap” pet therapy and entertainment to their clients. The organization would operate off donations – given for services rendered or simply as charity.
        I got to work right away creating marketing tools. Using my home PC, I used a software client to design and publish a website. I made a cute logo, and I had patches and tee shirts printed using a blue and gold color theme. I sewed little blue jackets for the dogs to wear while working, and applied the cute patch with the SCC logo on each side. Finally, I prepared brochures and business cards to use throughout my day so I could promote my business any time, any place. My next move was to drum up places to visit. I figured the volunteers could join in later.
       I took it upon myself to perform cold calls at local hospitals to see if I could begin the pet therapy aspect as an SCC representative with Hardy and Chico. There were several hospitals that were only a few miles from my home. My goal was to book a place that would allow my two pets to begin working and then expand as my volunteer base grew. After all of the positive feedback I was receiving, I thought it would be easy, but in reality, it was the opposite. I felt like a leper repeatedly getting rejected place after place. No one wanted to allow us to visit! Even worse, the places I tried would not even allow my dogs inside their doors.
       I lowered my standards, asking our local hospice agency and a number of rest homes if I could come to visit with my dogs. These places were just as adamant. No dogs allowed. It was simply too much of a liability. After several long and disappointing weeks of searching. I finally found an assisted living home that I could visit. In fact, we were welcomed to come back after lunch was served and perform once a week at a place called Whitegate Lodge.
        Whitegate was a home for older folks who needed minimal assistance throughout their day. The residents had their own suite and came and went as they pleased, using the shuttle bus that picked up and dropped off all day long. There were many activities scheduled throughout the day, and they were happy to include Shared Canine Companions in their weekly schedule. We were asked to come out to a sitting area directly outside of the dining hall where we would be easily recognizable. We were a huge hit from day one.