Barking Embarkers

I have made a post in the past about the pros and cons of traveling therapy with a dog, and today I want to really emphasize the benefits of traveling with Chloe, my pup. Though there are challenges which include housing, raising/training a pet, going on less international trips, and basically being a single mother to a dog; it is all worth it in the end because of these benefits.

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Being Outdoors

As a traveling therapist, I have found myself inside much more often than I prefer. I love taking patients outside when it is nice out or when it is appropriate, but I still spend the vast majority of my day indoors hospitals, nursing homes, or even my truck doing home health. The bright side of having Chloe is that necessary walk every morning and every night; and sometimes training right after work. Catching those sunrises on the ocean in Sagadahoc Bay Maine, and those sweet Minnesota sunsets as the fireflies start to shine about… Meanwhile here is Chloe, rolling in the grass, digging in the dirt, having the time of her life outside. In the end, those big brown eyes asking to go for a walk is really the best motivation to get my butt up and outdoors.

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Exploring Town & Meeting Neighbors

On a related note, it is common knowledge that traveling therapy can be lonely, as it is hard to make friends when you know you are leaving in 3 months or 6 months. One of the best things Chloe does is greet people and force me to interact with my neighbors, who love to pet her. We also love to explore the nooks and crannies of the towns we work, and sometimes we manage to find coffee shops that are completely pet friendly, or little gorgeous parks we never would have known about otherwise. Chloe really helps keeping me motivated and social, which can be hard when traveling.

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Patient Interaction

I should mention- it is very important to be extremely, extremely careful when bringing your dog into nursing homes when they are uninsured. It can be a huge liability if the person you are seeing is hurt, or even if the pup puts her paws up and scratches skin. It is also exahsting for dogs, especially puppies to be in such intense environments. So, use your discretion, keep it short, and be careful.

One of my favorite Chloe stories is when I first brought her into the Nursing Home as a puppy. I had to work Saturday and her daycare was closed. I was also looking forward to introducing her to nursing homes, the wheelchairs, the weird arm bike and nu-step machines, and those tempting walkers with the tennis balls on the back of them. There are a lot of smells in nursing homes that can be adversive to dogs, and I wanted to make sure she was exposed right away.

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I only had two patients that day, the first of whom was easy to work with, always agreeable and excited to play fetch with Chloe the puppy. Chloe did wonderfully, and though she had her puppy ways still, it was an amazing first experience interacting with a patient. My second and last patient was rather difficult to work with; typically refusing therapy and resistant to anything we had to say. When I mentioned I brought my puppy with today, I swear to you I was talking to a different person. He was so excited to get down to that therapy gym and meet her! The very first thing Chloe Rue did, was walk right up to him and put her head in his lap, using those big brown puppy eyes to make him smile. I can tell jokes, or educate about the importance of movement and engagement in activities, but nothing I can say or do has quite the effect as Chloe does. We continue to work toward our therapy dog certification, and I will keep you all updated. To me though, talking about Chloe with patients and letting her interact when it’s appropriate is one of the best parts of travel therapy with a dog.

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She has my Back

Last, but definitely not least, I love to have Chloe around because she always has my back. She is not a very vocal pup, but she has a quiet little ‘there is someone over there’ bark, that she uses when my back is turned for whatever reason. She also has a much louder, ‘someone is running at you!’ bark, that she uses if I am distracted and someone is running toward me. Usually someone jogging, but there was a time at the dog-friendly arcade in Fargo, where someone was running toward their friend who was near me, and she let me know.

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In the end, having a companion pet while traveling helps keep me outside, promotes being social by meeting neighbors, makes for awesome moments interacting with patients and keeps me safe! I can’t imagine how I did it without her! So if you are traveling with your family, solo, as a couple, or just for fun; don’t hesitate to bring your dog along! Does anyone have great examples of how your dog helps your quality of life? Who else has found awesome places in random towns while meandering with their dog? Happy Tails and Happy Trails to you all!