A Day in the Life of a Therapy Dog: Patti Anderson & Neka

I woke up this morning thinking it was just another day. I had my breakfast, played with my beloved tennis ball collection, and relaxed in my favorite sunny spot. But then my human came over with my brush. Wait a minute—I had a bath last night, and now I’m getting brushed this morning? Could it be…?!?

Yes! My human just took my therapy dog vest out of the closet. This means only one thing: it’s time to go to work! With my vest on, I know it’s time to get serious. We head out, I jump into the car, and I wonder where we’re going today. After passing the park and a few turns, I spot the familiar gates of the nursing home. I can barely contain my excitement—my tail wags uncontrollably, and my human laughs as we get closer.

Once parked, my human helps me out of the car, wipes my paws, and makes sure our special therapy dog team badges are visible. We walk inside, and I head straight to the reception desk because I know the nice lady there always has a treat for me! After we sign in, it’s time to start my therapy dog rounds.

As we walk down the hallway, I see the familiar sights: wheelchairs, tall poles with hanging bags, people talking, beeping machines, and trays of food. A cart rolls by, spilling scrambled eggs everywhere. I love scrambled eggs, but I know that when my therapy dog vest is on, it’s time for work—so I walk right past the mess and into the first room.

The first person we visit is a friendly man who talks to my human about his old dog that looked just like me. My human shares pictures from our therapy dog visits photo album while I get all the pets I could ask for. Soon, it’s time to move on to the next room—there’s more work to do!

The next visit is different. A therapist asks if I can go for a walk with the client. Of course, I love walks! My human attaches my second leash to the client, and we’re off. The client uses a walker with tennis balls at the bottom—how cool! I stay by her side even though she moves slowly. The therapist tells my human that this is the farthest the client has walked all week. That makes me so proud! After our walk, I get to show off my fetching skills in the hallway with my favorite tennis ball. I love my job as a therapy dog!

Next, we head to a room, but the client doesn’t feel like having visitors. No problem! My human and I do a quick high-five and spin routine outside the door, and we hear the client laugh from inside. It’s small moments like this that remind me how much joy therapy dogs can bring to others.

As we approach the final visit, the nurse tells us that the client doesn’t get many visitors and doesn’t talk much. After getting permission, my human places a sheet on the bed, and I hop up to snuggle with the man. He doesn’t say much, and his petting is a bit clumsy, but that’s okay—I can feel his appreciation. The nurse later tells my human that this is the most responsive the man has been in a long time. I feel so proud of the difference I made as a therapy dog.

Before I know it, two hours have flown by, and it’s time to go. We say our goodbyes and head back to the car. On the ride home, I’m exhausted but happy. Being a therapy dog is hard work, but it’s also the best job ever. I dream about where we’ll go next—maybe the children’s hospital or the library for a Read With Me™ session.

Once home, my human removes my vest and gives me one of my favorite treats—a well-deserved reward for a job well done. As I snuggle on the couch, I feel so lucky to be part of such an incredible therapy dog team. I can’t wait to do it all again soon.

Are you interested in becoming a therapy animal team?

If you and your animal enjoy visiting places like hospitals, nursing homes, or schools, learn how you can make a difference by becoming a registered therapy animal team.