Charlie the Therapy Dog is making a name for himself across North Georgia as his “gentle love” is making an impact on the lives of many.
Asa Dockery, guest columnist of The News Observer and pastor of World Harvest North Church in Blairsville, Georgia, has a special relationship with his neighbor’s two-year-old Golden Retriever.
“When they first got him, she (Marcia Hayden) brought him over, and he bonded with my wife before she died,” Dockery said. “Because of that, I’m like part of his family, so when she passed away, he became my therapy dog.”
A therapy dog differs from a service or emotional support animal in that they are not trained and then sent with a specific individual.
These animals are usually trained by their life-time owners and taken to different environments to work.
After Dockery endured COVID-19 and a three-week recovery, the two were finally reunited, and the video of the pair’s reunion made its way to an Atlanta news channel.
Charlie regularly visits assisted living homes and schools where he “just brightens their day.”
Currently, their operations have been limited due to COVID-19.
At the schools, Charlie participates in story time where the kids can interact with him.
The “Puppy with a Purpose,” as he’s been coined, allows the children he visits to pet and crawl on him while they read to him.
Charlie knows how to shake “hello” and wave “bye bye,” give high fives and give fantastic hugs.
Although Charlie is a certified therapy dog, he has gone back to school to earn his AKC Therapy Dog title.
Charlie’s owner, Hayden, is a retired, sixth-grade English Language Arts teacher herself.
Upon retiring, Hayden wrote in a blog, “As a Christian, prayer had become an integral part of my daily life, so I began the process asking God, ‘What will I do in retirement?’ It didn’t take long for God to reveal to me that I loved children, I loved dogs, and I loved teaching reading. With that understanding, God lead me to realize I wanted a puppy I could train to become a therapy and reading dog.”
It was from that point Hayden sought sweet Charlie and began training him to become a therapy dog.
Finding the right dog for the task, however, was no easy feat, and the search lasted over a year as she hoped to find “the puppy with the right temperament.”
From the start, “socializing” the puppy was a crucial step in making him into a therapy dog. Training was disguised as “play times” in which hula hoops and treats were incorporated along with bonding activities.
Want to keep up with the Puppy with a Purpose? Check him out on Instagram (@charliethetherapy), Facebook (Charlie the Therapy Dog), or on his blog (www.pawprintsontheheart.blog).