Chieftain Mac Duff (his friends call him Duffy) is a therapy dog who regularly visits nursing homes, the homeless and home bound seniors. He recently added another activity to his repertoire. He visited a local Girl Scout troop to teach the girls the correct way to greet a dog and what to do if you come across a stray dog. Most kids run up to a dog and start scratching the top of the head. We all know this could be threatening to a dog, and it could bite. We taught the girls to first ask permission. Then they practiced presenting Duffy the back of their hands and scratching the chest or lower neck areas before moving up to those fluffy, floppy ears. As for dealing with stray dogs, we taught them to act like a tree and don’t leave. Basically, cross your arms over your chest, stand still and don’t look the dog in the eyes. We used information from the AKC. We also discussed some of the jobs dogs perform including therapy work. Bright and Beautiful sent me a copy of a self-evaluation test. It was interesting to hear some of the answers. Duffy’s favorite part was having 15 little girls scratching and petting him all at once. He was in doggie heaven. The local Girl Scout camp may also include our program in their summer camp this year.

Chieftain Mac Duff celebrated his Second Birthday at The Manor Of Freehold,. We had a large dog shaped cookie for him and a sheet cake for the residents. He also wore a birthday scarf. The person presenting Duffy with his cookie is Vicky, a member of the home nursing staff.