A year later, Beth and her daughter-in-law put a deposit down on the next litter, feeling no need to let Dave know ahead of time. Otis and Vinnie were added to the extended family, and Dave and Ben seem quite happy with the decision. Beth describes dog sitting with all four dogs as “Golden Heaven”. How to name a dog? Well, WAGGERS can spend hours on that topic alone…. Archibald Lafayette carries the middle name of Dave’s Dad. Vincent Scott’s middle name pays homage to an employee of Beth’s who passed during Covid. Scott was a wonderful person, and a devoted dog rescuer. But, for everyday life, Archie and Vinnie suffice.

Despite the gentle natures of Goldens, training was very important to Beth and Dave. Remember, these dogs weigh over 70 pounds. That would be a lot of dog if they were not so well behaved! Both dogs have had extensive obedience training and followed the steps for Canine Good Citizenship. The dogs also go to work with Dave, and have free run of the office. The staff loves them, playing ball in the hallway with Archie and checking for nose prints on the underside of the glass conference table after they leave. Their personalities influenced their training. Archie, is bullet proof and very cool about correction. Being a people pleaser, sweet Vinnie needs a gentler approach, as he gets his feelings hurt quite easily. I can attest that the training was very successful, and time spent with these dogs is relaxing and joyful. Their introduction to WAGS came when Sharon Musselman shared Sapphire’s trading card.

Then a year later, Beth and Dave met Linda Laun and Melanie Broughton at an 80th birthday party for a fellow WAGGER, Bill Musselman. In lieu of birthday gifts, he asked that donations be made to WAGS. After a “soft sell” by Linda and Melanie, they decided to join, saying it is “the best thing we ever decided to do.”  Then they joined Linda’s class at Feeder’s Supply to get ready to evaluate.

They also received help from Peggy Modjeski. Beth and Dave started working toward their evaluation in the fall, but did not actually sign up to evaluate until January. They are glad they took their time and respected the process, as they learned how to help their dogs perfect their therapy dog skills. We talked a bit about the difference between WAGS training and traditional obedience. You often hear “support your dog” at WAGS. Dave said he had not understood the difference between that and traditional obedience at first, but learned to love the praise, loving, and hugging approach that goes with the WAGS style. They learned they and the dogs are a team. During the Zoom call before Evaluation, they mentioned a behavior that might prove challenging. Beth was pleased that the response was “isn’t it great that you know your dog so well that you anticipate that” and then were given advice about how to address the issue. Their attention to the style paid off, as they achieved near perfect evaluation scores. (I was the scribe that day, and it was wonderful to behold!) They also have embraced being a part of the WAGS community. They have just started airport visits, and find them rewarding, albeit hard work! They will soon be visiting Access Care and St. Joe’s. Beth stressed how impressive it is that WAGS is an all-volunteer organization. And they love being with other dog lovers, who can talk incessantly about the most important thing – everything dogs!