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This is the best fieldwork - the kids, staff, the curriculum….it is just so inspiring

OT student
TWU

Sam the Therapy Dog

Jan and Sam

Sam is one of the favorite staff members at the clinic.  He is a Labrador retriever who is certified for animal assisted therapy through the Delta Society, with his handler, Jan.

Sam was born February 22, 2009 and received his Delta certification in May 2010.

He works for hugs, and is very gentle.  He is well trained, so he follows commands well.  When petting Sam, he knows that he has to either sit or lay down.  Sam has many tricks and loves to perform.  He can pull kids on a swing with a rope (usually reserved for our older students), can pull a basket to carry workbooks down the hall, will carry alphabet writers, and will retrieve rockets that are shot across the gym. Sam can count all the way to 10, so he loves to tell kids in numbers classes, which number to write. He loves to lay still and just have the kids lay on the floor and practice handwriting while sitting next to him. Sam has a Velcro vest that he can wear, built by our wonderful OT students from TWU, with several fun activities for kids. His favorite game is for the students to practice picking up treats with tongs, and placing on a target.  Sam will wait patiently until the students say “take it”.  When he is not working with the students, he loves to just lay in the office and watch our office staff work.  He is a therapy dog, not a service dog – so it is perfectly fine to pet Sam.  He has a crate where he loves to sleep, so if your child is afraid of him, please do not hesitate to tell us – Sam would love the opportunity for a nap!  So, if Sam is around, please come up and shake his hand!