Day 870

Well, our Sam is now trained in to be a Therapy Dog at Mercy Hospital! We followed another team around, and after a bit of sniffing, both dogs decided it was going to work!

Watching these two beautiful golden boys work their magic was a joy. Loving every single human within leash distance, the pups never seemed to be able to become totally comfortable with our forced pairing.

It occurred to me that forced partnerships are usually not the most productive. In my educational life, I have been grouped with people who have different agendas. It is a challenge to write a curriculum or plan an activity with others who are not on the same page. This is not to say that their ”pages” are wrong…only different.

In a perfect world, problem-solving, or planning, would take place with a joint goal in mind. It doesn’t really matter what method or plan is devised, but the goal should be a unanimous decision.

However, it seems that many individuals not only demand a goal, but also want to control the path to achieve the goal. This leaves the rest of the group feeling frustrated and powerless. If an outcome is reached, so many members of the group are disenfranchised and refuse to get the project moving.

A “group” can be two people or a large number of people… the process is still the same. If you are grouped with a “my way or the byway person," you are not going to have a voice. We have all been in that position.

My suggestion in a group is to listen to others. Listen deeply, fully and with an open mind and heart. Also stand up for what you believe, but respect the other’s opinion as well. Tall order for humans!

As for dogs, they make it work almost every single time. All it takes is a sniff ,or two, and the rest is a partnership made in Heaven!