For every Labrador Retriever playfully splashing in water to fetch a tossed ball, you can bet there's another proudly wearing a colorful therapy-dog vest and entering a hospital, school, nursing home or rehabilitation center. Their mission: to evoke smiles, motivate healing and generate positive attitudes.

Some Labs garner gleeful laughter for their silly tricks, such as being able to balance four biscuits across the bridges of their noses. Others wow onlookers, often in wheelchairs or hospital beds, with their ability to leap high off the ground and snag tennis balls securely in their mouths. Still, others sit quietly as they patiently receive head pats and caressing fingers from the outstretched hands of people who need the touch of a furry friend.

Life as a therapy dog sounds idyllic—but is it one suited for you and your Lab? Before you can answer, you must know exactly what dog therapy is all about. What it is not is service work, says Michelle Colby, a spokesperson with the Delta Society, a Renton, Washington-based national therapy-dog organization that requires training and screening of canine therapy team candidates. "Service animals are legally defined [by the 1990 Americans With Disabilities Act] as being trained to meet the needs of their disabled handlers," Colby says. "Service dogs are not considered pets, and are allowed by federal laws to be permitted access in public places [with their disabled owners]."

As a therapy dog, your Lab could bring cheer to the sick or elderly.

Service dogs, for instance, are specifically trained to assist the blind in getting around; to alert people with hearing impairments of sounds, such as ringing phones or doorbells; and to turn lights on and off and perform other household tasks for people in wheelchairs.

"In contrast, therapy dogs are not legally defined by federal laws," Colby continues. "They are not limited to working with people who have disabilities. They usually work with their handlers to provide services to others." Think of therapy dogs as the canine version of Bob Hope when he performed his United Service Organizations (USO) tours for troops. He came to entertain and to touch hearts.

The good-natured and sociable Labrador Retriever is an excellent breed for animal-assisted therapy work.

June Golden, executive director of The Bright and Beautiful Therapy Dogs Inc. in Morris Plains, New Jersey, says Labs are especially loved among nursing-home residents. "Labs are popular as a breed and are a familiar face when they visit people at nursing homes," Golden says. "For some of these residents, seeing a Lab brings back fond memories of when they had dogs of their own. And, Labs often have wagging tails, big smiles on their faces and wide open eyes that make people feel happy when they seem them."

Rick Hawes, president of Love on a Leash, a national therapy program based in Oceanside, California, agrees. Kelsey, his 6-year-old yellow Lab, has been a therapy dog since 1999.

Kelsey's specialty is entertaining children at elementary schools and seniors at nursing homes. "Therapy dogs must be calm and affectionate with people and other dogs," Hawes says. "Kelsey performs various tricks, such as weaving between my legs and crawling, but she also proves to be wonderful around autistic children, who may not communicate with adults. In one program, these children read books to Kelsey and identify her body parts."

Your Lab must know the basic obedience commands to become a certified therapy dog.

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In addition to certification, there are several advantages to working with a good organization. Reputable therapy-dog organizations provide accident and liability insurance protection for volunteers and their therapy dogs. These groups have established good relationships with area schools, hospitals and nursing homes so their dogs are welcomed. They also help steer you to a venue that best suits your interest and your dog's temperament and talents. A quiet dog, for example, may fare better visiting elderly residents at a nursing home, while an energetic dog that likes to perform tricks may do better in front of school children.

Even if your dog is a blue-ribbon winner at obedience trials or dog shows, it may not make a good therapy dog, cautions Joan Shugar of Ventura, California, a therapy-dog evaluator for Therapy Dogs International (TDI), based in Flanders, New Jersey.

"Therapy dogs must be able to withstand a lot of noise and distractions around them and not be afraid," Shugar says. "I test a lot of dogs that did not make it as search-and-rescue dogs or guide dogs, but they make excellent therapy dogs. Why? They're used to being out in public and working."

Nugget, Shugar's yellow Lab, was earning accolades in the show ring until she ruptured a knee. The pair switched to therapy work, which Nugget enjoyed for 12 years until she passed away in 2003. As of 2004, Shugar was training Goldie, a young Lab and distant relative of Nugget, to become a therapy dog and continue Nugget's legacy.

Shugar kept careful tabs on Nugget to make sure she didn't overdo her visits and get weary. "Handlers really need to pay attention to their dogs and look for early signals that it's time to wrap up a visit to avoid burnout," Shugar says.

Murphy provides therapy to mentally ill patients, so his owner allows him plenty of leisure time between his challenging visits.

WILL MY LAB LIKE IT?
Even if you love visiting hospitals and schools, you need to ask yourself if your canine chum really wants to be a therapy dog. That's the question posed by Steve Dale, host of a nationally syndicated radio pet show and newspaper columnist. He is also a board member of Chenny Troupe, an animal-assisted therapy program based in Chicago, Illinois.

Dale conducted a national survey in 2004 called "The Dogs' View" that had 41 responses from therapy-dog owners in 12 states with the results presented at the 2004 Western Veterinary Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Among his findings:
       • Five percent indicated that their dogs know they are going to visit a facility when they get a bath.
       • Six percent said that their dogs' tails wagged about twice as fast when they arrived at the facility.
       • Twenty-seven percent reported that their dogs get excited when they bring out the special collars or therapy vests, indicating they will be making visits.
       • Twelve percent said their dogs needed to run around and play—let off steam—after emotion-laden therapy visits.
       • Fifty-two percent said between 30 minutes to one hour was enough time to spend at a facility. Any more time, and their dogs would become restless, bored or stressed.
       • Eight percent transitioned their aging therapy dogs into semi-retirement from goal-directed therapy work, such as performing tricks at hospitals, to sitting and being petted at nursing homes.

"To my knowledge, this is the first survey of its kind and I sure hope it's not the last," Dale says. "Animal-assisted programs can change lives even save lives. However, it's just as important that the dogs' needs are met, too."

Whether you are in the backyard or touring the hospital ward, always praise your Lab for a job well done.

"Therapy dogs do get stressed and I can tell with Murphy because he is not as eager to follow commands and is more distracted, such as wanting to spend more time at the water bowl than working with the patients," Brennan says. "That's my cue he wants to stop."

Brennan continues: "Working at a mental facility is a big challenge because a lot of the residents don't have verbal skills." This may be more difficult because both the dog and handler must rely on the person's body language, as they are not able to communicate their exact needs as clearly.

To prevent burnout in Murphy, Brennan limits those therapy visits to once a week. "I know of a person who does a therapy program with her dog every night of the week," Brennan adds. Too much therapy work takes an emotional toll on both the handler and dog, and runs the risk that the dog may no longer work. "My advice: Find a program you like and stick with it—otherwise you'll burn out yourself and your dog."

Peter Cern of Hewitt, New Jersey, and Bailey, his 10-year-old chocolate Lab, knew it was time to retire from therapy work after eight years. Ceru saw the signals in Bailey: He was less active and seemed to want to spend more time visiting one person at the hospital rather than making the rounds.

Bailey has a new volunteer job: He serves as a temperament test dog for canine therapy candidates. "A therapy-dog candidate is brought up side by side with Bailey and we look to see if the dog pays a lot of attention to Bailey or ignores him," Ceru says. "We prefer that the dog ignores Bailey. It's okay if the dog does a little sniff, then leaves Bailey alone."

"When Bailey was a therapy dog, he was tolerant, intelligent and a big mush," Ceru says. "Some Labs make great agility dogs; others make great hunting dogs. Bailey was here to be a great therapy dog."

Arden Moore is the author of numerous pet books, including Healthy Dog: the Ultimate Fitness Guide for You and Your Dog (Bow Tie Press, 2004), Real Food for Dogs (Storey Books, 200]) and Dog Parties: How to Party With Your Pup (Bow Tie Press, 2004). She shares her Oceanside, California, home with her dog, Chipper, and three dog-friendly cats. She can be reached through her website: www.byarden.com.