By Amie Rodgers

Once a week, Bob and Linda Gates (best known for their work with the annual Run to the Pines car show) visit Solterra Assisted Living. Although they are nice enough people, it is their down-right-loveable Chow-German Shepherd mix Ossita that gets all the attention. Whilst Ossita worked the room, I recently had the opportunity to find out more.

Who is your furry friend?

Bob: “Her name is Ossita, which means ‘little girl bear’ in Spanish. We call her Ceta. We’ve had her since she was just a little puppy. When we ran the fairgrounds, we had her with us all the time. After we retired, I noticed there was a need for a therapy dog at Solterra Assisted Living so I looked into whether she quali­fied, which she did with flying colors. She is now fourteen and at her age, we bring her down here once a week and spend an hour with the residents. We have between six and fourteen people come down to the lobby and see her. There are a couple of ladies who don’t get out of their rooms much and when they feel like it, we take her up to their rooms to visit. She has been coming here every week for a couple of years now. Last year, a gal by the name of Pat (who had told me she didn’t like dogs), threw her a birthday party. There was a carrot cake, a bag of carrots, some doggie treats, balloons… everything. She is pretty well spoiled here. Nan here at Solterra brings her water every where she lies down. She really loves it here.”

Carrots?

Bob: “Therapy dogs aren’t supposed to ‘have’ anything when they are visiting, but I couldn’t deny these ladies anything like that. They all wanted to give Ceta a treat. She likes baby carrots. We bring a bag and a number of the residents bring carrots now. She visits with each person and has a carrot to two then goes and does what she does best, lies down at your feet lovingly. There is a serious need for therapy dogs in Navajo county, especially in hospital settings. Those interested can get the information from Summit Healthcare for getting certified. There are Therapy Dog International guidelines for therapy dogs and aside from the carrots, we stick to them closely. A dog needs a very even temperament to be a therapy dog. As you can see, she has a very even temper. Therapy dogs are not supposed to even attempt to get something off the floor during their visits. Loud places are not supposed to bother her.”

This appears very rewarding.

Bob: “It really is. It costs a little more than average because we do things like regular grooming. She gets comes in contact with a lot of people. She is certified every year through Therapy Dog International. She receives regular check ups with her veterinarian. There is very little extra expense and the pleasure we receive from bringing her to visit far outweighs the expense. She’s fourteen years old now. I figure she has about another year before retirement.”

For more information about therapy dogs, please call Bob Gates at 928-368-5325 or email at rgates@frontiernet.net.