Today Lucas and I finally got a chance to be something else besides stockdog and owner.  We became a Therapy Dog Team at Ten Sleep School.  I have worked towards this day for over a year.  We began when Lucas was a puppy and not yet old enough to be registered as a Therapy Dog.  We were practicing with full understanding and cooperation of Ten Sleep School, teachers, parents, and children.  Unfortunately, someone had to bring a lawyer into the mix, and we were banned from school until we became fully registered.  We then had to wait for Lucas to turn one year old.  We had to pass the Canine Good Citizen test.  Lucas had to be proven disease free with all the tests and costs of those tests.  We had to have 3 letters of recommendation written for us.  We finally had to join Therapy Dogs, Inc. of Cheyenne, Wyoming.  And today, yes, today! we entered the school, Lucas wearing his blue vest, and visited children!  We are listening to children read out loud.  Lucas lies quietly, the kids pet him, their blood pressure and stress levels drop, and soon, the words are flowing out to Lucas’ unjudgmental ears.  We will go every Tuesday.  Every Tuesday we’ll have a different calling… a chance to help some children learn to enjoy reading.