This sweet dog was badly burned in a house fire a few years back and is now a proud therapy dog for burn victims. The dog named Taka didn’t have an easy road to recovery and the scars he wears are proof of his struggle.
Chrystal Lesley, the dog’s vet-turned-his-owner says that she’s very proud of him and emphasizes that he’s such a good boy now, which wasn’t the case in the beginning.
She’s been with him from day one. It wasn’t an easy transition considering Chrystal also has other dogs, but they made it through.
Lesley Decides to Train Taka
Taka was starting fights with the other dogs and Lesley wasn’t sure if she could keep him. She says this was breaking her heart.
But, when she was offered to get him trained, Lesley felt a major relief. At first, she didn’t think it’s possible considering he’s an older dog.
But, according to the founder of the Canine Training Project, Mandy Foster, dogs are never too old and they can be trained at any age. Foster adds that in some cases, it may take longer, but Taka is brilliant and he passed his training with flying colors.
Foster said that she has trained a lot of dogs, but training Taka was special. She knew there were problems and challenges and she wanted to help.
Taka’s Path to a Therapy Dog
Taka was first taught the basics and also learned distraction training. Foster explains that therapy dogs need to listen in a distracting environment. She’s also prepped him to become a therapy dog that can work with burn victims.
But, the road to becoming a therapy dog means that he will need to get his AKC Canine Good Citizen. Foster says that Taka has the right temperament for it and the ability to relate to the people there.
She believes that this will benefit both sides.
Lesley Is Thankful for the Training & Being Able to Keep Taka
Lesley explains that she’s very grateful for Foster and all of her help in training Taka. If it weren’t for her, she says, she couldn’t have kept Taka.
Being able to see Taka as someone who encourages others and shows them that there’s a light at the end of the tunnel is what all of this is about, says his proud owner.
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