By Chase and Jan Tomlinson
I always thought my mom was really busy teaching dog training and doing other things, but no, she always has time to come up with these ideas that involve me!
Since we have had such a tough year and we have not been able to do our therapy dog visits to the hospital, she decided to do something about it and give back to the community in a different way. I saw her looking on the computer at little stuffed dogs that looked just like me. Why would she be doing that when she has me?!
Pretty soon, one of these little dogs arrived in the mail. When she put it down on the floor, I barked at it and sniffed it all over to see if it would move. Nope! Just stood there like a rock. So, I decided that it wasn’t alive and was no threat to me. Then I heard her say, “This is going to be called the CHASE Project and this is Chase Jr.” Then she was putting one of my old therapy vests on it and decided to give it to her eye doctor who had helped save her eyesight.
So, Chase Jr. went to live at Sedona Eye Care and everyone loved him so much, my mom decided to find people to donate money and get a bunch more to give to the hospital for sick kids and other patients. Pretty soon, people started sending money to help buy more Chase Jr’s.
I know the sound of the UPS truck, and one day it stopped in front of our house and delivered FOUR boxes to the door. When my mom opened the boxes, they were filled with Chase Jr’s. Oh, No! What did that mean? Was I going to have to live with 41 little Shelties? I just want to be an only child and have a nice, relaxed life. Then the truck came again and delivered 41 therapy vests.
I guess I was going to have to supervise and train all of these therapy dogs! So, our job began to brush each one and put the vests on them. Whew! That was a big job for me since I don’t have any thumbs to adjust the straps to make the vests fit on the dogs.
Now my mom started to contact the places where I and my other doggie friends used to do therapy visits. That included the hospital, The Haven, Austin House Assisted Living, and Gracious Grannies Assisted Living in Cottonwood. Meanwhile, I’m trying to herd all of these little things back into their boxes to be delivered to those places.
We also decided to take one to Northern Arizona Dermatology, Jochim Family Practice, and Airpark Animal Hospital (my doctor!). When the patients or doggies get nervous, then they can just hold and hug a Chase Jr. therapy dog to make them feel better!
After hearing about this project, Donna Michaels, Yavapai County Supervisor for District 3, decided she needed a Chase Jr. in her office. Now we were going big time! So, my mom and I took a Chase Jr. to her office to give to her. There was another lady there, Elaine Bremner, Director of Meals on Wheels for the Verde Valley Senior Center in Cottonwood. She and Donna thought it would be a great idea to give a Chase Jr. to people who would like one and deliver it with their Meals on Wheels.
Now that I’m famous and the star of the Verde Valley, I really think my mom should buy me an RV with my name in big letters and lots of stars painted on the side of it! Then we could deliver Chase Jr’s to all the people. I thought my job was over and I could relax, but it looks like I’ll be busy training and supervising many more Chase Jr’s for their therapy work. You never know when you might run into a therapy Chase Jr.!
HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO EVERYONE
From Sir Chase!
