Story Time goes to the Dogs!

January 17, 2010- Orange Beach, AL -Otto Behr and Oscar Bashford were special guests at the Orange Beach Public Library story time Tuesday, January 12, 2010. Otto and Oscar are certified therapy dogs. They were accompanied by their owners Ron and Meredith Schmidt, who are certified therapy dog handlers. The children listened to dog poetry, snacked and worked on crafts while they visited with the dogs. Otto and Oscar happily greeted each child as Ron and Meredith shared information about therapy dogs.
Oscar and Otto are Schipperkes, a small breed of dogs that originated in Belgium. Any dog that can pass the training requirements can become a therapy dog. The Schmidts and their dogs are certified through Therapy Dogs Incorporated; whose company headquarters is located in Cheyenne, Wyoming. Their function is to bring smiles and joy to people in libraries, schools, senior centers, assisted living facilities, memory care facilities (i.e. Alzheimer’s), hospitals and hospice.

For more information on story time, visit the Library website at www.orangebeachlibrary.org or call 251-981-2923.