Therapy dog is a good listener
Dana Mailhot and Ariel, a registered therapy dog, will be making an appearance at the Creemore branch of the Clearview Public Library Dec. 6. In the New Year, children are welcome to read to Ariel to improve their literacy skills.
Ariel is a willing listener for children wanting to read aloud.
The two-year-old whippet-boxer cross is a registered therapy dog. Ariel and her owner Dana Mailhot will be making regular appearances at the Creemore branch of the Clearview Public Library.
Therapy Tails Ontario tested Ariel’s temperament and deemed her suitable.
Mailhot said Ariel was very low key and showed no aggression when faced with people in different scenarios
Ariel is a rescue dog. She was found emaciated during a raid at a puppy mill in Texas with 40 other dogs. A rescue operation got her into foster care before she was euthanized. Mailhot adopted the dog in March through the foster home but it wasn’t easy getting her home.
Because it was cold, she said, the airlines wouldn’t fly with the dog in the cargo hold so Mailhot waited and eventually a friend who works as a long haul trucker was assigned a run to Texas.
“She picked her up at the Walmart parking lot and Ariel rode shotgun all the way home, 3,000 miles,” said Mailhot.
Mailhot said she decided to register Ariel as a therapy dog because she has always had an interest in volunteering.
Mailhot runs a boarding facility in Mulmur Township for dogs, called Club Amarillo, home to her four rescue dogs.
Mailhot and Ariel will be at the Creemore library on Saturday, Dec. 6 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
They will also be making regular weekly appearances at the library in the New Year. The schedule is yet to be determined.
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A parade after-party is planned at the Creemore branch of the Clearview Public Library on Saturday, Dec. 6 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
After the parade and a visit with Santa at Station on the Green, head to the library for soup and free family activities.
The library is offering a number of Christmas craft tables and displays. Meet special guests, Mailhot and Ariel from Therapy Tails, and learn about their encouraging and non-judgmental reading program, which entices children to be more comfortable with the written word. The library’s computer expert will also be on hand to answer any computer related question.
The library is located at 165 Library Street.
