I have been a nurse practitioner in a pediatric private practice for 13 years. I love my job with Pediatric Associates of Richmond, but there are many busy and crazy days. My relaxation? It’s a dog’s life! I have four chocolate Labrador retrievers: Ginger, Nutmeg, Tarragon and Sassafras – also known as the Spice Girls. Through them, I have become involved in dog sports and therapy dog programs.

I got into dog sports after acquiring my third dog, Tarragon. At the age of 6 months, she became too much for her owners to handle, so I took on the challenge. I found out she is over-the-top active and needs a job to keep her out of trouble. Through classes at All Dog Adventures, we discovered the joy of human-canine sports. It turned out that giving her something to do gave me escape and relaxation, and the other dogs have joined in, too.

Tracking activities with the dogs are my favorite. This is a sport form of canine search-and-rescue in which dogs follow the scent of an article such as a glove or piece of clothing. On weekends, I head to fields or the woods to lay a track, hiding articles for the dogs to find later. They love it! We continue to train for tracking and agility with Janine Simmons at Paws Plus Training. Tarragon earned her TD tracking last year, and Sassafras, my 14-month-old puppy, earned her title this past November. Even my “old girls,” Ginger and Nutmeg, have begun training.

“Dock Dogs” is another event that Tarragon participates in. Dock Dog competitions involve the dog running off a 40-foot dock into a pool or lake. The distance the dog jumps is measured. Since there are no venues for competition in Richmond, Tarra has traveled to Virginia Beach, Maryland and Pennsylvania to participate in National Dock Dogs events. They are great fun, and all kinds of dogs compete.

We have also dabbled in agility events, which involve the dog running an obstacle course. For me, this is Alzheimer’s–prevention therapy. It involves moving through the course while signaling the dog, so I have to be thinking while running. There is no way you can think about work as you are doing this, so it is a total distraction.

Finally, for a dog activity that’s less strenuous but still fulfilling, there’s participation in therapy dog programs. My two older dogs, 10-year-old sisters Ginger and Nutmeg, are members of a group known as Caring Canines. They participate in visits to nursing homes. Seniors themselves, Ginger and Nutmeg obviously feel very special when they put on their working Caring Canine capes to make their visits. They love all the attention and special pats. The nursing home residents seem to enjoy the visits as well, and often they start talking about their pets.