This story of a deaf therapy dog appeared on newson6.com and I thought you would all enjoy it since many of you are working towards your therapy certification. This story was written by Dana Hertneky with News 9 in Oklahoma. The story does however leave out a very important detail. What organization named this dog the Best In The Nation? It would be nice to know but when I went to Google it I could not find out anymore information. Without knowing who named this dog Best In The Nation, it is only half of a story. Anyway here it is.

Enjoy! ~ Christina Lee – Deaf Dogs Rock

BETHANY, Oklahoma — A Blanchard therapy dog has been named the most magnificent rescue dog in the nation. She was saved from a no-kill shelter eight years ago by a Blanchard family who was looking for a special needs dog. What they didn’t know at the time was how saving her life would make such a big difference in the lives of others.

Photo of Patience

At The Children’s Center in Bethany 9-year-old Patience is one of their favorite visitors. Patience is certainly patient. “She’s been hit, she’s been bit, she’s been run over by wheelchairs, you name it,” said Billy Thomas, Patience’s owner. “She just takes it all in stride and waits to get petted again.” But perhaps she’s so good at her job dealing with special needs kids because she can relate, and kids can relate to her.

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Patience is deaf and uses sign language to communicate.”I never had a deaf dog, so I thought why not,” said Thomas. “She had been adopted several times and people brought her back.”But once home with Billy, he discovered with just a little time Patience could learn sign language and because of her kind disposition he decided to train her to be a therapy dog.

To read the full story, please click here to go to Oklahoma’s Own NewsOn6.com