Wandering the Atherton hallways, there’s a good chance you’ll see Mrs. Belcher with a dog attached to her hip. But who is she?
Lola Belle Belcher is our school’s therapy dog! Her job is to provide pet therapy to students who can sit with her, pet her, or just be with her.
Mrs. Belcher adopted Lola from a breeder near Harlan, Kentucky. She is a mix of a bernese mountain dog, and a poodle – a berniedoodle!
Lola joined our Atherton family three years ago when Mrs. Belcher asked Dr. Fluhr if she’d be willing to allow her to train Lola to become a therapy dog.
“Her temperament was just different than any dog I’ve ever had,” said Belcher.
To start her job, Lola had to go through different rounds of training.
She started off with puppy training, learning basic obedience. After that, she did adult leash training learning different and advanced skills. Then, she did a 12 week program through canine good citizens learning to not be reactionary to loud sounds, and to behave in public.
She completed her training by doing a 6 week program with WAGS, a pet therapy group that Mrs. Belcher is a part of. All of these skills helped her prepare for her evaluation to become an official therapy dog.
Lola’s favorite treats are peanut butter and cheese, and she loves the snow, as well as a game of fetch.
She will be turning 4 on April 29th, make sure to give her a treat!
