Visiting Pet Teams of South MS holds puppy graduation for newest therapy dog teams

Visiting Pet Teams of South Mississippi held a puppy graduation over the weekend to honor this past year’s therapy teams and their services.

The dogs honored at this graduation all passed evaluations last July and helped serve the community through the therapy program the past year.

This year’s class featured three first-year therapy pups as well as eight re-registered pups who have done the program for two or more years.

The new pups were honored with a blue bandana and a graduation cap as well as a bag of goodies while the re-registered pups received a yellow bandana and a bag of treats as well. Visiting Pet Teams of South MS Coordinator Michael Bowin said, “The service we provide is really I don’t think like any other. The animals have just a certain presence that generally most people will bring a smile to them. They’re very happy to see the animals and they enjoy spending the time with them.”

Four handlers received Presidential Awards. Two received Bronze Awards for 100 plus hours of service, one received a Silver Award for 200 plus hours, and another received a Gold Award for 500 plus hours.