Even though my boy is the most gentle dog, (120lbs) I still don't think people would want to have him walking around a hospital, he has a tendency to make people nervous.
You have a point with breeds, if you believe that certain breeds can never be trained to work with people without aggression (which I do not, but YMMV).
But Hair, even you must agree that size should not be an issue with therapy dogs. Collies and Labradors can reach 90 lbs and above and still be wonderful at lifting the spirits of the infirm without posing ANY THREAT!
I've even heard of miniature horses and llamas doing therapy work :)
I was not making a point about whether I think THIS PARTICULAR dog should be a therapy dog. My point was that size and breed should probably not be a concern when a therapy dog has been trained and certified. It is a fairly long and arduous process, and as far as I know, has not failed yet.
Sorry....;~D
She was talking about the particular dog when she said it. You shouldn't parse it. She had allowed therapy dogs in her facility, but upon learning THIS dog's history, she said "Aggression is aggression,"..."I don't think he should be a therapy dog, especially because of the breed and the size of the dog. To me, that's really scary."
It's aggression that is scary, especially considering this dog's breed and size.
Even though my boy is the most gentle dog, (120lbs) I still don't think people would want to have him walking around a hospital, he has a tendency to make people nervous.