Dog "Rin” Rasmussen

Located in North Carolina

General Summary:

Rin is a Black and Tan, medium coat full German Shepherd Dog.

Rin is a licensed Therapy Dog.

He’s carried a license issued by Canines for Therapy (under Canines for Service), and a license from WakeMed Trauma Center Hospitals for 4 years at each agency. 

In order to maintain licensure, both agencies require the highest medical and behavioral standards. To that end, Rin receives a Veterinary check up every 6 months, all vaccines and other medical standards are always up to date, and Rin is safe; medically and behaviorally, to work with other animals and humans.  Both agencies require me as handler, to submit and pass a background check and both are drug and smoke-free environments.

He received his Canine Good Citizen from AKC in 2014, and completed a 6 week Therapy Dog training course at Teamworks Dog Training in Raleigh, in addition, he’s completed a 6 week Off Leash Training Course with OLK9 in 2013 and 2014. He is required to relicense every 2 years.

DOB: Unsure; Rin was rescued out of Caswell County in summer 2013, his ‘gotcha’ date is October 2013 and he was 10 months old. For Veterinary purposes, we use that date, and have him at 4.5 years old.

Status: Neutered at 10 months

Personality:

• Well trained

• Intelligent, able to problem solve on his own but also follow commands

• Basic obedience listed below

• Highly Food Motivated

• Extremely Social

• Great with all ages of people

• Great with other dogs, but can be overly friendly with cats and birds and can sometimes bark at horses and other livestock.

• Has been trained to be desensitized to noises, and unusual sights from wheelchairs to camera and audio rigs to rehab facility equipment.

• Has a goofy and laid-back personality

• Rin loves to love; and to be loved.  So, if he’s being touched or petted, he goes into a kind of ‘trance’, so he becomes very easy to handle…he’ll give kisses to encourage more interaction between a human and a belly rub.

• Every part of Rin’s body may be touched. Most dogs don’t like their feet handled or their tails stroked, etc.; Rin allows interaction with his entire body.

Skills:

• Sit

• Down

• Come 

• Shake

• “Place” command to include:  perimeter pad like a towel, blanket, or something as small as an 8x10 piece of paper

• “Elevated Place” command for chairs, benches, etc. Both “place” commands are Place – Hold, so they act as a ‘stay’ command.

• “Touch” command: which means ‘touch’ an object with front paws only.

Experience:

• Rin volunteers once a week at WakeMed Trauma Center Hospital, where he has direct patient contact; interacts with the public, with patient families and with hospital staff. He volunteers 2 hours a week, for the last 4 years.  Rin works with patients who are general medical/surgical patients to cancer patients, cardiac care patients and most importantly, he volunteers with patients who are suffering with a range of mental health issues.

• Rin volunteers once a month at the Butner Central Regional Hospital (which is a secure facility)

• Rin has volunteered at sporting events to help control the tension levels of competitors

• Rin volunteers at Duke University, UNC Chapel-Hill and NC State University to assist with the stresses on undergraduate and graduate students during exam time.

• Rin was cast in a 3 part series ‘Dognition’ on NatGeo Wild in 2014, where he was used as a kind of transition video between segments.  He was in 2 of the 3 segments, “Doggy See, Doggy Do” (May 15) and “Who’s Your Doggy?” (May 16) (https://www.dognition.com/tv)

• Rin has was cast and modeled for a regional Veterinary Pharmaceutical Company, Nutramax.

• Rin is currently shooting an indi film (titled “Katie’s Dog”) in Raleigh, NC. He is the central character and has been filming scenes during every shooting day call. Being produced by Carbon Footprint Productions.

• Rin has his own Facebook Page so that people can follow him; https://www.facebook.com/RinRasmussenTherapyDogSuperstar/

• Rin is the topic of a blog, called ‘Days with Rin’ at: https://lynnrasmussen.wixsite.com/dayswithrin

Quirks:

• Loves to eat ice, apples and peanut butter.

• Loves to play with a Styrofoam cup like a cat with a cat toy.

• Thinks that Ravens, Cardinals and Hawks are The Great Enemy; all of whom must be caught and destroyed for the safety of future generations and life in general on Earth.

• He likes to call his crate a “house” because it makes him feel like he’s made it as a homeowner.

Goal in Life:

• To prove all ‘indestructible’ stuffed dog toys as easy to assassinate as an origami swan, and to leave innocent toy casualties strewn all over the house.