This is Heidi.

Heidi is a Papillon.

Papillon is the French word for butterfly but Heidi isn't a butterfly: She's a dog.

She's a dog with ears that look like a butterfly.

As a therapy dog, Heidi visits

people in a nursing home.

Many of these people are in

wheelchairs,

some use walkers,

and others have canes.

All of these things can be very scary for a little dog. Heidi has been trained not to be afraid.

Heidi loves to visit with everyone but she has to behave properly while she is in the nursing home. She has to sit quietly and be patient.

Heidi is also an agility dog. This means that she runs special obstacle courses designed for dogs.

She jumps all different types of hurdles. She runs through tunnels, over dog walks and A-frames, and up a huge teeter-totter.

Heidi loves going to agility and showing off how quickly she completes the course.

She doesn't just run fast: She has to time everything just right.

Heidi's favourite thing to do is chase squirrels.

Chase the Squirrel is a really great game but the squirrels always win.

Heidi will sit very quietly and very patiently, until a squirrel comes out. When Heidi sees the squirrel, she waits until just the right time to pounce.



Then the chase is on!