One more week until Graduation!

Four weeks have gone by very fast and Otto has done great. He has come a long way in Therapy II class with the Good Dog Foundation. This week we find out if he passed the course and can be certified as a therapy dog. BTW I was asked where the classes are held. Class is held at Camp Bow Wow in Long Island City in Queens just under the entrance to the 59th Street Bridge. This place is a wonderful doggie day care and overnight kennel that Otto has stayed at from time to time. Its wonderful place and every night the dogs get a goodnight treat in their own private areas and they play classical music for them.
Anyway, we await an email from our trainer to see if Otto and I are ready.
On another front we've selected the theater for the show! We will be returning to the Producers Club this Spring. More details to follow as the she show comes together.
Keep 'em clean

Otto starts class-The Good Dog Foundation

Sunday was the first class for Otto and I for the Good Dog Foundation. Our puppy is learning to be a therapy dog. Well that's for other people, he's been therapy for us since we got him. The Good Dog Foundation helps train owners and their dogs to make health facility visits to help folks heal, kind of like clown rounds but with dogs. We figured he's so good with everyone and has such a great temperament that he should do this kind of work....he has a gift!  Check them out www.gooddogfoundation.org.
We both did great on the first day of class after getting over some jitters. I'll update our progress as the five weeks of classes go by but please check out their web site its a great organization.

The next news is that we visited the theater and we are looking to do another edition of CIRCUS BICUSPID this Spring. I'll send out lots of notice about dates and tickets when they are finalized.
That's it for now...Keep 'em clean.

NYU College of Dentistry Performance was great...

This past Saturday from 9-1 Dr. Molar Magic teamed up with Dr. Rabbit from Colgate to entertain all the kids as their parents completed the registration forms for the dental screenings. A few adults actually got into the act posing for photos with Dr. Rabbit and me. A successful day working with everyone and the staff at NYU working the screening were a friendly bunch who enjoyed the day as well.
I enjoy being asked to go back to perform at my Alma Mater. The school has certainly changed since I graduated in 1994 (boy I'm starting to feel old). An excellent institution constantly striving to improve oral health care for NY and the world....

On another note...Otto aka "four paw the clown" continues to train and come out of his shell. Hopefully he'll be ready to join the act by the beginning of 2012. He's also been registered for training with the Good Dog Foundation which will train him to visit hospitals and nursing homes to make people smile. And who wouldn't smile and feel better while petting this adorable puppy. Check them out at
www.thegooddogfoundation.org
that's it for now Keep 'em clean

"you made her day..."

Some days clown rounds are pretty routine. Things go well, we get laughs and smiles, but every once and a while we get a special comment that makes you feel good about what we do.
The Pediatric unit was light on Sunday, a few smaller kids and a few teenagers (the word sends a chill down my spine). There was one teenage girl who looked pretty bored, after all there is very little to do in a hospital bed on a Sunday afternoon. The in came the clowns, and she "allowed us" to perform and play with her. We did our stuff, Phineas juggled, Pupperdoodle danced to our music and told her best jokes, and I did some mystifying magic. ( Okay it was the cut and restored rope, but I do it very mysteriously) This patient stopped being a patient for about 10 minutes and went back to being a person....she laughed and groaned at our bad jokes and when we were done she said thanks. Off we went to the next room.
Then as we passed back down the hall she waved and her mother came over to us and told us that she was very down about being here and you really made her day.
This was the little reminder that we are there for a very important service and we had the privilege of helping this young lady feel better that day.
Until next post.....keep 'em clean!

Clowning at Camp Sundown

The team spent last weekend clowning and working with the campers at Camp Sundown. This is a camp for kids and young adults with Xeroderma Pigmentosa. This rare disorder makes it potentially lethal for them to expose their skin to the sunlight or other bright lights. (Please google this disorder for more info)
Through a clown friend who has worked with this camp since it opened we were able to go up during the day and spend time juggling and doing magic with the campers. Pupperdoodle spent hours doing glitter tattoos on everyone. We enjoyed a great dinner made the local fire department with these remarkable campers and their parents. The after dinner show was great! The campers did a skit and performed. the Mothers performed and then the clowns performed. The kids did great with our "Old Macdonald Had a Band". We handed out instruments to groups of kids to chime in when the song came to them. Phineas and I did some physical comedy stuff and our friends Moonlite and Sparky did a great cake gag ending with Sparky sitting on Moonlite's birthday cake. The room was filled with smiles and laughter....what better way to spend the day.

As a parent this weekend was very special for me on many levels. We have helped fund raise for this camp in the past and have known about it and the people involved in it for years but you can NEVER appreciate what other people and families go through unless you get there and get involved. Each one of my kids spoke to me after the camp and expressed to me the appreciation and respect they had realized for the campers and their parents and the entire project...it made my wife and I very proud.

After the show and one or two last group songs, (about 11pm) we said our goodbyes, packed up the car and headed for home. The campers were going out to play! And the night was still young.
This camp experience was very special and I look forward to working with this camp and these folks again in the future.

Brookdale Hospital Health Fair a Hit....

What a great weekend. Saturday was spent at the annual Brookdale University Hospital Medical Center's Health and Wellness Fair. The whole hospital turned out in front on Rockaway Parkway in Brooklyn to meet staff, get health related screenings and see what local vendors had to offer. As always they had a bounce house for the kids and this year the DMM Foundation team brought our brand new ToothZone-GolfZone! 6 holes of mini golf for the kids to play and play they did. Along with the play came questions about teeth and  practicing good oral health care. We all had lots of fun.....
And as an added  bit of good news, for those who have been following the history of the Foundation, the Magic Van made it there and back this year. No breakdowns to report!
That's it for now....keep 'em clean

WOW what a great day-Walk for Autism

The team went to clown at the annual Walk for Autism Speaks Sunday morning and what a cool event. First, the weather was perfect, the attendance was the best ever and we had a blast. Clowning with the crowd was not to be beat. The music was great and we danced with families and their kids. Phineas and I juggled and everyone Pupperdoodle went near got a sticker. The enthusiasm of these families to support their kids was energizing.

Next it was on to nephew's BarMitzvah where Phineas was asked to perform his street act. He juggled the egg, bowling ball and rat trap! The egg made it without a scratch. Next he did his knife juggling routine that won him first prize on the boardwalk at Coney Island last Summer. The kids loved it.....
A great day for our troupe......
Until next post....Keep 'em clean