Twice a month, Pet Partners Happenings, our email newsletter, delivers a dose of warm & fuzzy therapy to your inbox. Our eNews contains details on the latest happenings including events, Therapy Animal Program developments, and more, along with additional information that may include highlights from our Take The Lead blog, Pet Partners in the News, relevant research and legislative activity, or one of our Featured Teams, whose stories are included below.
Are you subscribed to our newsletter? Don’t miss out on these inspiring stories and other updates on what we’re doing to bring the human-animal bond to everyone who can benefit!
Take a look below at our featured teams and the wonderful work our volunteers and their therapy animals do to improve human health and well-being through the human-animal bond.
Glenn calls Luna “the Love Dog” because she has so much affection to give. Together they bring that love to the reading program at their local library, supporting young readers.
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Lauren & Nico recently took on a special role: partnering with a therapist who helps children overcome a fear of dogs. A little girl benefitted from this unique partnership.
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For the 5th annual World’s Largest Pet Walk, Pet Partners of Greater Dallas is acting as the Walk Champion in honor and memory of one of their most dedicated volunteers.
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Tiger sometimes wondered if she and Duke were making a difference with their visits. An urgent call for a client nearing the end of life showed how much of a difference they do make.
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Lisa & Koi visited a Seattle high school to provide stress relief. The day started rainy but brightened up in time for the visit, and students had a much brighter day due to the team’s visit.
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Pet Partners was on hand to greet all visitors at the Dandelion Festival, which celebrates the children of military families. There were therapy dogs, sweet treats, and happy moments for everyone.
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Geralyn & Pearl are a therapy cat team who needed an evaluation. Dee is a team evaluator who had never evaluated a cat team. Support from Pet Partners helped make the evaluation event a success for everyone.
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Jo adopted Jhun, a pigeon, from a bird rescue. Jhun turned out to be calm and fearless. Now they are spreading the word about therapy birds in their community.
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Pet Partners of Akron-Canton recently launched a reading program collaboration with a local school. Albert & Alli were the team to make the inaugural visit.
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Scott and Katie first registered as a Pet Partners team in 2017. Over the past five years they have visited many locations and settings. Their accomplishments are so impressive that they have been recognized for it in many ways.
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On a December Thursday, a large group of young children and their parents visited the Museum of Natural History in Heraklion, Crete (Greece) to take a class with a very special teacher: Basquiat the therapy dog!
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Nancy knew early on that Tempo would be a good therapy dog, and she was excellent at her job for many years. When cancer struck, Nancy reached out for support from the Cancer Care Fund so Tempo could go on working.
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Mary and Rosie started the process to become a Pet Partners team in 2019. It took some time for them to gain all the skills they needed, and then COVID-19 hit. But they’re now registered, and they’re making up for lost time.
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Pet Partners volunteers in Connecticut recently attended the Westport Dog Festival. It was a great day for them, for AAI, and for a special instance of the human-animal bond.
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Roslyn & Abbey have been a Pet Partners team since 2018, and were chosen as the Walk Champions for the 2021 World’s Largest Pet Walk due to their dedication to Pet Partners and their work as a therapy animal team.
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In Santa Clarita, CA, some Pet Partners volunteers are providing a helping paw to other working dogs, allowing everyone to expand their impact for the community.
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The hospital asked Joyce & Keith to visit with their mini horses to support overwhelmed healthcare workers. These minis make a major impact on the staff.
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Charlena and Sweetie Pie make a great team, and Charlena chose to honor their partnership with a sweet poem.
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The pandemic delayed Judy and Beau starting their work at the school library, but they were so excited to finally go for their first day on the job.
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Cheyenne is just a dog. But as a therapy dog, Cheyenne and handler Tim help take away some of the suffering of humans, like on this visit to support healthcare workers dealing with COVID-19.
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Marcia and Chance had their 400th visit in October 2020. They’ve been able to continue making visits and supporting their community through a variety of alternative visit types.
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Tracy and Roger have been a Pet Partners team since 2016. Tracy talks about the power of working with a therapy cat, Roger’s achievements, and her plan to train a new therapy cat to bring the benefits of therapy cats to more people.
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When we said that We Are All Ears is a worldwide reading project, we meant it! Pet Partners team Constantinos and Basquiat used the project as part of a virtual visit to support students at a school in Greece.
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In Georgetown, TX, a local small business makes special efforts to support Pet Partners, so that Pet Partners therapy animal teams can support their community.
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Bridgette and Sully had difficulty finding volunteer opportunities due to COVID-19, so they decided to make their own. They set up a safe event to help students with stress relief.
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Charlotte and Sláinte made visits as a Pet Partners team for nearly 10 years. Sláinte means “health” in the Gaelic languages, and this loving cocker spaniel helped improve the health and well-being of many people during her time as a therapy dog.
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Mark, a retired schoolteacher, and his therapy dog Aiden wanted to help kids in school improve their reading skills. They discovered that doing this work was a learning experience for them as well.
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Bridgette and Sully became a therapy animal team in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite limited opportunities to volunteer, they found ways to connect and bring Sully’s special gifts to people.
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Mary Pecoul has been a registered therapy animal handler for a decade, working with three special shih tzus. She tells the story of the work she feels destined to do, her therapy dogs, and the lives they’ve touched through their volunteering.
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Restrictions on therapy animal visits due to COVID-19 have affected Pet Partners teams across the country. Eva reflected on how much she and her therapy dog Casey miss their regular visits…and her realization about how they still have an impact.
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While National Therapy Animal Day celebrations had to be physically distant this year, many people found ways to demonstrate why therapy animals are so important and celebrate the work done by therapy animal teams.
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Maxx (the Moose) is 115 pounds of sweet and gentle love. Maxx and his handler have been volunteering since 2017, making over 300 visits. Read about how he is warming hearts in the community.
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A moment caught in a photo shows the comfort that a therapy animal team can bring.
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Mondays are a very special day at Woodland Elementary School, because that’s the day Pet Partners therapy dog Mora visits and helps the school counselor with animal-assisted interventions. One student, Nicholas, was so touched by Mora’s visits that he wrote a letter about her.
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Tiger and Duke joined a few of their Pet Partners friends for a visit at Apple Rehab Mystic in Connecticut. Their visit brought smiles and happy tears to all the residents. And Tiger turned the visit into a learning opportunity alongside a few of her mentors.
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Marcia and her therapy dog Chance first met Ashton on the pediatrics floor at Moses Cone Hospital in Greensboro, North Carolina. Visits from the team gave Ashton something wonderful to look forward to week after week, until he was eventually released from the hospital.
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Brandi came to Carol Wahl and her husband as a 2.2 lb., 8-week old rescue dog, and she was in jeopardy of being inhumanely euthanized. After some negotiating, Carol persuaded the owner to let her have Brandi. With a little love and some special care, Brandi became the amazing Pet Partners therapy dog she is today.
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Erin Golden and her husband adopted Sammy, a golden retriever mix, from their local Humane Society in 2007. They began their journey together as a Pet Partners team in 2009 and volunteered in their community for the next decade until Sammy’s recent retirement in November of 2019. Read about one of Sammy’s visits that Erin will never forget.
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Pet Partners team Amy and Meg recently visited a local women’s and children’s facility where they helped educate children on what animal abuse and neglect are and why it’s important to take care of pets. Read about how the team offered hope to children in need.
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Bonnie Strom feels fortunate to have found her rescue dog Maggie McCorkindale at an animal shelter. After overcoming a few challenges, Bonnie and Maggie are now a proud Pet Partners therapy team, who advocate for the importance of rescue animals. Read about Maggie’s journey from rescue dog to therapy animal.
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Abby Chesnut and her therapy rats get an overwhelmingly positive response when they visit schools and libraries. Even when someone is unsure about petting a rat, they usually warm up after seeing how cute they are. Read about how Chesnut is challenging the negative stigma associated with rats through her therapy visits.
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Niki Kuklenski has been registered with Pet Partners since 2006. She’s had as many as seven llamas registered at once, but currently, she has five. In 2017, she added a miniature horse to the team who mostly visits people in end-stage hospice. Read about Niki’s amazing therapy animals and how they’re making a difference for individuals in need.
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Pet Partners therapy rabbit Oreo is black and white, round, and sweet as a cookie. He makes routine visits to a local nursing home and two schools alongside his handler Dr. Elizabeth Lynch. Read about Oreo’s road to becoming a therapy rabbit and how he’s sharing the love with people of all ages.
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Ray Ward is a Pet Partners handler and team evaluator who recently retired after 17 years with the Therapy Animal Program. Ray shares some memories of his time with Pet Partners.
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“A guinea pig as a therapy animal? You’re kidding me!” That’s been the usual response from people when Niki Vettel tells them that she does animal-assisted therapy with guinea pigs. Read about what happens when they meet her guinea pigs.
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Our Community Partner in Little Rock wanted a special celebration for National Therapy Animal Day. Read more about how they made it an extra-sweet day for the community.
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Dan Lee received his blue-and-gold macaw, Buddy, in 2012. The duo hit it off instantly and became a Pet Partners registered therapy animal team a year later. Read about how Buddy is helping kids in his community.
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Tommy came to live with Christy Santoro when he was just four weeks old. He had a severe eye infection and had to have both his eyes removed. But Christy saw something special in him that wasn’t limited by his lack of sight. Read about how Tommy overcame his challenges and became a wonderful therapy cat.
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Our friends at the Human Animal Bond Research Institute recently exhibited at Global Pet Expo. A few Pet Partners teams joined the HABRI booth in the Comfort Corner, which was designed to help attendees relax and relieve stress. Read about how these therapy teams stole the Show!
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Tiny Dancer is a miniature therapy horse registered through Pet Partners. Last spring, she was unable to move in her stall, which resulted in an emergency visit from her vet. After many tests and x-rays, Tiny Dancer was diagnosed with a dislocated femur. Thankfully, this spunky therapy horse is back to dancing again. Read about Tiny Dancer’s incredible journey.
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Tiffany and Daisy, a sweet and mild-mannered black lab, are a registered Pet Partners therapy animal team. For the past four years, the duo has made weekly visits to Joe who lives at a residential mental health facility in Connecticut. Read about Joe’s love and gratitude for Daisy, which is also beautifully recounted in a poem he wrote.
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Marion Nixon has served her community in the Houston area for two decades, as a handler, team evaluator, and volunteer instructor. She’s also been a pioneer in our Animal-Assisted Workplace Well-being initiative. Marion shares her experiences with AAWW visits and the benefits they bring for her Pet Partners as well as the people they visit.
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Dudley and Karen have been a Pet Partners therapy team since 2014. Together, they have made a difference in the lives of countless individuals, young and old, from around the country. Read about their amazing adventures.
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People of all ages have the same reaction when they catch a glimpse of Hirschey: a smile and a wish to pet a welcoming surprise they did not expect to see in their midst. Read about Hirschey’s impact at the Texas Children’s Hospital.
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Some of Judy’s most precious memories with her Pet Partners therapy dog, Ranger, take place at their local senior care facilities. The way the residents respond to Ranger and his calm, loving demeanor is incredible. Read about a few of Ranger’s shining moments.
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When Lorri adopted her cat, Sooshi, she was six weeks old, weighed only 1.9 pounds, and needed to be treated for feline panleukopenia virus. Read about how it was love at first sight for the new-found therapy animal team.
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Pet Partners therapy animals Daisy and Molly welcomed students to the new semester at Scripps College in Claremont, California. Read about how the dogs have become part of the Scripps family.
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At home, Star is a typical mini horse who loves to play and get dirty but once she gets clean and puts on her therapy vest, she becomes a totally different horse. Read how she exceeds therapy horse expectations.
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After years of being a Pet Partners handler and team evaluator, the time has come for Judy Weldglen-Gibson to retire. Read on as she recounts a few of her precious memories as a Pet Partners volunteer.
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Jean Meloney and her therapy horse Stella have visited the New Hampshire Veterans Home numerous times, but one visit in particular stands out. Read the adorable story of a “thank you” they will never forget!
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After Tracy, a Pet Partners handler, submitted an update for her local alumni magazine, she received an unexpected email regarding her volunteer work with Roger the therapy cat.
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Soon after adoption, Kathy and Abby found a special bound that led them to Pet Partners. Learn how Abby brought sunshine back into Kathy’s family!
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Every patient’s bed monitor at Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital has a dedicated “Therapy Animal Request” button that the patient can press to request a visit.
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Pet Partners therapy animal team JR Poe and Buddy were recognized with the Community Hero award by North Carolina Representative Mark Walker on February 12!
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Tim and Quincy have only been a Pet Partners therapy animal team for two years, but Tim was moved by the feedback he received from MacNeal Hospital in Chicago after just a few visits.
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Kate Gutilla has always loved animals, making her the perfect fit for animal-assisted therapy. Read all about what she’s learned through her work as a handler here.
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Beau and Caroline have been a Pet Partners therapy animal team for over 8 years, volunteering 300+ times a year, servicing multiple populations including pediatric cancer, persons living with disabilities, and more! For the fourth year, they were invited to participate in the St. Francis Food Pantries and Shelters annual Christmas party.
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Since 2009, Bill Clemons and his therapy dog, Dickens, have visited with more than 8,000 people at over 60 different locations. Read about some of their most memorable visits as well as the incredible story of their encounter with the great-great-great granddaughter of Charles Dickens.
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Glaucoma hasn’t stopped June and Toto from visiting and giving love to those in hospice care.
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Alan Koch and canine companion Maggie have been volunteering for more than nine years at Our House of Portland where they work with acute-care HIV residents. This month, Portland Monthly magazine named Alan and Maggie “Extraordinary Volunteer” in Portland in its annual Light a Fire Awards.
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Las Vegas is a very tight-knit community and if you are there visiting, even for a short while, you are part of that community. The immediate aftermath of October 1 brought out the best in humanity, in response to the worst. And the therapy animal teams with one of our Community Partners, Love Dog Adventures, were privileged to be invited into the inner circle of healing through our strong partnerships with education and healthcare communities.
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Casaundra Maimone could never have imagined the profound impact Winnie the therapy dog would have on a young patient waiting anxiously for surgery.
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Miguelita’s advice to new teams: Never underestimate the value of what you do. The impact you make may be more than you realize.
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For the past three years, Tufts Paws for People has presented the “Nemo Award” to a team that has excelled at visiting with multiple groups of people, donating their time to bring comfort to others. This year’s recipient is seven-year-old miniature poodle Raven and her handler Stephanie Nye.
Given the choice between euthanasia or emergency surgery, Pet Partners handler Lisa Demetrius-Koukos made the decision to give Ari a second chance at life. Ari will never regain the use of his lower back or hind legs, but that’s not stopping him from sharing his love with all who need it!
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Two years ago, CeCe found herself at a shelter when her owner was no longer able to care for her. As a senior dog with health issues, she was not adoptable. It took several months to restore her health but when CeCe recovered from surgery, lost weight and gained strength, her new owner discovered a calm, sweet-tempered dog who loves to be read to by children.
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Never underestimate the impact of one of the smallest therapy animals! Patti learned that lesson when her therapy guinea pig Bonita made a huge impact on her first visit to the hospital.
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Pet Partners recognizes epilepsy as a condition and not an illness, which means Ruby is allowed to do her good work as long as her seizures are controlled, she feels well, and an emergency plan is in place in the event of a seizure during a visit.
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Read the touching story of a man, his dog, and their journey through life together.
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Junebug the therapy dog could tell the little girl was struggling to turn the page, so she offered a helping paw and they did it together.
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It was getting toward the end of their shift when a nurse approached Laurie and Truitt for just one more visit. She could never have imagined just how impactful that one visit would be – not just for the patient but for everyone around.
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When Maria became the patient, therapy dogs Walter and Holly were able to bring comfort and love to their handler in the hospital like they had for others so many times.
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Saying goodbye is hard. Bentley the Therapy Bunny shares his take on his final visit with one of his favorite friends!
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Among the many volunteers at this year’s Vermont Special Olympics were Peter Hoffman and his dog Smudge, a Pet Partners registered therapy team.
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Recently Diana had to make the sad (but right) decision to retire her therapy dog, Harli. Harli had been battling cancer for several years, and the time had come to just let her enjoy her life.
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Meet Chris and her therapy animal, Harley Rose. They are a new team, and are a little bit different from most teams, as Harley is a pig!
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Long before Freckles was a Pet Partner, he was Verylon’s partner as a firefighter in Somerset, TX.
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