News

2020 Therapy Dogs

June 4, 2020

Graduation is being celebrated by many, but one special group hasn’t been able to show Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Seniors how much they mean to them– until now. Therapy dogs have had a large presence on campus since the horrific tragedy on February 14, 2018. The four organizations assisting the school are Canine […]

Story Of A Loving Therapy Dog

June 4, 2020

Almost a year had passed since the death of my beloved 14-year-old Scooby-Doo, an exuberant 70-pound shepherd mix, adopted from the SPCA in 2002. Newly retired from a health care management and teaching career, I started looking for a dog with thoughts about doing pet therapy work. I found Buster on the internet at a […]

Moose The Therapy Dog

June 4, 2020

Moose (now Dr. Moose) has been providing support to students and staff at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University for six years. During that time, the yellow Labrador Retriever has participated in more than 7500 counseling sessions and 500 outreach events. He’s also struggled with his own hardships since being diagnosed with prostate cancer […]

Love On A Leash

June 4, 2020

When Dianna Milam’s husband asked her to get involved with hospice patients about 10 years ago, she thought the task might be more than she could handle. Dr. Jeffrey Milam frequently cares for patients who are approaching an end to life. He sees many people facing that circumstance alone, and he thought his wife could […]

Blind Therapy Dog

June 4, 2020

As Pat Ward drifts from one window to another, she holds a sign to the glass, hoping the residents will notice her arrival rather than startling them with a knock. The poster features a red heart with a smiling face and closed eyes, an homage to the four-legged star of these visits. Baby, an 8-year-old […]

Puppy Love

June 4, 2020

They started out in rough circumstances, some born in the dirt under a truck, with most of their littermates dying in their infancy. But three little Labrador retriever pups have flown into a future where they are going to make a difference in the lives of people who need their help. About nine weeks ago, […]

Lockdown Bringing Owners Closer To Pets

June 3, 2020

If you have a beloved cat, dog, or other pet, chances are you’ve been seeing a whole lot more of them over the past few months. We’ve all been spending more time at home because of COVID-19, and a new survey of 1,000 dog and cat owners finds that quarantining together has brought many owners […]

Emotional Support Animals Help Students

June 3, 2020

Macy Garrison lives off campus with her emotional support dog, Stella, that helps her ease depression. “I have always been someone who has struggled to make friends, and I knew that coming here would be hard for me to adapt, ” Garrison said. “Struggling with depression, I needed something to keep my mind off of […]

Pet Therapy Program

June 3, 2020

When experienced pet handler Linda Dunn moved to Jacksonville, she approached numerous hospitals about starting a pet therapy program. When she shared this vision with Wolfson Children’s Hospital leaders, they saw it as an innovative way to improve patients’ experiences. Dunn promptly joined the Wolfson Children’s Auxiliary, established the program, and made the hospital’s first […]

Stay-At-Home Orders Affect Pets

June 3, 2020

There’s that saying, “You don’t really know someone until you travel.” (From personal experience, I have found this to be true.) Flip “travel” with its opposing counterpart, and the following can be equally true: “You don’t really know someone until you’ve experienced extended stay-at-home orders together.” These experiences, however, need not be negative—and need not […]