News

Paws Giving Independence

May 29, 2020

Paws Giving Independence is a service dog program based in Peoria that trains dogs to help people with various disabilities. During the pandemic, training looks different and PGI is finding new ways for trainers to teach important skills. “There’s still people out there that have disabilities and need these dogs,” said Michelle Yuen, director of […]

Top Dog Missy

May 29, 2020

Missy, a 4-year-old Shetland Sheepdog,is owned, trained and shown exclusively by Wallingford resident, Linda Houle, who has groomed, trained and showed Shelties for 45 years. Missy is her 10th. Her dogs have traeled around the US. and Canada, provided pet therapy at nursing homes, won many photo contests, and have been featured in a TV […]

Virtual Comfort From Therapy Dog

May 29, 2020

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Cathy Robbins and her five-year-old therapy dog, Finn, would visit multiple patients at Riddle Hospital in Pennsylvania a few days a week. They would share moments together comforting patients and their families — like the coma patient who physically shifted at Finn’s touch, or the patient who briefly woke from […]

Animal Welfare Charity

May 29, 2020

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, is an avid animal lover and dog mom, so she’s doing her part to assist the U.K.–based animal welfare charity Mayhew as it struggles amid the ongoing coronavirus crisis. According to Newsweek, the duchess has been making secret calls to Mayhew, which is currently experiencing financial hardship due to the global […]

Therapy Dogs Zoom

May 29, 2020

In less trying times, the kids and dogs would meet at a Washington-area library, but due to COVID-19, the program has moved to the video-conferencing app Zoom. Each eager reader is paired with two dogs who listen to the story during the 30-minute sessions, with varying degrees of attentiveness. During this time, the readers gain […]

Dogs Smelling The Virus

May 29, 2020

We all know dogs have a great sense of smell, but can they sniff out the COVID-19 virus in people? Everything has an order to it, to dog it’s not that big of a deal but to us it is. Dog’s sense of smell is so above and beyond what we we’re able to smell […]

Therapy Dog Abigail

May 29, 2020

On Friday, the Florida pup will be featured on Disney+’s newest episode of It’s a Dog’s Life, a show that highlights two amazing working dogs and one “Hometown Hero” pooch each episode. Abigail, a bait dog turned therapy pup is this week’s “Hometown Hero.” “She is going to be the newest Disney Princess,” Megan Steinke, […]

Hero Dogs

May 29, 2020

Two Mid-Missouri dogs remain in the hunt for recognition as national heroes. Olive and Sobee have moved on to the semifinals for the 2020 Hero Dog Awards, an annual nationwide competition recognizing America’s hero dogs. The two were nominated early this spring for consideration for the award. Almost half a million votes have been cast, […]

Therapy Police K9

May 29, 2020

There’s a new top dog at the Dilworth Police Department, but she’s not like any police dog in the Metro. The Dilworth Police Department says Keely is the first therapy and community service dog in the area. She was sworn in this week. Keely is a 10-month-old lab from a Detroit Lakes shelter. You won’t […]

Guide Dogs Goes Virtual

May 29, 2020

Leanne Wilson doesn’t go anywhere without her dog, a black Labrador retriever named Kanyon. The dog guide is not only a beloved companion; he helps the Welland resident, who is blind, maintain her independence. “Kanyon guides me around and helps me with things like crossing the street and navigating all the sidewalk furniture — things […]