A Magical Moment at the DFW Airport on June 14 between two K-9 Crew volunteers Dan Swanson and Mary Ellen Cavanaugh. They both meet through the Ambassador program in 2019. Two years later, they begin dating and did almost everything together-including volunteer shift with their pups.
See the video 🥰
Congratulations to Dan and Mary Ellen
Thank you so much for your giving your time for our Art Creation Day. The kids LOVED having the dogs there, it really was amazing! Our 22 patients spent the day creating beautiful works of art. Each piece will be on display at NorthPark starting April 1st - 29th. We hope you are able to go see the exhibit!
You helped CCF spread smiles and healing. We are incredibly grateful!
Please click on the pictures above to scroll through…
Thursday, December 17th. It was the perfect weather. It was the perfect timing. It was with the perfect dogs….Heart of Texas Therapy Dogs! No, they didn’t get to be touched or receive hugs, but they got to strut their stuff in front of seniors driving by to pick up their meals. They had their pictures taken (over and over again) and they walked in a parade down through the drive-thru lane. It was obvious the owners needed to get out a little, but it was the dogs who really showed the excitement! They hadn’t forgotten what it meant when their “special” collars came out of the drawers and their costumes came out of closets. They KNEW it meant they were heading out for therapy work! As you can see from the pictures, they did NOT disappoint! The Carrollton seniors LOVE the dogs! And, the dogs LOVED the seniors.
It's been a long time since we've been able to test therapy dogs. On October 24th, Saturday, SIX teams were tested and they all passed the initial ATD test! Mark Drucker and his dog, Beau (a Doberman), Heidi Hill and her dog, Cocoa (a Boykin Spaniel), Amy Jent and her dog, Bliss (a Lab), Michael Kowalski and his dog, Stella (a Great Pyr Mix), Lori Lampe and her dog Piper (another Great Pyr), and Jocelyn Robinson Regel and her dog, Alfie (a Schnoodle) all came out and did outstanding. Congratulations to everyone! Also, A BIG THANK YOU to member, Mary Cavanaugh, for opening her residence for the testing! It was a pleasant day outside for testing. We even had a group of horse and riders ride by! Click on the pictures below to scroll through and see all of the fun! #therapydogsatwork #therapydogtesting #heartoftexastherapydogs
Please click on the pictures below to scroll through…
The Heart of Texas Therapy Dogs were invited to visit the Medical City Arlington nurses, doctors, and other employees on Wednesday, September 9th, with our therapy dogs. We were so excited to finally put smiles on their faces, after having to be on hold for so long this spring and summer from therapy visits. I even chose to make the one hour drive to be able to participate! We were set up right outside the front entrance of the hospital during a shift change, so we would see the employees leaving their shift, along with those just arriving for work. Buses shuttle employees to the hospital from the employee parking lot. So, when they got off the bus, we were ready to meet, greet, and put smiles on their faces!
Everyone enjoyed all the dogs, as you can see in the pictures. They were so happy seeing the dogs and getting to pet them! It started their day with warmth and smiles. The employees leaving their shift were ready to go home, but after seeing the dogs, they stopped just to get a hug from the dogs and to pet them. It was awesome! It is always so rewarding to put smiles on their faces! One woman’s father had just passed away. When she saw the dogs, she hugged all of them with tears filled in her eyes. Just that one moment can make such a big difference in someone’s life! It took her mind off, if even for just a few moments, what she was going to have to deal with in the hours, days, and months ahead. It brought a smile to our faces along with emotional tears.
It was early, having to drive to be there at the hospital at 6:30 AM, but for just one moment being able to put a smile on someone’s face, it was so worth it! We will definitely do it again!
Written by Mary Cavanaugh
Please click the pictures below to see all the pictures in a carousel!
Caleb, Daniel and Emma (Labrador) made a special visit to UTSW on Monday, August 10th, for Employee Recognition Week! Here are a few photos from that day.
Check out this video from our member, Tom Crowley. While Tom moved to Arizona about a year ago, he continues to be a part of the Heart of Texas Therapy Dogs and to serve the community in Arizona with his wonderful dog, Rocky. So, turn up your volume and enjoy this video of a day in the life of Rocky!
What an incredible morning at the Methodist Richardson Medical Center (MRMC)! Thirty minutes before the Navy Blue Angels were to fly over the MRMC, we received word that the HOTTD teams that serve at the hospital were invited to come cheer on the nurses, doctors, and volunteers that they know and love so much. The dogs were quickly cleaned, groomed, and loaded up for the first “therapy” visit in quite some time. The dogs “went nuts” when their therapy collars were brought out of the storage drawers! It’s times like this that make you realize just how very much your dog enjoys their therapy visits!
When we arrived, we put on our masks and positioned ourselves 6 feet apart and held out the hand sanitizer for anyone wanting to pet the dogs. The dogs were so excited to see everyone again and recognized “favorites” who came over to pet them. Oh how wonderful to see favorite healthcare workers, staff and volunteers again! The dogs even got the pleasure of meeting the mayor of Richardson, Paul Voelker. He asked a little bit about the training, certification, and “job” of what the dogs do at the hospital. PR folks!
Then, the really exciting moment came! The Navy Blue Angels soared overhead with smoke trailing! The crowd cheered for the incredible, spectacular display of the jets flying overhead! What a sense of pride, patriotism, and HOPE was felt in that moment! But then, the cheering turned and focused on the incredible healthcare workers who have selflessly given and fought to keep the community safe, through their care. The focus on the healthcare workers, now, has been wonderful, but we need to remember that these individuals have chosen a livelihood that puts the needs of others before their own. They are taking care of our community each and EVERY DAY of the year. So, for all the “Front Line” workers out there working to keep us safe, THANK YOU! Thank you today, yesterday, and tomorrow! And for those of you who serve at MRMC, the dogs are ready to return whenever you think it’s safe for them to return. Then, they will be there, again, for YOU!
Our dogs were able to celebrate and cheer on the Healthcare workers at Methodist Richardson Medical Center as the Navy Blue Angels flew overhead.
Last Friday, May 1, Roz and Rusty, Starr and Emma, and Daisy and I had the opportunity to visit with the staff at UTSW - Clements Hospital. Needless to say, this was an extremely controlled visit; every dog was bathed within 24 hours of the visit, every human was wearing a mask, the dogs were spaced at opposite ends of 6 ft tables, every team was issued a bottle of hand sanitizer and every person was required to use the hand sanitizer before and after touching the dog. Each volunteer and employee had our temperature taken before interacting. Authorized by the hospital, I bought chlorohexidine dog wipes and we used them after every 5-10 people had interacted.
You can see from the photo that we were set up in the breezeway between the staff parking garage and the employee entrance. You can also see that they had 6 ft tape lines on the walk, mostly for their morning "crowd control" but it worked for our purposes as well. We had 30 mph wind that day; I joked that we had our own "negative air pressure" space for the visit.
We were there from 1-3pm and their shift changes at 2pm. We had about 100-120 employees visit with us. They had a photographer there who took both social pictures and photos of every employee's ID if contact tracing becomes necessary.
UTSW may invite us back to do additional staff-only visits at their hospitals. UTSW- approved volunteers, please let me know if you are interested in participating in these visits!
Sheryll
What is this “New Normal” our humans keep talking about? Well, we don’t like it!
It’s been over a month since we’ve visited the kids at Lovejoy Elementary and had them read books to us (oh how we LOVE that!). Sometimes the kids don’t even finish reading their book (why should there be time constraints??), but the suspense holds us over until the next month when we get to head back!
We haven’t gone to the airport to have people tell our parents over and over again how we’ve made their day or to get kids who were crying to stop and pet us, only to realize they were no longer sad. And those special treats they call Puppacinos we would get at the Starbucks in the airport! We really miss those!
We haven’t gone to the Methodist Richardson Hospital to visit patients who were sick or waiting for surgeries…or to calm families waiting in the Surgery Waiting Room, awaiting news on their loved ones. We really do miss the nurses, too! They are so nice and love to pet us, also! We hear they are on the “frontline” and are really working hard to make everyone well. I had no idea they were getting fleas and ticks and needed Frontline, too! And oh, the gift shop in the hospital that gives us the best treats on the planet after we have volunteered! YUM!
We haven’t even gone to the Arden Courts Memory Care Community to love on their residents! They play the nicest Cajun and Ragtime tunes on this thing they call a piano! Yep, we miss that, too.
We don’t know what has been going on, but it’s been going on for over a month! Gone are the endless baths! Gone are the super fun car rides! Gone are the wonderful sessions of love from children, patients, travelers, and residents! One minute they are telling us dogs to maintain a “2 foot rule” and suddenly, it is changed to a “6 foot rule”! How can I sniff my pals back end from 6 feet away?
Do you know what we’ve been doing since then? Troy (my BFF from down the street) and I have been working our “tails off” sewing masks, that’s what! Troy cuts fabric and performs quality control, while I do the sewing. Rain and Maserati (our other neighbors) are supposed to be helping us. However, every time we turn around, they are messing around, dressing up in bunny ears, and playing with the masks! Why do girls think everything is some kind of accessory? And Scout and Angel? They haven’t even shown up for work since day ONE! They’ve been MIA. Then, they sent us pictures of themselves WEARING THE MASKS WE’VE BEEN WORKING ON, telling us they have a bunch of our fabric pieces being held hostage and that if we don’t send treats, they will burn them (just because you hide your face behind a mask doesn’t mean we can’t tell who you are, Scout and Angel)! Is this some kind of Chihuahua thing?
There has got to be some kind of mistake going on! We’ve gone from being lavished with luxury car rides and sweet lovin’ from people, to working in a sweat shop making these silly masks! My mama says we will be making these masks until the virus is over and everyone is safe again. I sure hope Frontline or someone else comes out with something for this virus people are getting soon! We want things to go back to the way they were with our dog therapy visits! Until then, I’ll dream of books being read to me, strangers petting me and telling me how wonderful I am, and sinking my lips into those Puppacinos again.
No Great Danes were harmed in the making of this commercial.
FOR HIRE:
Orion, 5 month old Great Dane, willing to work in all types of weather; rain or shine
Accomplished at hole digging, water splashing and mud spreading
If you need a hole for a tree or a pool dug, I’m your guy.
My mom said I have to earn my keep since it will be a few months before I am ready to go to work as a therapy dog. I eat 12 cups of kibble daily, so I need the work.
I am also accomplished in giving soulful puppy eyes, so modeling jobs will be considered. My ideal job is sharing smiles and joy to everyone. I give wet kisses and sweet snuggles, so I am well on the way to a great career with Alliance of Therapy Dogs.
Antics of Orion playing in the mud.
Sophie's been a bit stir-crazy from missing her therapy dog work, classes, and trials. Plus the rain has kept us in a lot. On a walk yesterday, spur of the moment we found a way to entertain a family hanging out on their porch. A few blocks later we performed a few tricks for a couple of children in a wagon on a walk with their mom. Sophie needs a bit of work on this long-distance stuff, because there were no pats involved!
Last month, at the suggestion of our human relations manager at the Dallas Symphony, Debi Pena, I brought Winston to the office for some stress relief. Well, he was a big hit, as you will see in the photo I’ll send separately. I’ve been in the Dallas Symphony for 57 years, and this was a first!
A week or so later I was asked by Sarah Whitling, Director of Strategic Initiatives, if I could bring Winston to a morning concert we were to play for families dealing with autism and other special needs. We were to meet with the audience before and after the concert. Since I would be playing, someone would need to handle Winston during the concert.
Naturally, my wife Sandy, volunteered. We got two tickets for her and Winston, another first! We have had service dogs at our concerts from time to time, so there is ample space to accommodate them.
We went to the lobby an hour before the concert was scheduled to begin and met the families as they entered. Some rushed right up to him, which he is very used to; and some were fearful and hesitant, not unusual given the uniqueness of the event. One very frightened young girl was lovingly coaxed to touch Winston. She shrieked and backed away, at first; but she was eventually persuaded by her mother to stroke Winston’s coat. The smile of joy on her face was wonderful!
Then it was time for me to go onstage to prepare for the concert, so I escorted Sandy and Winston to their seats in the back of the hall. It was a thrill for me to look out into the audience and see them watching and listening.
After the concert I went to the lobby to find them, surrounded by admirers. As word spread, more and more families approached us. There were many many photos taken, and as they say, “a good time was had by all,” especially Winston.
I’ll send photos separately. Unfortunately, I don’t have written clearances, but I’m sure there would be no objection to using the one of the symphony staff, or the ones of Winston and me and Sandy; especially the one of the two of them in the back of the Meyerson enjoying the concert.
Cliff
Our friends from Crisis Response Ministry called Sheryll Barker asking for a therapy dog for a young sexual assault victim. A teenage victim had requested to have a therapy dog present as she sat in court with her attacker, who was convicted of continuous sex assault of a minor. The victim was to give her deposition at this hearing where her attacker would receive his sentence. Sheryll put the Victims' Services Advocate in touch with Kristi Rooks. The rest of this story is from Kristi.
When we arrived, we went into a very empty courthouse. This case was the only thing on the docket and no other judges were holding court this day. All activity had been halted due to the virus, except for this case. They were trying to keep in line with the low number gathering rule.
We went to the courtroom and met the victim's grandmother and aunt. The aunt got a text that victim had arrived with their mother so she went to meet them at the front door. It took them a while so I took John on a walk in the hall in front of the court room. As we approached the main hall, I saw a gaggle of teens walking toward us. My dog crossed me, which was shocking because he never breaks his perfect heel. He bee-lined for a young person in the middle of the group. Sure enough, this was the victim. She got down on the floor and said, "My dog is here!!!!" The victim petted and petted until they were called to come down to the court room. She said to me, "Don't leave my side. I want the dog next to me the whole time." Due to germ protocol we had to sit two chairs from each other but I just put John between us. He laid at the victim's feet. When her attacker was being questioned, she became upset. John sat up and got her attention..Victim petted and petted, which broke her visible sadness. John never left her side. It was such an honor to get to be there, supporting the victim and her family.
When we walked out of court room, the family and friends all came to see John. One said, "After that we all need some therapy dog time." Before we left, the victim had a moment with John telling him how he helped get her through the morning. Someone called her over during her time with John, she replied: "Wait a minute I'm talking to MY Dog.... telling him bye."
I'm so thankful and honored to get to be a part of this victim's journey to healing.
All this being said...John was amazing. But, the real hero of the day was the victim. That day had to have been a very hard day for them.
The family took lots of pictures with John. I will attach ones that do not show the faces of those involved.
Thank you, ATD, for allowing us to stay within germ protocols and still make visits.
Peace and Health be with you all,
Kristi Rooks
Enjoy this interview with our VP of Activities!
Thanksgiving is the perfect time to reflect on all that makes us grateful - past, present, and future!
Heart of Texas Therapy Dogs has been operating for over fifteen years, and shared love, smiles, and tears in our community.
We are thankful for the longtime friends and seasoned therapy dogs, enthusiastic new friends and their canine companions, and the memories of dearly departed friends and faithful canine therapy dogs who embodied everything Heart of Texas Therapy Dogs represents.
For all of this and more, we are deeply grateful.
As our program expands in membership and therapy destinations, we are also grateful for new technology. Granted, the technology is not necessarily new, but it is an addition to our group. One of these advancements is a new blog section on our website. We hope you are both inspired and emboldened by the stories shared here.
May we continue to be grateful for what we have had, what we have, and embrace what we are becoming as individuals and as a therapy dog community.
Diane Gossett and her newly registered dog, Caleb, and Sheryll Barker and her latest registered dog, Emma, at Methodist Dallas
For the past two semesters, I’ve taken evening Spanish classes at a local High School. For this semester’s final, we had to do a three minute talk.
They say you should write about what you know. So, as my topic, I submitted Therapy Dog work. In Spanish, that’s “terapia con perros”. My instructor was very enthusiastic about the topic.
Between ATD and HOTTD resources, I had a wealth of information to help me with my presentation. I narrowed it down into a three minute overview, and decided to request permission to bring “a visual aid”, my dog Rocky. Again, my instructor was very supportive.
So, on the night of the final, Rocky and I walked to the front of the class. I instructed him “siéntese” (sit down). Rocky proudly showed his understanding of the Spanish language, and we sailed through our final together.
Most of the other folks in the class were teachers and school administrators. At the end of the evening, two of them made inquiries on how to get Rocky and some friends into their school for Final Exam week. More on that as it develops….
Tom Crowley & Therapy Dog Rocky after their Spanish final exam
