Category: Therapy

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First Therapy Dog To Work At A Police Station In Iowa Passes Away At 13

The state of Iowa’s first ever therapy dog to work at a police station has crossed the rainbow bridge on Monday, December 02, the Iowa State University Police (ISUPD) shares in an Instagram post.

The therapy dog, a Golden Retriever named Zosia, was originally born in Poland but lived in Iron Hill Retrievers in Delmar, IA for the first five years of her life.

Her career as a therapy dog began in October 2017 after going through rigorous training.

“Zosia began volunteering at multiple organizations in Story County and warmed the hearts of many,” ISUPD shared.

And it was on March of 2019 when she finally became the first therapy dog to work at a police station in the state of Iowa.

She worked with ISUPD for over five years before retiring in May of this year.

In ISUPD’s heartfelt message to Zosia, they revealed how the pooch touched the lives of thousands of community members and how “her kind and caring soul helped so many.”

“The majority of her time was spent comforting individuals working through mental health related concerns,” the Police Department shares.

“She responded to crisis calls, visited classrooms and residence halls, helped with mental health trainings, greeted incoming students at orientation, and supported individuals who came to talk about the difficult things they were experiencing.”

“She loved on people so well,” ISUPD Mental Health Advocate Supervisor and Zosia’s owner, Kinsey Hauser told the Iowa State Daily. “It didn’t matter who you are, what you’d gone through, she didn’t care. She loved everyone the same.”

Aside from being a therapy dog, ISUPD also shares how Zosia was the “best mom”.

“She had a few litters of puppies and multiple were donated to service dog organizations,” ISUPD reveals.

Zosia is reportedly survived by Hauser and her family, her grandson Zebediah, and great granddaughters Sydni and Lena.

“Zosia will be profoundly missed, fondly remembered, and forever cherished,” ISUPD wrote.

“Her legacy lives on through her grandchildren and the work they do at the Iowa State University Police Department.”

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The 2nd Annual First Responder Paws Therapy Dog Award Is Here, And It’s Full Of Paw-mazing Contestants!

FHE Health announces the nominees for their annual First Responder Paws Therapy Dog Award and the list is nothing short of paw-mazing furry friends!

FHE Health, a national behavioral health provider, has created the nationwide contest to “showcase therapy dogs everywhere in the many roles they fill, while also shining the spotlight on therapy dogs that assist first responders—and the critical need for more such dogs, both in South Florida and in communities across the U.S.”

Furthermore, the First Responder Paws Therapy Dog Award is also FHE Health’s way to advocate the need for more therapy dogs for first responders across the country.

And for this year’s First Responder Paws Therapy Dog Award, the list of nominees is full of good boys and girls! Some of the most notable nominees include:

  1. Deputy Dally of the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office. He is a 7-year-old GoldenDoodle who has been working as a Therapy K9 for 4.5 years. His most notable case involved the kidnapping of two young kids, after the vehicle the kids were in was apprehended, Deputy Dally provided much needed comfort to the kids until their mother arrived.
  2. Willowbrook if the LA County Sheriff’s Department. This little fella is proof that even the little dogs can make big impacts in their community. Willowbrook has been rescued from a backyard breeder and survived parvo. At 5.5 pounds, he has visited 6,000 sworn personnel and 8,000 civilian personnel in L.A. County.
  3. Raven of the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office. On his first day of work, he helped de-escalate a situation involving a man who wanted to take his own life. Thanks to Raven’s encouragement, the man was able to peacefully surrender. Way to make a great first impression on your first day at work!
  4. Lacy of the 911 Call Center in Austin, Texas. Lacy walks the aisles of the call center to support Fire, Police, and Sheriff’s Department. But Lacy’s most notable work was when she provided comfort at Uvalde Memorial Hospital after the horrific school shooting.
  5. Murphy of the Terrie Hess Child Advocacy Center. Murphy is as busy as a bee, but the work she does make a difference in the lives she touches. She supports victims of child abuse and first responders who investigate and prosecute these cases. She also supports first responders and the youth as a volunteer at Canine Caregivers Therapy Dogs.

The First Responder Paws Therapy Dog Award has a total of 29 nominees and the Top 10 finalists will be chosen through public voting, which is now open until December 04.

According to FHE Health, “The finalists and first-place winner will be chosen by a small committee with representatives from FHE Health and FHE Health’s partner organization First Responders Pack Foundation.”

And the winner of the national award will receive the following prize:

  • Gift Basket From Chewy.com
  • $2,000 check in support of their work
  • Free national publicity, including a feature blog that reaches more than 100,000 people on social media and a press release announcing the news
  • A “Top Paws Therapy Dog Award” badge for placement on their website or blog in recognition of their status as one of 10 finalists
  • A $2,500 donation made in their honor by FHE Health to our partner organization First Responders Pack Foundation, which exists to train more therapy dogs for first responders

Last year, the winner of the First Responder Paws Therapy Dog Award was a two-and-a-half-year-old mutt named “Sergeant Bo”.

He went from being a stray roaming the streets of Florida’s Indialantic Beach to providing much-needed comfort and security to the Covenant School Shooting victims in his first three months as a therapy dog.

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Man Asks Roommate To Move Out Because Of His Emotional Support Dog

A man is going viral on the famous Reddit community, “Am I The A**hole? (AITA)” after sharing his dilemma about telling his roommate to move out because of his emotional support dog.

In the 26-year-old man’s Reddit post, he shares that he has been roommates with a guy, he referred to as ‘Jake’ in the post, for about two years.

The man shares that Jake has been a decent roommate and they get along quite well, not until recently.

“Jake has struggled with anxiety for a while, and earlier this year, he got an emotional support dog, a small terrier mix,” The anonymous 26-year-old explains. “I was fine with it at first, even though I’m not a dog person, because I wanted to be supportive.”

But here’s where it gets bad – “this dog has turned my life upside down” the man admits.

Why, you might ask? Well, the man reveals that the dog is a very badly behaved dog. “It barks constantly when Jake isn’t home, chews on furniture, and has accidents all over the place,” the man explains.

The man said he had tried talking to Jake about the problem and has also offered a few solutions for Jake to correct the dog’s behavior.

“He’s always apologetic, but nothing really changes,” the man writes.

Furthermore, when presented with the options to correct the dog’s behavior, “Jake claims he can’t afford it.”

Man holding his dog
AJR_photo / Shutterstock.com

The issue has gotten so bad that the man dreaded coming home after a long day at work. He said, “I dread coming home because I know I’ll be dealing with the dog’s mess and noise.”

“I work long hours and really value my peace and quiet when I’m off, but that’s impossible now,” the man said.

So, the man addresses the elephant in the room with two choices that he thinks would solve both his and Jake’s problem: move out and find a new place or get rid of the dog.

However, Jake didn’t like both options, and got really upset with the man. “[He] said the dog is essential for his mental health, which I understand, but I didn’t sign up to live with a poorly behaved dog.”

The man then reveals that after asking Jake to move out or get rid of the dog, their relationship has been “super tense”.

He proceeds to say that Jake has been calling him heartless and is punishing him for needing support.

On top of that, a few of their mutual friends are siding with Jake, saying that the man should be more understanding since it’s a mental health issue.

However, the man said, “I feel like I’m sacrificing my own well-being here.”

The man now asks the AITA community, “Am I the A**hole?” which the community responded with a big NO.

One Reddit user wrote, “Tell all your friends they are welcome to let him and his poorly trained badly behaved dog move in. His mental health is not more important than yours!”

While another user pointed out the dog’s breed and how people don’t know how to choose the right kind of dog for their lifestyle. “Terriers do bark. They’re high energy and very sensitive if you don’t train them properly, it’s a nightmare,” they wrote.

Another Reddit user also pointed out how irresponsible Jake is as a pet owner. They said, “Jake isn’t being punished for having mental health needs, he’s experiencing to consequences of being an irresponsible pet owner who won’t train his dog.”

What do you guys think?