Pet therapy visits fulfilling for owner and her dog
“I had my dog, Zena, for years, but was wanting a second one. I didn’t have time when I was working. So as soon as I retired, I got Tara. I started volunteering with Emma’s Hugs at the medical center in Houston, giving out free parking tokens. One day while I was there, I saw four or five dogs with their handlers coming down the hall. I went to see what it was all about, and I learned they were with Faithful Paws doing pet therapy visits. And I was like, wow. I just retired. I just got a puppy. I love people. I love dogs. This is what I want to do.
“Tara is 5 years old now, and we’ve made more than 150 visits. I talk to her all the time. I tell her, ‘When I got you, I had no idea the doors you were going to open, the places I was going to see, and the people I was going to meet.’ We visit places like nursing homes, assisted living residences, hospitals, hospice facilities and schools for special needs kids. We’ve also gone to libraries where children who are struggling readers get a chance to read to our calm, quiet pets.
“People tell me all how much they appreciate what I do and how I’ve got this big heart. But truth be known, I’m kind of selfish. I do this for me. I love that other people get enjoyment from it, but it really fulfills me. I can tell that Tara enjoys it, too. When we have a visit scheduled I’ll say to her, ‘We’ve got a job today,’ and she knows what it means. When we arrive and I get her out of the car, she just has this air about her. She’s almost prancing going into places. She’s real confident.
“If there’s such a thing as reincarnation, I want to come back as a therapy dog. They’re very well taken care of by their owners, they get to go to neat places, and people love on them and pet them all the time. I want their job.”
— Robyne Gold, with Tara
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