By: Charlie Holder
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (UATV) – Pet Partners’ pet of the year candidate, Sir Edmund, threw a party for therapy dogs in Downtown Rogers.
The Let’s Paws for Love event was a celebration of therapy dogs and what they do for people. Therapy dogs and their handlers work together as a team to improve to the lives of other people.
Therapy dogs are trained to provide comfort and affection to people other than their handlers. All the therapy dogs in attendance are a part of Love on a Leash NWA. Each dog in the group has different locations that they visit.
Regular spots they visit include the Mercy Hospital, elementary schools and the University of Arkansas. On the first Tuesday of every month, the therapy dogs walk around Garland Avenue to greet Razorback students, this day is called FURst Tuesday.
Pet Partners is a national organization that teaches handlers how to provide comfort to those who need it.
“What they do, in serving nationally, is helping people like myself with Sir Edmund. We learn how to become a handler, we learn how to go to different settings,” Sir Edmund’s handler Kelly Stockman said.
One therapy dog, Honey, spends some of her time at the airport, greeting passengers in the terminal, coming and going. Honey’s handler Beth Robinson said that she is very grateful for this experience.
“They don’t even have to know my name, they just have to know Honey’s name and just to see how they react to the dog, it’s really a blessing,” Robinson said.
Kelly Stockman said that there are tough conversations where she doesn’t know how to respond, that’s where Sir Edmund comes in. Because in situations where you don’t have the words, dogs don’t need them.
“What do you say when you go into a situation where a family is having to say goodbye to a loved one, but with Edmund, you don’t need words,” Stockman said.
From working with children to visiting seniors in assisted living, these therapy dogs are making an impact on people’s lives in a PAW-sitive way.