Where did you serve and what did you do?
We have more than 200 visits at the Delaware Veterans Home, State of Delaware. For that privilege we have received the AKC Therapy Dog Excellent patch. Dolly is certified with Paws for People based in Elkton, MD (Star qualification, the highest) and with the National Capital Therapy Dogs (based in DC). It is NCTD and is affiliated with the Veterans Home.
Tell us how your dog is helping you continue #StillServing in your community.
Due to the pandemic, the Delaware Veterans Home is not allowing pet visitation so we are not currently serving the community. We do have a brick at the Delaware Veterans Park (fundraising brick) to commemorate her service at the Veterans Home.
My dog helps me get through the good and bad times. I wrote a brief article about this for my regional Breed Club newsletter and I would love to share that with you. It tells of my dog’s courage and how she helped me through a very bad year even though she suffered two serious diseases. And when my husband was interned in our lake behind our home, Dolly was there, a big part of the ceremony and helping me remain calm. (the article details this with photo).
I have been part of a therapy dog team for almost two decades. I have written about the experience in many venues. But this last year, my dog helped ME and I honestly don’t know what I would have done without her.
Why do you do it?
Don and I are both Life Time members. I am with Blue Hen (Milford) and he is with Camden (DE) for local affiliation. Don died on Aug 24, 2020. My dog helps the veterans and she helped ME get though painful visits with my husband who suffered from Frontotemporal Dementia and lived at the Veterans Home for 5 years before his death.