A Little History

Emmi with a new resident.

I did my thesis a long, long time ago on the use of pets as a therapy modality. It was something I was so excited about and people were just starting to realize the value of animals helping people. My first dog, Sundance, didn’t really have the temperament for it. I knew she wouldn’t enjoy it. When we got Halie, I was just too busy to consider adding that to my schedule and she was more into her own people and not other people. Then along came Emmi. We adopted her in 2017. She was very challenging and nothing like Halie. A diamond in the rough as her trainer called her. So, I began the work to teach her to calm herself, to not be reactive on leash, and to become comfortable with people, noises and situations she was never exposed to as a puppy. Even though she got kicked out of doggy daycare (in hindsight it was too much stimulation for her), we did it. Emmi passed her Canine Good Citizen Test in 2019 and we started work towards her being a certified Therapy Dog. Even though Emmi had started out afraid of people, she became comfortable with everyone and it was apparent she enjoyed the interactions. She had gone to work with me for most of those two years and so many co-workers would come in my office to "get therapy" from Emmi and didn't want to see me. I frequently heard, "I'm not here for you, I need Emmi". The pandemic slowed us down but Emmi passed her test and became a Certified Therapy Dog. She was so good at it. She knew when her vest went on, she was working. She seemed to know who needed her and what they needed from her and she truly loved to work. She amazed me everyday with the way she helped people.