Dog Days of Summer
Meet our Therapy Dogs
It’s August in Winston-Salem, which means it’s hot and humid outside. Since we’re in the dog days of summer, we thought we’d introduce you to the wonderful therapy dog teams that visit the Family House each week to share some wiggles and smiles with our guests.
Bella
Breed: Great Pyrenees
Birthday: January, 31, 2011
Favorite toy: A soft ball made out of cloth
Favorite treat: MilkBone! Any flavor will do.
Favorite part about being a therapy dog: Getting petted and loved on
Other jobs: She also visits Trellis and NC School of the Arts
Ellie
Breed: Mixed
Birthday: March 8, 2014
Favorite toy: no toys! She eats them!
Favorite treat: peanut butter
Favorite about therapy: Ellie loves having her belly rubbed and will roll on her back to let anyone know. When she first started at the Family House, she connected with a man and would watch for him at each visit. Recently she spent the evening with a lady who hadn’t come out of her room all weekend. Ellie was happy to stay for some extra time with her. She also has a favorite group that cooks-they always come rub her belly.
Other jobs: Ellie loves to go anywhere with people but her two favorite places are the Family House and South Fork Elementary where she listens to 4th graders read.
Emmie
Breed: Cairn Terrier
Birthday: December 10, 2008
Favorite toy: laser light
Favorite treat: carrots
Favorite part about being a therapy dog: She loves giving nose kisses when she’s being held.
Other jobs: Emmie is a volunteer therapy dog at Wake Forest Baptist Health and visits leukemia patients.
Madison
Breed: Maltese Poodle
Birthday: August, 17, 2006
Favorite toy: Mr. Squeaks
Favorite treat: Anything jerky!
Favorite part about being a therapy dog: Madison loves making new friends and seeing old friends at the SECU Family House. She has so many fun memories, but the love and happiness shared at each visit always stands out. She loves the SECU Family House and its guests!
Other jobs: Squirrel herder, kitchen floor inspector, neighborhood watch and professional snuggler (and also does therapy dog visits at nursing/assisted living homes and local events – i.e. Walk to Defeat ALS)
The Minns Pack
Evie, Koda, Neo, and Ivy
Evie
Breed: Akita
Birthday: 10/16/2009
Favorite experience: Having folks come to pet me.
Koda
Breed: Hound/Lab mix
Birthday: 12/25/2010
Favorite experience: cuddled up with resident on the carpet.
Neo
Breed: Pit bull
Birthday: 01/11/2013
Favorite experience: Giving kisses to anyone that wants them.
Ivy
Breed: Pit bull
Birthday: 09/13/2016
Favorite experience: cuddled up with resident on the carpet.
Their favorite treats: Dental Sticks
Their favorite part about being therapy dogs: They love to see familiar people again and meet new people. Then it’s the ride to and from the visit facility, and always, to be with friends.
Their other jobs: Trellis, Nursing care centers, Universities, Medical teaching centers.
Nanook
Breed: Samoyed
Birthday: October 14, 2011
Favorite toy: He’s not a big fan of toys.
Favorite treat: His favorite treat is Grandma Lucy’s treats and popcorn
Favorite part about being a therapy dog: His favorite thing about being a therapy dog is making people smile. He loves to work with children in any way. He always has a great time at Teens in the House, The WS Special Olympics and the 2 Down Syndrome Association of Greater Winston-Salem events, The Buddy Walk and The Deacon Dash.
Other jobs: Nanook is super busy pup. When he is not doing his volunteer work in the community he can be found working as a demo dog at his mom’s dog training center or doing local community theater. So, far he has starred in Annie (twice), Will Roger’s Follies and Frozen Jr. as Sven!
Pepper
Breed: Cockapoo
Birthday: February 1, 2017
Favorite toy: Whatever my sister is playing with or my stuffed Opossum.
Favorite treat: Anything mommy will let me eat.
Favorite part about being a therapy dog: Giving kisses! We were lucky enough to meet one family three times. They were donating a kidney to save the life of a child. The last time they were at the Family House, we saw them the day before the surgery. We stayed in contact via text and were asked to come back for a special visit the day before they returned home. That was an awesome experience and on the night of our special visit, there were several children who so wanted to see a Therapy Dog so that made it extra special.
Other jobs: We also participate in the Deacon Dash, Buddy Walk and recently visited the Salvation Army Center of Hope. We have also visited Heritage Woods and Brighton Garden as well as an Elementary School Career Day.
Pistol Annie
Breed: Australian shepherd mix
Birthday: April 15, 2014
Favorite toy: Frisbee-soft kind
Favorite treat: Lean Beanz crunchy treats
Favorite part about being a therapy dog: Watching the love/happiness wash over someones face when they are loving on me
Other jobs: Sharing love/puppy kisses with others, babysitting for the new baby boy in our family-Colton is 6 months old….and I know he belongs to me!! I take my job very seriously!!! 🙂
Sammie
Breed: Lab Mix
Birthday: February 19, 2010
Favorite Toy: His favorite toy is any type of stuffed animal
Favorite Treat: His favorite treat is any type of peanut butter or cheese flavored treat
Favorite part about being a therapy dog: Sammie’s favorite thing about being a therapy dog is helping people feel better as they talk about their own dogs or family members.
Other jobs: Sammie’s other jobs include visiting the Ronald McDonald House, Encompass/Novant Rehab Center and his mom’s kindergarten classroom.
Santana
Breed: English Cream Golden Retriever
Birthday: July 6, 2015
Favorite toy: Her favorite toy is a rubber spider named Squeaky. She loves having Mommy and Daddy throw it so she can fetch and then have us chase her.
Favorite treats: Cloud Star Grain free Wag More Bark less Peanut butter and Apples.
Favorite part about being a therapy dog: Santana just loves her visits, especially to the SECU Family House. She enjoys the open setting and the people can get on the floor and snuggle close. She smiles the whole time and please don’t walk by without coming to pet her. She loves giving kisses to those who want them and she knows how important her job is bringing comfort and joy to those who need it most.
Other Jobs: She visits Brighton Gardens, Clemmons Village, NC School of the Arts when she can and also local walks and charity events. She truly is a sweet girl and was born to be a Therapy dog.
Zoleigh Ann Doodle Doo, aka Zoey
Breed: Beagle
Birthday: November 6, 2014
Favorite toy: Her Stuffed Owl
Favorite treat: Carrots, but as a beagle, she isn’t picky! 😉
Favorite part about being a therapy dog: Sitting in peoples laps and snuggling with them.
Zoey met a lovely lady at the Family House, who had lost her beagle unexpectedly while she was at the Family House getting her surgery. Zoey just sat in her lap and let the lady cry and hug on her. The lady was very appreciative to have that time with another beagle that showed love like her dog. She said it was such a comfort and true therapy that she needed after her loss.
Other jobs: Puppy Picasso Painter; Pet First-aid Class Model; Car Companion; Sofa Softness Tester; Bird Watcher; Greeter (wherever she is)