Therapy Dogs of Vermont

12/08/2025

Maple, along with her handler, Robin, were hanging out with one of her bosses (Bri one of the volunteer coordinators) at the Respite House before starting her job of making residents, visitors and staff smile!

Way to go Maple (and of course Robin) for creating huge smiles!

12/08/2025

Penelope and I went to the First Lego League competition yesterday at Rutland High School. All of the competitors, as well as their families, and the volunteers, loved having a therapy dog attend their event. The stress from the competition ended up overwhelming a couple of the kids, and Penelope helped them to calm down, and return to the competition with huge smiles on their faces. Thank you Rutland Area Robotics, Rutland High School, and the Bee Bots from Rutland Intermediate School for allowing us to attend, and enjoy this amazing competition with you!

If you think that the kids your school, or the people at your retirement facility, hospital, or other professional or educational environment, would like a visit from a certified therapy dog team, please request a visit here - https://therapydogs.org/request-a-therapy-dog-visit/

All of our teams are volunteers, and do this in addition to our normal jobs, family responsibilities, and other day to day tasks, so we can not guarantee that we will be able to fulfill every request, but I can promise that we will do our best to help everywhere we can!

12/02/2025

I had the pleasure of attending the National Dog Show Therapy Dog Symposium today. One of the topics was about how dogs can impact the lives of children who are incarcerated. The presenter was the Animal Assisted Intervention Specialist for the Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice, and she spoke about how their Rescue 2 Restore program, that she started, has helped hundreds of children, some of whom have committed violent felonies, develop self esteem, patience, compassion, and for some, experience love for the first time. While this isn't exactly "therapy dog work", it certainly is therapy, and it involves dogs, and it definitely is about helping our youth to better themselves, something that I think that we all want, so I had to share these videos. I believe that everyone who follows our page knows the power that a dog can have on people, so I hope that you enjoy these videos, and pardon our break from our regularly scheduled therapy dog information.

Disclaimer - you might want to have a box of tissues handy, as the first one definitely had me crying!

https://youtu.be/_BTyQKsAzV0?si=lyCEBIxZ-cdbiBij

https://youtu.be/pTDIFEtdtAM?si=6NQ31z10OIWpKYDl

Learn more about how the Georgia's Department of Juvenile Justice is teaching youth about responsibility through its innovative Rescue 2 Restore dog training...

11/23/2025

Yay Willoughby!

FMS received a special visit from Willoughby, the therapy dog! 🐾😊

Willoughby is one of two certified therapy dogs who will visit on a rotating schedule and work with students to support emotional regulation, connection, and confidence. FMS is thrilled to bring this resource to its school community!

11/06/2025

One of our amazing members, Lisa, also has a therapy cat, who she brings with her to nursing homes. While we don't certify cats, kudos to her for finding a need, as well as finding a way to make it happen!

https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1B9RUuqPSe/

11/05/2025

Today is the last day to vote, so please remember to do so!

Please remember to keep voting every day!

I am thrilled to announce that Therapy Dogs of Vermont has been selected as a finalist in the Gather Around Giving grant program, and could potentially win a $1,000 grant from Company Distilling in Tennessee.

In order to be one of the 12 recipients of this grant, we need everyone possible to go to https://companydistilling.com/gather-around-giving/ , then scroll down to, and click on the Therapy Dogs of Vermont logo, and cast your vote. You may vote only once per day, but there is no limit to the number of people whom you can share the link with, so that they too can vote daily. There are only 52 non-profits that made the cut, so our odds of winning are very good, if you vote!

Voting has officially opened, and continues through November 5th, with the winners announced on Giving Tuesday, December, 2nd.

Thank you for all of your support!

10/31/2025

Happy Halloween from Hank (the black Flat Coat Retriever) over the years, as well as from several of our members this year!

10/28/2025

More words of wisdom. Please make sure to keep your furry friends safe this Halloween.

Please keep your pets inside and in a safe and secured spot. Cats and dogs may be startled and bolt out of the house even if they don’t normally exhibit behavior to indicate that.
www.bikersagainstanimalcruelty.org

10/27/2025

Bo has made such an impression on the residents and staff at Pillsbury Homestead Senior Community that they put his picture on the cover of their November newsletter!

10/20/2025

This is what therapy dog work is all about. While moments like this do not happen all of the time, being able to support someone in their time of need truly fills your heart with joy. Scroll down to the "Warm Fuzzies" section, and read through them all, I'm sure that you too will have tears in your eyes.

Hospital Hero: Khese the Therapy Dog

Join us on an unforgettable journey with Khese, the nearly all-black German Shepherd, as she brings boundless joy and comfort to patients at a local city hospital. From the pediatrics ward to the ER, witness the profound impact of therapy dogs on those in need. Khese's gentle presence dries tears, turns frowns into smiles, and transforms fear into moments of peace.

Find the story in the library: Therapy Dog Khese On Hospital Rounds

(look in the "Warm Fuzzies" section)

https://buff.ly/Nw6LLEC

10/19/2025

Please remember to keep voting every day!

I am thrilled to announce that Therapy Dogs of Vermont has been selected as a finalist in the Gather Around Giving grant program, and could potentially win a $1,000 grant from Company Distilling in Tennessee.

In order to be one of the 12 recipients of this grant, we need everyone possible to go to https://companydistilling.com/gather-around-giving/ , then scroll down to, and click on the Therapy Dogs of Vermont logo, and cast your vote. You may vote only once per day, but there is no limit to the number of people whom you can share the link with, so that they too can vote daily. There are only 52 non-profits that made the cut, so our odds of winning are very good, if you vote!

Voting has officially opened, and continues through November 5th, with the winners announced on Giving Tuesday, December, 2nd.

Thank you for all of your support!

10/16/2025

Penelope made it into The Rutland Herald today!