“Burnie Kotsubo was a rescue of sorts. He was brought into the family to be a companion to my elderly grandmother, but he failed his training because he was too happy and too much puppy! As he’s grown up over the years and continued to work on his training and behavior, he has grown to follow most orders while retaining his love for everything that moves. He loves to snuggle and he loves to be pet, but he also loves to play.”

-Amy

“Dinah is a 4 year old SphynxieBob who was brought home on July 19th 2020. Named after singer Dinah Washington she too has great pipes, especially around food! She loves traveling in the car and getting to meet new people who she can solicite pets and attention from. Her hobbies include rollerblading, walks in the pet store and is looking to pick up biking and kayaking. She looks forward to giving back as a therapy cat and meeting new faces.”

-Alex

“Kodi is an 11 year old White Shepherd Husky mix with the most mesmerizing blue eyes and ears that just never seem to stop listening.  I noticed right away that he just had something special about him when he was around other people, especially kids. The calmness and the way he leaned into people. Do not get me wrong he can outrun the fastest and has tons of energy. But he just seems to know that when he is surrounded by kids or adults he is needed. Even if it is just the briefest encounter. I know that all animals are special but every once in a while you encounter one that just seems to have a calling to be a therapy dog. ”

-Selma

“Grinch is a 1.5-year-old Golden Retriever. He was 9 months old when I first met him in August 2023. Grinch is an intelligent and affectionate dog, he loves to greet people & enjoys being petted, so I figured that he would be a great therapy dog. He has a lot of energy but is very gentle, especially with children & small animals. He gets along very well with cats – he grew up with 3 cats.

Everything you hold, Grinch will always check out. He is curious about everything he has not seen and is very open with absolutely no fear of checking it out. Grinch brings a lot of joy and happiness to my family, and I would love to share his affectionateness, tenderness, and love with others.”

-Ken

“When we lost Halo, our beloved first Shiba in August 2023, our hearts were heavy with grief.  Seeking solace, we turned to a rescue shiba site and serendipitously encountered Haruki and his brother Akira.  In Sept 2023, we adopted both Shiba Inus at 3.5 months.  Amidst our mourning, they were both steadfast companions, offering a source of comfort and healing, though we were also figuring out the nature of puppies and training aspects.

Haruki’s gentle demeanor and his affinity for nature is evident as he enjoys basking in the sun together with his brother, including chasing runaway leaves and butterflies.  He possesses an innate love for humanity, delighting in every belly rub and shared moments of affection.

The notion of Haruki becoming a therapy dog took root after my son shared images of therapy pets visiting his college during finals week in 2023.  Inspired by watching a documentary several years ago where kids were reading to pets, plus Haruki’s calm and empathetic nature, I was driven to explore opportunities for him to positively impact others.

As an educator who deeply believes in the transformative power of literature, the prospect of Haruki participating in the Read to a Dog program ignited my enthusiasm.  I was elated to have found OHS to be part of the community I live in.  Combining the therapeutic benefits of companionship with the joy of reading, it seemed perfect for Haruki and our family to give back.

Haruki’s innocence and serene presence bring immeasurable joy into our lives.  We are hopeful that his gentle spirit will not only continue to uplift our spirits but also spread happiness to all those he encounters.”

-Sandra

Gift Catalog

“Jessie has been a wonderful companion since we brought her home as an 8-week-old puppy in January of 2018. She is a very active beagle and has earned titles in Agility and AKC trick dog. She even enjoys kayaking! But we soon found her real passion – Jessie loves people! When we travel, everyone wants to meet her. I especially like taking her to visit large groups because she has enough energy to say hello to everyone. She is a great “big sister” to Molly, and I occasionally take both of them on pet therapy visits.”

Honey & Cynthia are now retired members of the OHS Pet Therapy Team. We thank them for their many years of bringing smiles to those who needed it most!

“Woobie is a 4-yr-old Newfoundland who became certified with Pet Partners and a registered Ohlone Humane Society therapy team in May of this year. Woobie’s sensitive and lovable demeanor seemed to make her an ideal candidate for therapy. When she is not ‘working’ and giving back to her community, Woobie enjoys hanging with her rabbit, camping, and riding around in her VW bus. Her advice for others that are thinking about becoming a therapy team…don’t give up! It took her (and more importantly her handler) three attempts to pass the Pet Partners certification evaluation. Janine Weston, OHS Animal Assisted Interventions Director, provided encouragement and guidance throughout the entire process to ensure our success.”

“I have always been a dog owner and when my time with Rosy came to an end, it wasn’t long before I felt the need for a new companion. I was looking for a pound puppy but the COVID shut down had just begun and I couldn’t connect with any shelters. I started to look at different breeds and settled on Australian mini labradoodle. None of the Bay Area breeders returned my call. My daughter who lives in Boise found a local breeder near her and that is how Tate (aka Tater Tot) came to me.

“We are first time dog owners. I’ve always been afraid of dogs. For years, my kids asked to get a dog but I would always say no. Then Covid hit and we were all stuck at home like the rest of the world. In May of 2020, I finally gave in. We got a dog and fell in love with her right away!  All my dog fears went poof and away!  Our dog is from a breeder in Michigan. We picked a 3 month old puppy girl. She is a Cavachon (half King Cavalier, half Bichon). We had a family vote on names and the name Summer won the votes!  As all of my three children have different personalities so does Summer. She’s sweet, friendly, can be shy at times, loves to play with ropes, crinkly toys, her pink bouncy ball and sleep with her Snuggle Pup in her crate. I did an online training program called Baxter and Bella. Amazing program since nothing was open for in person training back then. My proudest “first time dog owner training moment” was teaching Summer how to ring a potty bell!  It has been quite a useful tool to avoid accidents in the house. Ha ha. I met Constance and Molly at Washington Hospital while I was volunteering. She told me about OHS. Within a couple of weeks she came to my house, evaluated Summer and here we are volunteering with the OHS Pet Therapy program. Summer and I are excited to be here and look forward to meeting other peeps and dogs through this program. Summer has been such a blessing to our family and hope she can touch other lives on this new journey too.”

“After we lost our 14-year-old Aussie, the house just wasn’t the same without an Aussie. We’ve had almost every color but never a red tri. So, I got on to adoption web sites looking for a red tri. Luckily, Sophie was available from Animal Friends in Santa Cruz, CA.

“Molly is a beagle and a ‘Covid’ puppy. Since the pandemic kept us at home, it seemed a perfect time to add a puppy to our family. She came to us in June of 2020 at 8 weeks old. And so cute! But her true character was revealed when she was 6 months old. My husband had a serious accident, coming home to recover after 2 weeks in the hospital. Molly was his constant companion, calmly cuddling with him in bed, riding with him in his wheelchair, and accompanying him when he started using a walker.

“I had a wonderful tuxedo kitty for 14 years, and he was healthy until his last day. I was really sad and I heard there was a tuxedo kitty up for adoption and we had an instant bond. Once we got Mason the car, we noticed he wasn’t fretting, and was really calm. When Mason was 6 months old, we started taking him places on a leash. We got a stroller, and we even took him bowling with us! He wasn’t scared, just curious that we were knocking things over like he does.

“Lilly is a huggable all American bundle of joy. She was born on Valentine’s Day and came to live with us in March of 2015.

“Hana is a golden retriever who came to us at the start of the pandemic after we lost our second golden.  She spent her first year playing with her siblings as we got together weekly in our “puppy pod”.  I had done pet therapy work with my first golden over 30 years ago and always knew that I wanted to get back into it and Hana was a perfect candidate.  She loves people, especially kids and teenagers, and will happily roll over for belly rubs.

“Fiona joined my family at 8 weeks old In 2014. She loves to be active running the agility course, chasing balls, and fetching nerf darts.  Fiona is a great love always looking for a pet or cuddle and willing to give a kiss.”

“Clay is a six-year-old poochon (poodle and bichon mix). He became part of our family at 9 months when his first family could no longer care for him as they left the country. We feel so blessed that Clay came into our lives. His favorite daily routine is to find the softest, coziest spot in the house to lounge whether it is a on bean bag chair, a pillow that fell on the floor, or a pile of fresh laundry.Although he is friendly with dogs and cats, he prefers socializing with people both young and old. This is because he loves to be petted, scratched under his chin and behind his ears, and get belly rubs. He will communicate that he wants to be petted by nudging your hand with his snout.

“Bentley is a nine-year-old Yellow Labrador Retriever. He is a very mellow dog and loves people and kids in general. Bentley started visiting the Centerville Library for the “Read to Dogs” program about eight years ago. The kids love him. It’s very rewarding to see kids who had never been exposed to a dog suddenly fall in love with him.”

“Barkley came to live with us in January 2020 at the ripe old age of 10 weeks. He was a small puppy, which we had picked out so we could travel with him. The first thing to grow were his feet which became large. While he was supposed to be 35 to 40 pounds we have a 60 pound Australian Labradoodle to love.

He has lots of energy, is quite smart and a bit mischievous when not getting the attention he believes he is entitled too. He is friendly with both dogs and people. He loves to go to doodle romps and play chase with the others. He takes great interest in stalking and treeing squirrels. While very curious and excited about all things, he is gentle with people and loves to be petted and scratched. 

When we strap on our therapy team stuff he is all business. He knows he will get lots of pets and back scratches and he will unconditionally provide comfort and a moment of joy to all he visits. We enjoy visiting schools, hospitals, senior living facilities and hospice facilities.”

– Bob

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