Our goal is to provide the service of therapy dogs through volunteerism to our community. First, There Was Nelli
The story of Therapy Paws can’t be told without starting at the very beginning. That beginning was a dog named Nelli and a loving owner named Jean Reynolds. On February 21, 2005 Nelli was born. I looked at the litter of Australian Shepherds and she picked me. I could tell right away th
at Nelli was born with a love for people. Knowing that Australian Shepherds are a high energy breed, she was going to need a job and I knew that job was to be a caretaker. As with many great therapy dogs, I knew from the very beginning she was going to be an exceptional therapy dog, but not even I knew what a profound difference she would make in the lives of so many people. As soon as I got Nelli home I started training her from the start by exposing her to people, noises, smells, and places. After obedience training and therapy dog training, we were evaluated as a team through the Delta Society, now Pet Partners, in July, 2006. We both passed with flying colors and began looking for a place to visit. At the time, we couldn’t find a place in the far west area of Phoenix. I went to the West Valley Hospital in Goodyear and said, “Hi, my name is Jean Reynolds. I have a therapy dog and I would like to volunteer here”. They didn’t have a therapy dog program there, so it was going to be a lot of work. After about three years, and tons of paperwork, including policies and procedures, risk management insurance, infectious control processes, background checks, and TB testing we were ready to begin. Having met a few people along the way who wanted to know how to train their dog to become a therapy dog, Nelli and I gave them the information. Eventually, Nelli and I met several kindred spirits in the therapy dog world and worked together to found what is now Therapy Paws. Nelli and I trained one team at a time at the hospital until they were all on their own. I then went to Cancer Treatment Center of American and gave them my pitch. Since a lot of the ground work had already been done and was in place it was a lot easier. I went through orientation there and we started shortly after the opening of the center in January, 2009. After that the list of facilities and teams grew and Therapy Paws was making a difference throughout the west valley. This is my passion and my dog Nelli loved it. Sadly, and much too early in her life, Nelli started showing signs of not being herself. After every test possible, she was diagnosed with lung cancer in May, 2016. The vet gave her a steroid shot and we took her home to spend one last night with us. Her breathing was much labored and we knew it was time. She went to heaven to join the angels she met on earth. She will be terribly missed by everyone she touched. She spent her whole life giving love to every person she met. Nelli was truly the dog that started it all with Therapy Paws. She touched so many lives in such a great way. I am truly blessed to have had her show me the way through founding Therapy Paws where her legacy can carry on through many other dedicated pets and their handlers. Furry Hugs,
Jean Reynolds, Founder of Therapy Paws
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Kathleen and Cooper's Story
I have been a volunteer my whole life. Over the years I have volunteered as a soccer coach, a spokesperson for battered women, volunteered with Special Olympics, and in my college years, Hospice. Currently, I still volunteer sewing quilts for charity, dog beds for animal shelters and I am a proud therapy dog team with my dog, Cooper. In 2005 my husband and I both retired. He adjusted to retirement easily. I struggled, something was missing. I felt a void. In June of 2007, I found a cute little Coton de Tulear puppy that no one wanted because he had an under bite, an extra long tongue and a huge attitude. I knew right away……this little guy was going to be a great therapy dog. One year later, with the inspiration and help of Jean and Nelli, Cooper and I became a therapy dog team. The void was filled, along with my little friend, I was making a difference in the world and was again a VOLUNTEER. Cooper loves laying in bed with a patient, rolling over for a belly rub, he howls with happiness and excitement when he greets a child and salutes when he sees a soldier. It doesn’t get much better than that. It is said, that dogs look like their owners. Well, in our case it is true. We both have white hair, we both have an under bite, we both expose our tongues (however, mine is not extra long), we are both little with big personalities and we both have big hearts. Life is a precious gift, a gift I don’t take lightly. In our work as a therapy dog team, Cooper and I are rewarded with each visit; we share in an intimate part of so many lives. Those we meet thank us for what we do, I thank them; we get back tenfold of what we give.
