In the World War II Pacific theater, on the island of New Guinea, American forces were battling the Japanese. U.S. Army Corporal William Wynne found a homeless Yorkshire Terrier in an abandoned foxhole. This tiny, four-pound yorkie, named Smoky, became mascot, friend and courageous war dog for the troops. When the corporal was hospitalized for a jungle disease, Smoky was brought in to cheer up the soldier. Wynne writes in "Yorkie Doodle Dandy," Smoky's "very presence unfailingly turned serious faces into smiles.
Mayo Clinic co-founder Dr. Charles Mayo was the commanding officer who allowed Smoky to make hospital rounds and sleep on Wynne's bed.
That's the story of the first documented therapy dog. While this concept for healing has been studied over the years and continues to yield amazing results, shelter dogs are still at work providing therapeutic support to humans. A case in point, there's Jennifer, a former Army Petroleum Supply Specialist in North Carolina. She found herself hopeless and sinking in a mire of emotionally challenging events. After she was honorably discharged from the military for a fractured foot, endured physical abuse from her former husband and became a financially-strapped single mom trying to raise her son, she was V.A. diagnosed with PTSD, severe depression and anxiety. "I didn't know how to go about surviving," says Jennifer.
Attending a therapy session, she noticed a flyer advertising the services of a Charlotte business called Hounds4Heroes, a non-profit organization that provides pets to military vets. Executive Director Jennifer Bennett had the perfect match - an AKC registered Treeing Feist called Sissy. Bennett delivered the furry bundle to Fayetteville - Sissy, now a certified therapy dog, has changed the whole world for this young, military vet.
This once, self-admitted hermit crab, now, gets out of the house taking Sissy for walks. "She makes me have to talk to people," says Jennifer. "If I start to feel anxious, I'll reach down to stroke her, giving me a soothing feeling that I'm not going through this alone." Jennifer says, "I take her everywhere - Walmart, grocery store, therapy sessions - wherever I go, she goes."
Jennifer is moving on in life with a greater sense of hope and assuredness. She calls Bennett a "lifesaver" and Sissy - a true blessing.
To find out more about Hounds4Heroes, go to : http://www.hounds4heroes.org .
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