By Mrs. Shelby Wetzel Crawford and her kids Mrs. Shelby Wetzel Crawford, teacher, writes: “Ms. Kathy and Patrick have been an amazing highlight of our year in second grade. The students constantly ask when they will be coming and if they could come more often. They look forward to studying with Patrick, reading with him,…
Our volunteers were invited to our annual Appreciation Breakfast to express the organization’s gratitude for their commitment to our therapy dog program. This year we held the celebration at Corner Bakery Café in Newtown, PA. During the gathering we present annual certificates of service and do special recognition for five and ten year honorees. We…
Free eye exams!? Yes, many of our Nor’wester therapy dogs were fortunate to receive free sight-preserving screenings in May. Each year the American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists (ACVO) collaborates with StokesRx to offer free ocular-screening eye exams to qualified service, working, and therapy dogs. This philanthropic event benefits formally trained service, working, and therapy dogs…
Casey’s Journey to Becoming a Registered Therapy Dog When I adopted Casey, I had no idea what to expect or how to train a blind dog. I had no idea that a dog born without eyes could run circles around sighted dogs. . . literally! Being a Border Collie with natural herding instincts, Casey always…
How It All Began A number of years ago when I was visiting my mother, she handed me a brochure about a dog therapy program. As soon as my mother saw it, she knew it would be something that would interest me. Since the brochure was about a program in a hospital, I started investigating…
Three years ago my life changed when my dog Colette and I joined Nor’wester Therapy Dogs. We were assigned to a third-grade classroom at Thomas Fitzwater Elementary School in the Upper Dublin School District. My couch potato dog, a sweet Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, was now up and off the couch, and I was with…
Stephanie’s Story What Carol says is true…I always wanted therapy dogs in my classroom! I used to teach in a zoo, and I have always had pets in my classroom. I was so happy when Carol, Violet, and Tex were assigned to my class. I have always strongly believed that we can learn a lot…
Carol Van Sant joined Nor’wester Therapy Dogs in 2018 and received her first assignment for the 2018-2019 school year. Carol was partnered with Stephanie Lucci-May, a Pennsbury elementary school teacher and ardent dog lover. Carol and Stephanie met for the first time at an introductory session in Stephanie’s empty classroom. It was both Carol’s and…
Did you know that your therapy dog can earn official AKC (American Kennel Club) therapy dog titles? While the title is just a piece of paper, it is symbolic of the commitment and volunteer hours you spend in partnership with your therapy dog. There are five titles your dog can earn based on the number…
Last year the five-week Nor’wester Therapy Dogs summer public library visits at Northampton and Southampton were rousing successes! The librarians shared wonderful feedback from the parents and told us how much the children enjoyed participating. The Free Library of Northampton Township in Richboro, PA is currently developing its summer program and plans to offer it…