The four-legged members of Healing Heart Therapy Dogs are more than just dogs. They are companions, listeners and friends. They are part of a special team when they bring comfort when they visit others with their human partners.

Gale Lothrop and Marla Wademan, both of Crete, are accompanied by Mysti, a Belgian Tervuren, and Kobie, a Golden Retriever, when they make visits to Tabitha, Crete Area Medical Center, Crete Manor, Garden Square and other facilities in Crete and the area.

Healing Heart also has members, (a handler and dog), in Lincoln and Syracuse. Each handler is a partner to their own certified therapy dog.    

Lothrop said any breed of canine can be a therapy dog. What matters is the animal’s temperament.

She and Wademan have taken Mysti and Kobie to care facilities to visit residents, special education classes to work with students and a variety of other places to provide comfort, relieve stress and bring joy to people.

They are part of the R.E.A.D. program (Reading Education Assistance Dogs)  in Lincoln libraries and have started at the Crete Public Library in the past year.

R.E.A.D. pairs a therapy dog and handler with a child for scheduled reading sessions. The child reads to the animal to gain confidence and have a positive reading experience. Reading to the dogs can be relaxing and a non-judgemental situation for young readers.

Lothrop said there are two types of therapy work: animal assisted activity and animal assisted therapy.

The activity is an unorganized event, typically a “meet and greet” situation.

“Most certainly, the dog provides emotional support and comfort,” Lothrop said.

The therapy work is structured and has goals. Therapy teams can work with rehab patients or children with special needs to accomplish small classroom tasks.

In working with a stroke patients, the dog can retrieve objects they throw and answer commands in speaking exercises. The dog is non-judgemental toward the patient’s abilities or inabilities.

Healing Heart Therapy Dogs marked their fifth anniversary in January and are once again offering a training for new member teams.

An all-day training will be held on Saturday, March 27 at the UCC church at 12th and Ivy in Crete. Owners should be aware of minimal criteria. Dogs should be at least a year old and enjoy being around people.

“Dogs should be pretty-well socialized and have basic obedience skills,” Lothrop said.

She encouraged owners who think their dog may not be ready to take the class anyway because it may be helpful in revealing things they may need to work on. If a dog requires more basic obedience, they can refer the team. Contact Lothrop at 826-1033 for more information.

The official therapy dog certification test is given at a later date. The $20 fee for the March 27 training is applied toward future dues in Healing Heart Therapy Dogs.