2021 News and Updates
Our 2021 Therapy Handler Workshop and Team Evaluation dates are located under the "Events" tab.
Registration opens approximately 30 days prior to the event date listed.
Registration opens approximately 30 days prior to the event date listed.
Member Spotlight: Lou Lewis & Petey
Retired Racing Greyhound Supports Veterans During the Pandemic and Beyond
Lou Lewis and Petey have been on a mission to spread joy to Veterans and the pandemic hasn’t slowed them down. Even though they haven’t been able to do their regular in-person visits at the VA Tennessee Valley Healthcare System in Murfreesboro, Army Veteran Lou made sure Petey could still make his rounds virtually. They recently were featured on the US Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Care website for their service as well as the Pet Partners Happenings newsletter and iheartdogs.com.
Retired Racing Greyhound Supports Veterans During the Pandemic and Beyond
Lou Lewis and Petey have been on a mission to spread joy to Veterans and the pandemic hasn’t slowed them down. Even though they haven’t been able to do their regular in-person visits at the VA Tennessee Valley Healthcare System in Murfreesboro, Army Veteran Lou made sure Petey could still make his rounds virtually. They recently were featured on the US Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Care website for their service as well as the Pet Partners Happenings newsletter and iheartdogs.com.
Summer Reading Camps & Library Programs
Every summer teams look forward to participating in reading camps and visiting local libraries as part of summer reading programs. Therapy dogs visited their local libraries in Hendersonville, Portland, Tullahoma, and Woodbury. We were excited to team up again with the Literacy Council of Middle Tennessee at the S'more Summer Reading Camp in Hendersonville for the fourth year. To learn more about the Pet Partners Read with Me initiative and how reading to pets improves children's literacy, click here.
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Therapy Horses at Summer Camp
Mini horses Chip, Dream, and Ruger attended the Shalom Zone Gallatin All Star Summer Camp for rising first through fifth graders. The program provides summer enrichment through physical fitness, literacy, conflict management, team building, arts and crafts, sports and games, and Alcohol and drug prevention. Ruger is also actively involved with the Just Say Whoa to Bullying anti-bullying campaign. |
 Therapy horse Ruger with his handler/mom Teresa who works with the Wilson Co Sheriff's Office. Photo courtesy of Shalom Zone.
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Animal Assisted Therapy Program Launched at
Ascension Saint Thomas Rutherford Hospital
We are excited to be a part of the therapy dog visitation program now offered at Ascension Saint Thomas Rutherford Hospital. Three-year old Poodle Magnolia Grace ("Maggie") and her handler/mom, Nancy, are Murfreesboro residents and the first official volunteers for the animal assisted therapy program, which we hope to help grow over the coming years. Robbie Grissom, Manager of Business Operations at Ascension Saint Thomas Rutherford shared, "We are so proud to finally offer this program to our patients. Everyone absolutely loved Maggie! We received wonderful feedback and look forward to adding more pet volunteers to our program in the future." Chaplain Keith Travis provide a special blessing during the ceremony that kicked off the program. Fore more information, check out the coverage on WSMV News 4, WZTV - Fox 17, and WGNS.
Ascension Saint Thomas Rutherford Hospital
We are excited to be a part of the therapy dog visitation program now offered at Ascension Saint Thomas Rutherford Hospital. Three-year old Poodle Magnolia Grace ("Maggie") and her handler/mom, Nancy, are Murfreesboro residents and the first official volunteers for the animal assisted therapy program, which we hope to help grow over the coming years. Robbie Grissom, Manager of Business Operations at Ascension Saint Thomas Rutherford shared, "We are so proud to finally offer this program to our patients. Everyone absolutely loved Maggie! We received wonderful feedback and look forward to adding more pet volunteers to our program in the future." Chaplain Keith Travis provide a special blessing during the ceremony that kicked off the program. Fore more information, check out the coverage on WSMV News 4, WZTV - Fox 17, and WGNS.
Wellness Visits
Happy National Nurses' Week and National Hospital Week! Therapy animal teams have been providing support and encouragement to front line healthcare staff across Nashville. We appreciate our healthcare heroes and all that you do!
Happy National Nurses' Week and National Hospital Week! Therapy animal teams have been providing support and encouragement to front line healthcare staff across Nashville. We appreciate our healthcare heroes and all that you do!
Estella and Monti visiting TriStar Southern Hills Medical Center.
Monti and his brother Finn also volunteer at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
Dobson and Nicholas visiting TriStar Centennial Medical Center. Dobson also volunteers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
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Ace and Nancy visiting TriStar Centennial Medical Center. Ace is a tri-pawed Lab who regularly visits HCA facilities.
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Read with Me: Storytime with Ivy
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Therapy Dog Ivy the Chessie loves when kids read to her. She regularly visits at the Coffee County Lannom Memorial Public Library in Tullahoma, Tennessee. To learn more about the Pet Partners Read with Me initiative and how reading to pets improves children's literacy, click here. |
National Therapy Animal Day 2021
Hosted by Pet Partners, National Therapy Animals Day (April 30) is all about raising awareness and educating the public about the role therapy animals play in enhancing the health and well-being of their communities.
To celebrate the life-changing work of therapy animals, MCPP teams worked with local leadership in the cities and counties where they live and volunteer to obtain proclamations recognizing this special day and the power of the human-animal bond. Tennessee Governor Bill Lee, the Tennessee Senate (sponsored by Senator Mark Pody from the 17th District, which includes Cannon, Clay, Dekalb, Macon, Smith, and Wilson Counties), and ten Middle Tennessee mayors issued proclamations designating April 30, 2021 as National Therapy Animal Day: Mayor of Normandy Charles Whitaker (Bedford Co), Tullahoma Mayor Ray Knowis (Coffee Co), Davidson Co/City of Nashville Mayor John Cooper, Rutherford County Mayor Bill Ketron, Marshall County Mayor Mike Keny, Sumner County Mayor Anthony Holt and the Sumner County Commission, Hendersonville Mayor Jamie Clary (Sumner Co), Williamson County Mayor Roger Anderson, Brentwood Mayor Rhea Little, III (Williamson Co), and Franklin County Mayor Ken Moore and the City of Franklin Board of Alderman (Williamson Co).          |
Check out our Facebook and Instagram pages to view video and photos of the proclamation presentations. 
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We had a great time meeting News4's Big Joe on the Go as we geared up to celebrate National Therapy Animal Day!
Check out the footage on the WSMV website, WSMV Facebook, and Big Joe Dubin's page.
Hear more about our work from Pet Partners Instructor Jenyfer Lindahl here.
Check out the footage on the WSMV website, WSMV Facebook, and Big Joe Dubin's page.
Hear more about our work from Pet Partners Instructor Jenyfer Lindahl here.
Left to Right:
Estella with Monti and Finn, Lou with Petey, Becky with Bonnie, Jonathan with Gregory, Eileen with Ginger, Mary with Getaway, Nicholas with Dobson, and Teresa with Ruger.
Read with Me: Storytime with Maggie
Therapy dog Maggie loves hearing children read her stories. To schedule a time slot to read to Maggie,
contact the Smyrna Public Library.
To learn more about the Pet Partners Read with Me initiative and how reading to pets improves children's literacy, click here.
Therapy dog Maggie loves hearing children read her stories. To schedule a time slot to read to Maggie,
contact the Smyrna Public Library.
To learn more about the Pet Partners Read with Me initiative and how reading to pets improves children's literacy, click here.
Community Outreach: How to Volunteer with Your Pet
Carolyn Collins was invited to the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) March meeting to talk about the benefits of therapy animals and the process of becoming a registered therapy animal team. Carolyn discussed how the mood in a room immediately changes once an animal is present, noting that not only does she enjoy helping her community but it also helps her own mental health when she volunteers. To learn more about Carolyn's journey as a therapy animal handler check out the Daily Herald article here.
To learn more about how to volunteer with your pet, click here.
Carolyn Collins was invited to the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) March meeting to talk about the benefits of therapy animals and the process of becoming a registered therapy animal team. Carolyn discussed how the mood in a room immediately changes once an animal is present, noting that not only does she enjoy helping her community but it also helps her own mental health when she volunteers. To learn more about Carolyn's journey as a therapy animal handler check out the Daily Herald article here.
To learn more about how to volunteer with your pet, click here.
Education and Outreach: Pet Partners Facebook Live Series
Attorney and MCPP member Ellie Wetzel was interviewed as part of the Pet Partners Facebook Live series where she discussed the differences between therapy animals, facility animals, support animals, and service animals. She also spoke about the animal accommodation law handbook
she authors on this topic, outlining the most recent updates issued by the US Department of Transportation and the US Department of Housing and Urban Development. All the videos in the Meet the Leader in AAI series are archived on the Pet Partners Facebook page and the Pet Partners YouTube channel.
Attorney and MCPP member Ellie Wetzel was interviewed as part of the Pet Partners Facebook Live series where she discussed the differences between therapy animals, facility animals, support animals, and service animals. She also spoke about the animal accommodation law handbook
she authors on this topic, outlining the most recent updates issued by the US Department of Transportation and the US Department of Housing and Urban Development. All the videos in the Meet the Leader in AAI series are archived on the Pet Partners Facebook page and the Pet Partners YouTube channel.
Providing Stress Relief to Frontline Workers
Therapy dogs Arlo and Ivy visited TriStar Centennial Medical Center to help heal the healers while they work during the pandemic. Click here to see more photos on Centennial's Facebook page.
Therapy dogs Arlo and Ivy visited TriStar Centennial Medical Center to help heal the healers while they work during the pandemic. Click here to see more photos on Centennial's Facebook page.
