News and Updates
Photo by Rebecca Pearl Photography
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We are so grateful to Governor Bill Lee for recognizing the importance of therapy animals in the State of Tennessee and issuing a proclamation designating April 30, 2019 as Therapy Animal Day! Our Board of Directors were honored to commemorate the occasion with a photo with Governor Lee on the steps of the Tennessee State Capitol building.
Pictured (l to r): Director of Member Relations Estella Pan with Monti (Pomeranian); Instructor/Trainer Jenyfer Lindahl; Secretary Ellie Haley-Wetzel with Winnie (Great Pyrenees); Governor Lee; Treasurer/Evaluator/Read With Me Coordinator Debbie Ament de Nunez; and MCPP President/Evaluator Geralda Aubry. 
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Petco is hosting Meet a Helping Hero event on Saturday, October 12! Come meet some of our teams and learn more about how you can become a therapy animal handler with your pet! Our therapy animal teams will be at the following locations: Brentwood, Hendersonville, Lebanon, Murfreesboro and Spring Hill Read more about Meet a Helping Hero at: https://www.petcofoundation.org/events/meet-a-helping-hero
Congratulations to our September and October graduates on passing their team evaluations:
Renewing teams Rebecca with Otter, Estella with Monti (Pomeranian), as well as new teams Amy and Art (Black Lab), Tanya and Bella (Newfoundland), and Kay and Finnick (Golden), who received a complex rating!
Special thanks to our volunteers Donald and Nancy, neutral dog team Mary & Getaway, and evaluators Debbie and Geralda for another successful evaluation day in the books!
Read With Me teams Debbie with Tashi the “Listening Dog” and Olivia with Kalina the therapy cat attended the Ride for Reading event on October 3 at Robert Churchwell Museum Magnet Elementary! The event began with an assembly with about 300 students. Bikers, who delivered books to the school, were invited to dress up as their favorite book character. Additional volunteers included police, fire department and state park rangers. After the assembly, our teams went to the library to read with some of the kids. Students also got to pick 3 books to take home. Lots of positive energy to kick off October being National Book Month!
MCPP teams Heather with Tessa Joy, Jonathan with Gregory, Rita with Maverick and Julie with Marley were featured on the Tennessean's website! Gregory and Tessa greeted and socialized with festival attendees while Maverick enjoyed meeting the Mix 92.9 crew. Marley popped over to MCPP member Rebecca Pearl Photography's table and was all smiles in the kissing booth. Follow this link for event recap and photos: https://www.tennessean.com/picture-gallery/news/local/sumner/2019/09/30/pawpalooza-raises-money-gallatins-miracle-park/3820721002/?fbclid=IwAR3jbbIQ_vmbrWg357uJlviRUrya3Bomrt701RwXNdYyl7HmpfShveB6IBA
Congrats to renewing teams Nancy with Susie and Sally with Sassy and new teams Brad with Bradie, Mary with Carlie and Maggie with Scout on passing their team evaluations on August 18!
Many thanks to evaluators Laura and Judy, volunteers Chris, Pam, Tana, and Cathi, and Neutral Dog team Geralda and Caity! Special thanks to Holy Trinity Community Church for kindly hosting the evaluations.
Music City Pet Partners' board member Ellie Wetzel was interviewed for an article that is published on Pet Partners' new blog. Follow this link to read the article: https://petpartners.org/understanding-animal-assisted-interventions-in-relation-to-the-americans-with-disabilities-act-an-interview-with-ellie-wetzel-haley
Five new teams and two renewing teams passed their team evaluations on July 20! Congratulations to Teresa and Tom (mini-horse), Alexandra and Audrey (Yellow Lab), Tiffany and Duncan (Goldendoodle), Gwen and Bailey (mini Goldendoodle), Kaz and Manning (Yellow Lab), as well as renewing teams Rachel with Kevlar (Shepherd mix) and Beverly with Lucy (Dachshund mix)! MCPP now have over 80 teams comprised of dogs, 2 mini-horses and 3 cats!
Thank you to volunteers Julie, Jenyfer, and Ellie, neutral dog team Jonathan and Gregory and evaluators Debbie and Gene. Special thanks to Shalom Zone for providing space for this month’s evaluations.
Thank you to volunteers Julie, Jenyfer, and Ellie, neutral dog team Jonathan and Gregory and evaluators Debbie and Gene. Special thanks to Shalom Zone for providing space for this month’s evaluations.
MCPP held its semi-annual members meeting on July 14. A total of 27 members and 17 dogs gathered to celebrate MCPP's second anniversary! A new group photo (seen at the top of this page) as well as team photos were taken by Rebecca Troutt of Rebecca Pearl Photography.
Congratulations to our June "graduates," with all 7 testing teams passing their team evaluations on June 8: renewing teams Bob & Will (Scottish Deerhound), Ellie & Winnie (Great Pyrenees), and Rhonda & Lilly (Border Collie/Lab mix), as well as new teams Petra & Remi (mixed breed), Paula & Zoey (Labradoodle), Elisa & Gil (Goldendoodle) and Whitney & Ava (Shih Tzu)! As always, huge thanks our dedicated volunteers: evaluators Judy and Gene, neutral dog team Debbie and Tashi, as well as “crowd” Rachel, Michelle, Jonathan and Estella!
Our teams were honored to be invited to help homesick campers feel at home at Camp Okawehna! Thank you to Carolyn & Sierra, Chris & Maverick, Donald & Daisy, Heather K. & Journey, Geralda & Caity, John & Riley, Julie & Elvis, Lou & Petey, Mary & Getaway, Robbin & Luna and Susan & Mona!
Camp Okawehna is a week-long summer camp for children and teens with kidney disease, including transplant and dialysis patients. First established in 1974, Camp "O" is the only kidney camp located in the state of Tennessee and one of the largest kidney camps in the country. For more information on Camp Okawehna, visit https://www.dciinc.org/campo
Photo: Mona enjoyed a paw-dicure from campers as part of their pre-prom fesstivities!
Camp Okawehna is a week-long summer camp for children and teens with kidney disease, including transplant and dialysis patients. First established in 1974, Camp "O" is the only kidney camp located in the state of Tennessee and one of the largest kidney camps in the country. For more information on Camp Okawehna, visit https://www.dciinc.org/campo
Photo: Mona enjoyed a paw-dicure from campers as part of their pre-prom fesstivities!
Congratulations to renewing teams Jonathan with Gregory, Melanie with Riley, Chase with Hank, as well as new teams Olivia with Kalina (cat) and Emily with Boone on passing their team evaluations on May 18! Special thanks to evaluators Geralda and Laura, volunteers Carolyn, Suzanne, Kelcie and neutral dog team Nancy with Susie and to Triune Baptist Church for the use of their space!
Shout out to Jonathan and Gregory for pulling double duty with testing and passing their renewal evaluation then going to the Therapy Animal Handler Workshop to demonstrate exercises for those working toward becoming a Pet Partners therapy team with their pet!
In addition to the Governor's proclamation, Music City Pet Partners received a total of 8 mayoral proclamations celebrating April 30 as National Therapy Animal Day! Click on any image to view our gallery of presentation photos and proclamation documents:
We are participating in the 2019 Big Payback, an annual 24-hour, online giving event created to increase philanthropy in the 40 counties of Middle Tennessee! Throughout the day on our Facebook page, you will see educational and research-based posts as well ones highlighting some of our Read With Me teams.
We hope to use Big Payback donations for training therapy teams as well as for Read with Me backpacks containing age-appropriate books and flashcards, tablets, hand sanitizer, and reading badges for students.
We hope to use Big Payback donations for training therapy teams as well as for Read with Me backpacks containing age-appropriate books and flashcards, tablets, hand sanitizer, and reading badges for students.
To support our Read With Me intiative, visit: http://www.thebigpayback.org/MCPP
You can also send your tax-deductable donation to Music City Pet Partners via PayPal by clicking on the yellow Donate button below! Thank you for your support in helping us to expand our Read With Me initiative into more schools across Middle Tennessee!
We are excited to participate in this year's Puppy Up in Franklin on May 5! Think your furry friend would make a great therapy pet? Stop by our booth to meet some of our teams and learn about becoming a registered therapy team!
PuppyUp began in March 2008, when a man and his two dogs embarked on a cross-country trek that was inspired by the loss of his Great Pyrenees to cancer. Some of you have heard the story of Luke Robinson, Hudson and Murphy…
They walked from town to town sharing Malcolm’s story and educating people about cancer in dogs and as they built a nationwide grassroots movement, Mr. Robinson had a vision: 2,000,000 dogs walking simultaneously all across the United States for cancer. If 2 dogs could walk over 2,000 miles surely it was possible!
That’s how the The Puppy Up Foundation was born and the legacy that started out with just a man who lost his beloved dog continues…
Congratulations to renewing teams Michelle with Russell (Great Pyrenees), Jenyfer with Alexis (Great Pyrenees/Lab mix) and Estella with Finn (Pomeranian) - Jenyfer/Alexis and Estella/Finn received complex ratings! Congratulations also to new team Hattie with her cat Piper! Special thanks to our evaluators Laura and Debbie, volunteers Megan, Bob, Robbin, Geralda, and neutral dog team Rosemary with Cher for another successful team evaluation day on April 13!
Caity, Arlo, Maverick, Moose and Getaway had fun participating in Belmont University School of Physical Therapy's pet therapy research!
MCPP teams Estella with Finn (Pomeranian) and Bob with Will (Scottish Deerhound) were chosen to be featured in Vanderbilt University Medical Center's Volunteer Recruitment video. Click here to view "Heroes in Blue Vests"!
Finn and Will in Vanderbilt's "Heroes in Blue Vests" video!
Congratulations to the following teams for passing their team evaluation on February 16: Chris with Maverick (German Shepherd); Hannah with Reepicheep (Yorkie); Jodie with Rumpel (Shih Tzu); Valerie with Wilson (Weimaraner); Frank with Skyler (Golden Retriever); and Becky with Molly (Yorkie)! Team evaluation registration is OPEN for March 9. Click here for details.
Congratulations to Jillian Jellybean and handler/dad Tim, who received The Governor's Excellence in Service award at the Governor’s Mansion!
MCPP held its semi-annual members meeting and Ask the Trainers Roundtable on January 20. There were 26 handlers, evaluators, instructors, trainers and 19 dogs in attendance! (Click any photo below to scroll through)
Congratulations to three new teams who passed their Team Evaluation on Sunday! Thank you to MCPP member volunteers for making the January Team Evaluations possible: Jonathan, Mary, Neutral Dog team Rita & Maverick, and Rachel (not pictured). Special thanks, also, to Evaluators Debbie A. and Gene!
MCPP will host the next Team Evaluation day on February 16 in Franklin.
