News and Updates
Photo by Rebecca Pearl Photography
Congratulations to our new Pet Partners Evaluators Laura Dickens and Gene Parker! We are so excited to have Laura and Gene on board, as additional evaluators allows us to conduct more team evaluations per year!
Thank you to the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee for choosing Music City Pet Partners as one of the organizations receiving a grant! Our grant, selected from hundreds of applicants, will help us increase the number of Pet Partners therapy animal teams to handle the increased demand for therapy teams.
Music City Pet Partners hosted a Pet Partners Team Evaluator Practicum on Saturday, October 27! Nashville was selected as one of approximately dozen cities for this honor. Four students participated in this Practicum to become future Team Evaluators.
Special thanks to Pet Partners' Jan Stice for running the Practicum and to mock evaluation testing teams Suzanne with Leopold, Rhonda with Lilly, Carolyn with Sierra, Jenyfer with Alexis and neutral dog team Geralda with Caity! Thank you to all our volunteers who acted as "the crowd": Judy, Carol, Rachel, John and Estella.
Special thanks to Pet Partners' Jan Stice for running the Practicum and to mock evaluation testing teams Suzanne with Leopold, Rhonda with Lilly, Carolyn with Sierra, Jenyfer with Alexis and neutral dog team Geralda with Caity! Thank you to all our volunteers who acted as "the crowd": Judy, Carol, Rachel, John and Estella.
Music City Pet Partners will be at these festivals in October:
13th - Pups & Pints (Nashville)
20th - Pawpalooza (Gallatin)
Both events are FREE and open to the public! Stop by our booth to meet our teams and learn how you and your pet can become a registered pet therapy team. (Click images to view them in full size)
13th - Pups & Pints (Nashville)
20th - Pawpalooza (Gallatin)
Both events are FREE and open to the public! Stop by our booth to meet our teams and learn how you and your pet can become a registered pet therapy team. (Click images to view them in full size)
Congratulations to renewing team Cheryl with Kinsey AND new team Mary Palagonia with Getaway on passing their team evaluations on September 29!
(Pictured: Mary and Getaway)
Thank you Angel May, corporate citizenship lead for Mars Petcare and new Pet Partners board member, for hosting us as part of the Pet Partners World’s Largest Pet Walk celebration! Thanks also to Geralda, Julie and Carolyn for representing MCPP!
Congratulations to Kristi, winner of our small/medium dog gift basket and Becka (and Bandit!), winner of our large dog gift basket! Thank you to everyone who entered our Dog Day Festival drawing - special thanks to Sadie for choosing the winners!
Thank you to everyone who stopped by our booth during Dog Day Festival! Congratulations to Kristi on winning the small/medium dog gift basket and Becka on winning the large dog basket!
Pictured above are (left to right): MCPP team Wendy and Oliver, gift basket giveaway and MCPP pet therapist Finn
Music City Pet Partners will once again be hosting a booth at the 2018 Dog Day Festival! Stop by and learn about becoming a therapy team! Additional info about the festival:
Where: Centennial Park (Address: 2500 West End Ave, Nashville, TN 37203)
When: Saturday, Sept 15, 2018
Tickets: $5 Admission/Donation at the Gate (Kids 10 & Under Free!)
Where: Centennial Park (Address: 2500 West End Ave, Nashville, TN 37203)
When: Saturday, Sept 15, 2018
Tickets: $5 Admission/Donation at the Gate (Kids 10 & Under Free!)
Congratulations to the following teams who passed their team evaluation in August: Emily Sandhaus & Remington (English Golden Retriever); Lyonel Gilmer & Misha (Teddy Bear Goldendoodle); Lisa Hunt & Duchess (Miniature Dachshund) and Julie McCutcheon & Marley (Goldendoodle)!
Congratulations to MCPP Board Member Ellie Wetzel on authoring the cover story in the July issue Nashville Bar Association's Nashville Bar Journal, explaining the legal differences between service animals, therapy animals, and ESAs (emotional support animals)!
Follow the link to read her articles:
"Can I Bring My Dog With Me: How to Prevent Assistance Animal Fraud Without Violating Disability Laws" (flip to page 6): https://issuu.com/nashvillebarassociation/docs/nbj_0607_2018_final_web
July Online Article of the Month - "From the Doghouse to the Courthouse: Canines in the Witness Box": https://www.nashvillebar.org/index.cfm?pg=VirtualArticleoftheMonth#CourthouseCanines
Follow the link to read her articles:
"Can I Bring My Dog With Me: How to Prevent Assistance Animal Fraud Without Violating Disability Laws" (flip to page 6): https://issuu.com/nashvillebarassociation/docs/nbj_0607_2018_final_web
July Online Article of the Month - "From the Doghouse to the Courthouse: Canines in the Witness Box": https://www.nashvillebar.org/index.cfm?pg=VirtualArticleoftheMonth#CourthouseCanines
Our therapy dogs are having a great time this summer at the S'MORE Reading Camp, sponsored by the Literacy Council of Middle Tennessee and the Hendersonville Mayor's Office. The Tennessean published an article about the S'MORE reading camp, which aims to help kids make reading a habit: https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/local/sumner/hendersonville/2018/07/05/hendersonville-tn-smore-reading-camp-summer-elementary-school-kids-education/750522002/.
A big thank you to the MCPP teams participating in the S'MORE Reading Camp: Beverly & Lucy, Debbie & Tashi, Estella & Finn, Judy & Sprocket, Megan & Cooper and Wendy & Oliver
A big thank you to the MCPP teams participating in the S'MORE Reading Camp: Beverly & Lucy, Debbie & Tashi, Estella & Finn, Judy & Sprocket, Megan & Cooper and Wendy & Oliver
Congratulations to our 4 newest teams, who passed their team evaluations on June 30: Bailey with Honey (Golden Retriever), Heather with Journey (large Terrier mix), Julie with Sadie (small Terrier mix) and Pearl with Lexie (Lab mix)! Congratulations also to renewing team Rosemary with Cher on their perfect complex rating!
Special thanks to neutral dog team Debbie and Tashi, volunteers Nora, Tim, Ellie and Estella and last but certainly not least... evaluators Geralda and Judy for a successful day!
Special thanks to neutral dog team Debbie and Tashi, volunteers Nora, Tim, Ellie and Estella and last but certainly not least... evaluators Geralda and Judy for a successful day!
Congratulations to Pet Partners team Christi and Layla, the "Rehab Lab," for being featured in a Pedigree US commercial, currently airing on Great American Country (GAC)! The commercial also spotlights Layla's little brother, Jackson, who is training to be a therapy dog too!
Watch the commercial here: http://voice.vumc.org/volunteer-christi-williams-layla-rehab-lab-featured-national-dog-food-commercial
Christi and Layla volunteer as a therapy dog team at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Christi is an associate professor at Belmont University School of Physical Therapy - DPT, and she is researching the effects of therapy dogs.
Watch the commercial here: http://voice.vumc.org/volunteer-christi-williams-layla-rehab-lab-featured-national-dog-food-commercial
Christi and Layla volunteer as a therapy dog team at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Christi is an associate professor at Belmont University School of Physical Therapy - DPT, and she is researching the effects of therapy dogs.
Our teams were invited to visit Fairview High School as part of final exam week to offer stress relief! Teams visiting included: Carolyn & Sierra, Debbie & Tashi, Donald & Daisy, Geralda & Caity, Joan & Dottie, and Robbin & Luna.
Thank you Waggoner Library for these fantastic photos from our recent visit to kick off Trevecca Nazarene University finals week: http://www.flickr.com/photos/waggonerlibrary/sets/72157696253425445/with/41795206021
Special thanks to MCPP teams Geralda with Caity, Estella with Finn (pomsCARE) and Tricia with Dream - Miniature Therapy Horse for volunteering their time!
Special thanks to MCPP teams Geralda with Caity, Estella with Finn (pomsCARE) and Tricia with Dream - Miniature Therapy Horse for volunteering their time!
Check out some of our teams in action at Belmont’s Puppies and Popsicles Event! Pictured are: Geralda & Caity, Becky & Bonnie, Carolyn & Sierra and Michelle & Russell.
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Thank you Waggoner Library at Trevecca Nazarene University for these photos from the spring finals week pet therapy visit on April 29: http://www.flickr.com/photos/waggonerlibrary/albums/72157696253425445/with/40896633285
Special thanks to Prilla for organizing this event and Geralda with Caity, Estella with Finn and Tricia with Dream (mini-horse) for representing MCPP! Photo of Dream courtesy of Waggoner Library |
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Thank you Office of Housing and Residential Education & Vanderbilt Recreation and Wellness Center for inviting our teams to participate in the Stress Less Spring Fest on April 23! Check out Winnie (Great Pyrenees mix) and Monti (Pomeranian) in action!
Congratulations to the four teams who passed their Pet Partners team evaluations on April 8: renewing teams Cheryl & Kinsey, Debbie & Tashi, Lou & Petey AND new team Robbin & Ivy!
Special thanks to all MCPP members who helped during evaluations: Carolyn, Gene, Martha, plus Evaluators Geralda and Judy!
(l to r): Cheryl with Kinsey, Debbie with Tashi, Lou with Petey and Robbin with Ivy!
Congratulations to the following teams who passed their team evaluations on March 17: Julia & Luna (Border Collie), Rita & Tennessee Maverick (Rough Collie), Sean McMahon & Zeke (Chocolate Lab), Robbin & Luna (Portuguese Water Dog), Bob & Luna (Portuguese Water Dog) AND Megan & Cooper (Boston Terrier).
We had two pups named Luna, a Border Collie and a Portuguese Water Dog, with the latter qualifying with both of her humans!
Thank you to all the MCPP members who came out on St. Patrick's Day to help with this evaluation: Donald, Dorothy, Sheri, Suzanne, neutral dog team Rhonda & Lilly, and Evaluators Geralda and Debbie. Pictured: Julia with Luna
We had two pups named Luna, a Border Collie and a Portuguese Water Dog, with the latter qualifying with both of her humans!
Thank you to all the MCPP members who came out on St. Patrick's Day to help with this evaluation: Donald, Dorothy, Sheri, Suzanne, neutral dog team Rhonda & Lilly, and Evaluators Geralda and Debbie. Pictured: Julia with Luna
Congratulations to the following teams who passed their team evaluations on February 3: Jenyfer with Caity, Jerry with Barkley and Bella with Scarlett! Scarlett is also the first registered feline to join Music City Pet Partners. A huge thank you to evaluators Debbie and Judy and volunteers Becky with Bonnie (neutral dog), Rachel, Dorothy and Nancy. Special thanks to Shalom Zone for the use of their facility for these evaluations!
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Our teams were invited to visit at Vanderbilt Recreation and Wellness Center during finals week to offer stress relief and study breaks for students! Thank you to these teams for visiting throughout the week of December 11-14 (l to r): Dorothy & Bella, Michelle & Russell, Kerry & Kelsey and Estella & Finn!
Our teams also visited Motlow State Community College and Belmont University during finals week! Thank you to Carolyn & Sierra (Motlow; left) Geralda & Caity (Motlow; center), and Michelle & Russell (Belmont; right) for lending your time to these events!
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Geralda & Caity, Becky & Bonnie and Estella & Monti visited Waggoner Library at Trevecca Nazarene University for their finals week! Photo credit: Priscilla Speer / Waggoner Library
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Thank you to these 11 teams for representing MCPP at the Governor's Mansion for their Tennessee Home For the Holidays/Family Day event:
Geralda & Caity, Becky & Bonnie, Heather & Tessa Joy, Bob & Will, Birgit & Lily, Carolyn & Sierra, Dorothy & Bella, Estella & Finn, Nancy & Annabelle, Tim & JellyBean and Michelle & Russell!
Special thanks to Governor Bill and First Lady Crissy Haslam for your hospitality - it was a chilly but fun day!
Congratulations to our newest teams, who passed their evaluations in December: Joan & Dottie, Tammy & Kitty and Martha & Ellie Rose.
