First Responder Therapy Dogs - Tracy + Sparkie

Dear Chiefs Podcast

English - November 08, 2022 13:00 - 28 minutes - 39.4 MB
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In this episode, we chat with Tracy a fire wife from South Shore Massachusetts, mother of two, and full-time guidance counselor about your experience as a therapy dog trainer to her family dog, Sparkie.

First Responders work 24 hours a day, 365 days a year answering the call to serve, help, and protect. Being on the front lines is mentally challenging. It can become overwhelming to First Responders, leading them to feel undervalued + under-supported. First Responder Therapy Dogs lead the way in addressing mental health needs by providing emotional support to first responders with the use of therapy dogs.

Sparkie + Tracy were certified as a First Responder Therapy Dog team through First Responder Therapy Dogs, a national non-profit, in August 2021 and have done almost 200 visits since being certified. Visits include fire departments, police departments, dispatch locations, and ems facilities. Tracy and Sparkie were the first East Coast team to certify and the first team in Massachusetts, and have watched the group evolve and grow exponentially.