Gold Standard: TheraPet lends a helping paw to East Texans

TYLER, Texas ( KETK ) – TheraPet has been bringing joy to East Texans in their darkest, most anxiety-ridden days since 1994.

As they celebrate their 30th anniversary, here’s a closer look at their volunteers and the impact they have on the Piney Woods.

Walter the beagle, and his owner Nancy Rody, have been involved with TheraPet for nearly 11 years. They joined after hearing about the organization through a pet training course.

“I’ve done everything as far as volunteering groups, so when I found out about this, I love my dogs,” Rody said. “So, to be able to work with my dogs and share my dogs with other people, it was a win-win. It was perfect.”

Sandy Barnett and her rescue Blanca have a similar story when they joined seven years ago.

“Six months into the program, they’re like, ‘You’ve heard about this program, she has a great temperament for this program’… I’m like, I have no idea what you’re talking about, I just know I love this dog,” Barnett said. “We made it and here she is.”

A year’s worth of training is worthwhile for these dog owners when they see the stress and anxiety melt away on the faces of the people they serve.

“We don’t see people on a good day of their lives, we often see them on the worst days of their lives,” TheraPet Executive Director Elysia Reineck said.

TheraPet started their journey in Tyler, but branched out their assisted animal therapy to nine states, as far west as Hawaii and as far east as New York.

“When a dog walks into a room to a hospital room, they don’t see demographics,” Reineck said. “They don’t see your education level. They don’t see your or any decision you’ve made, anything about your past. None of it matters. They look at you, see a need, and they’re there to fill it. I love that intuition. There’s really nothing like it.”

They have contracts with 13 facilities throughout East Texas, from hospitals to prisons and crisis centers.

“Watching the dog see the difference from hospital room to hospital room and pick up on what that individual needs, is unlike anything else,” Reineck said.

The unique strengths of the program have kept volunteers like Sandy and Nancy coming back year after year.

“It’s absolutely amazing,” Barnett said. “They are so happy to have three seconds or 20 seconds to just get their mind off of whatever is happening before they have to move on.”

To learn more about TheraPet, visit their website .

“The staff, patients or people visiting loved ones in the hospital, and you see that look on their face and in their eyes,” Rody said. “It’s priceless, absolutely priceless.”

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