The power that a dog has to comfort and bring peace to a situation is remarkable. Have you ever been upset or in a bad mood and had your pet come over to make the situation right? They seem to have some “sixth sense” about knowing when someone needs some love.
That special sense is what makes dogs such good therapy animals!
A therapy dog is a dog that is trained to bring peace and a sense of calmness to a situation.
From working with a child who is learning to read to visiting a senior in assisted living, therapy dogs and their owners work together as a team to improve the lives of other people. – AKC
These therapy dogs are brought around tough situations to help the people going through difficult times.
Kerith is a crisis response therapy dog with a big job!
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Kerith is a 2-year-old golden retriever that has a special job that she absolutely loves. In light of some horrible world events, Kerith is able to bring peace and comfort to those who need it the most.
Working primarily with firefighters, Kerith has been helping with the California wildfires.
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Wildfires are raging, out of control blazes that are thousands of acres in length. Sweeping large portions of the countryside, these fires cause property damage, harm people, and send tons of smoke into the air. The devastating fires require constant fighting to keep them from sweeping across the entire state.
In 2020, the “fire season” is the worst its ever been.
As if 2020 hasn’t been strange enough, the California fire season is the worst on record. As the fires grow, firefighters spend more and more time battling the flames. These men and women risk life and limb to keep the fires at bay.
With so many people affected by the fires, a little hope goes a long way.
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This “hope” is exactly what Kerith provides! Every day, Kerith visits the firefighters with a wagging tail and wet nose, ready to get pets. At the wildfire camps, the excited pup walks around and provides people with little moments of happiness.
Heidi Carman is Kerith’s handler.
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Heidi gets to see the firsthand impact of her pup with the people that she visits.
“We are tasked with things that push our limits,” John Aitchison, a firefighter in Marin County, told TODAY. “And having something like a dog brings some of type of normalcy back into our lives. All these abnormal events are getting really tiring on all our folks here. So having that comfort is therapeutic.”
Kerith was originally trained to be a guide dog for the blind.
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When she turned 14 months old, however, they decided that Kerith would do much better as a therapy dog. Even still, Kerith had to pass some serious tests in order to do what she does as a professional.
The test Kerith had to take in front of five judges to obtain her therapy dog certificate was a rigorous one, Carman said. If Kerith jumped once during the entire test, she would flunk.
Now, Kerith gets to jump all she wants when she loves on the hardworking firefighters.
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I can’t imagine the impact that this little dog is having on the people who need it the most! Having a wet nose nuzzle you at the end of a long day is surely a wonderful thing. It’s often the little moments that allow us to keep moving forward in tough times.
Check out Kerith’s Instagram below!
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