Whitney and her dog Pete started their volunteer journey in Cincinnati, where they lived and volunteered together at the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital for a year. Whitney describes Pete as a calm and loving dog who enjoys everyone he meets, so after moving to Indianapolis, she knew she wanted to find a way for she and Pete to get involved with the community. They found Paws & Think after contacting Riley Children’s Hospital to learn about their therapy dog volunteer opportunities. Whitney was impressed with Paws & Think’s mission: “I love that Paws & Think helps in many different venues and is constantly trying to educate the community on the many ways dogs and humans help each other.”
Together Whitney and Pete passed their therapy team evaluation with Paws & Think in June of this year and went on to complete the additional training to become part of the Paws to Heal program at St. Vincent’s. They visit St. Vincent’s every other week, and the Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital is their favorite place to volunteer together. Whitney reflects on a recent visit there, where they encountered a young girl in the hallway outside her room. The girl sat down next to Pete, and Pete wiggled close to her and laid his head in her lap. The girl was so small that Pete’s head barely fit in her lap, but they sat together for five minutes or more, content with each other’s company. “That interaction just reminded how lucky I am to have Pete and how lucky we all are to have dogs that know just what to do to make the most of a moment,” Whitney says.
Pete is a Golden Retriever who will be turning four in March, and when he is not volunteering with Paws & Think he loves to play fetch and go swimming in any water that he can get to. Pete has a younger brother, Eddie, who is also a Golden Retriever and just turned one year old. Together they enjoy visiting local parks to walk the trails, and Whitney is training Eddie so that he can become a therapy dog with Paws & Think someday, too. Whitney looks forward to being able to volunteer with Eddie and is happy that she is able to share Pete’s gifts with others. “I get asked all the time how I trained Pete to be a therapy dog,” she says. “While there is a lot of work and training that goes into it, it is so much more than just obedience. Some dogs just have that special personality!”
