For many, dogs are beloved companions and friends. However, thanks to a Litchfield Park-based nonprofit, these furry friends provide more than just playing fetch or following commands; they offer a unique kind of support for those in need that humans cannot provide.
Mutts on a Mission is a therapy dog volunteer organization that started nearly two decades ago. The organization’s members support the community’s most vulnerable residents with the help of their own dogs, which have completed the necessary therapy dog training. From assisting students in developing emotionally and educationally to supporting families experiencing loss, the teams at Mutts on a Mission address a variety of challenges facing their communities.
“We in essence provide comfort and healing to a lot of facilities and to a lot of people,” said Bob Weber, Mutts on a Mission president.
Weber said there are about 15 Mutts on Mission teams, each comprised of a volunteer handler and a trained therapy dog. The teams often visit patients and their families at the City of Hope Cancer Center in Goodyear, where they comfort individuals. Some have just lost a loved one.
The organization also supports young children through its implementation of the Reading Education Assistance Dog (R.E.A.D.) program, a national initiative that employs dogs to combat the high illiteracy rates among children across the country. It ranks among the longest-running partnerships for Mutts on a Mission and is led by one of the organization’s founders, Kathleen Tyryfter. They also send three teams to Santa Fe Elementary School each week.
“When they walk in and all of a sudden, we see them smiling because the dog put their face on the book and they’ve slobbered… it is just this is what I was meant to do,” she said.
Every Tuesday, six teams visit Barbara B. Robey Elementary School. For one hour, these groups work with 12 children, having the students read aloud to the dogs. Mutts on a Mission has partnered with the school for more than eight years.
“Whatever a child needs, we try to meet to the best of our ability. Just having them choose books and and choose authors that they’re starting to connect with, it’s just been awesome,” said Gina Kuszmaul, the school’s reading specialist.
School staff selects students for the program based on their reading difficulties or personal challenges — including issues like lack of attention at home or behavioral problems. The handlers work with them individually throughout the semester. Each student is paired with the same dog and handler and receives a framed picture of that dog to read with at home as well.
Gracelyn, 8, is a third-grade student at Barbara B. Robey Elementary School, and she is partnered with a dog named Lacey.
“It’s really fun reading to Lacey because I get to sit down and enjoy the book and reading. I like reading that to Lacey because she is calm and a dog that just sits still,” Gracelyn said.
In the United States, about 21% of adults have low literacy skills. Mutts on a Mission vice president Elaine Reilly said reading skills begin at the elementary school level, making initiatives like this crucial.
“It is the future of this country. We do a lot to help seniors, and we believe in helping the elderly and certainly people who are at the City of Hope. We’ve always wanted to do that, and we will continue to have those be our facilities. But at some point, we also said we’ve got to help the youth of this country,” she said.
Mutts on a Mission is seeking new handlers, and the process is less intimidating than it might seem. Sometimes, people confuse the training required for therapy dog credentials with that for service dogs used to assist individuals with disabilities, Weber said, but the therapy dog training program is not nearly as challenging.
“We might rattle some wheelchairs, see if the dog doesn’t get surprised — very, very basic things. It’s nothing like the training that a service dog must go through,” Weber said.
The dogs must also be able to follow basic dog commands, be at least 2 years old but younger than 10 years old, and respond positively to stimulation or petting. Therapy dog training is provided through Intermountain Therapy Animals or Pet Partners.
For more information about Mutts on a Mission, or to explore opportunities to volunteer with a dog, visit muttsonamission.org or email
info.muttsonamission@gmail.com.
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