HOOVER, Ala. — A non-profit organization, Fido Facility Dogs Inc, is making a significant impact in Alabama by training dogs to provide comfort and support to individuals with special needs or illnesses. Founded by Kelly Schaeffer, Judith Thomason, and Tracy Anderson, the organization connects trained therapy dogs with professionals in education, healthcare, and other non-profits.
Kelly Schaeffer, one of the founders, explained the unique role of these therapy dogs. “CJ was a dog donated by a retired radiologist from Children’s Hospital, Dr. Christopher Guion,” she said. “We taught CJ to basically go in and support the staff there and give to the students. Encouragement, he knows how to play math games with them… he catches a big dice and they use him to do math games… he does a lot of deep pressure therapy, he provides just a lot of overall comfort.”
Schaeffer described deep pressure therapy as “kinda like a weighted blanket,” where dogs are trained to lay across people and lean into them. This type of therapy has been found to lower blood pressure and heart rates while reducing stress, she said.
The organization, based in Hoover, ensures that once trained, the dogs spend their days working in assigned facilities but return home each night with a staff member. Schaeffer emphasized the dogs’ role, saying, “So they go to work every day, their job is to motivate comfort and provide that unconditional love.”
Schaeffer and her co-founders, who previously trained service dogs elsewhere, decided to establish their own organization driven by their passion for dogs and community service. “There were two things that were really important to all of us… and that was service in our community and the love and passion that we have for dogs,” Schaeffer said.
The organization primarily uses standard poodles due to their intelligence, love for people, work ethic, and hypoallergenic qualities. “We used the standard poodle breed… because they are intelligent, they love people, they’re hard workers, and they don’t shed,” Schaeffer said.
Fido Facility Dogs is seeking community partners to help continue their service, spreading joy, love, and motivation throughout the community. “They just kinda spread joy, love, and motivation everywhere they go,” Schaeffer said.
To find out more you can go to Fidosfacilitydog.org
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