Healing Heart Therapy Dogs is an organization of service dogs used for therapy in various settings along with staff members who are loyal and dedicated, with teams of one trainer and one pup traveling from location to location, volunteering with Healing Heart. 

Healing Heart Therapy Dogs travel across the state to hospitals, nursing homes, psychiatric or assisted living facilities, libraries, schools, airforce bases and more. HHTD’s provide therapy to locals by partnering with programs like the Keene Memorial Library. Saturday March 7th, the Keene Memorial Library hosted HHTD’s very own Mocha and Zoe, two of the organization’s therapy dogs who sat and read stories with kids. 

If your child struggles with reading, this intervention could be helpful for him or her. Similarly, if a child struggles with a speech impediment, reading aloud in a calm and controlled environment can be beneficial. Although the library only offers this program once a month, making it a part of your child’s routine might make a difference. If your child benefits from a therapy animal, this could be something for you to take note of.

Healing Hearts began as two women and two pups determined to help people. President of the HHTD board Marla Wademan and treasurer Gale Lothrop took their own service dogs to work, kickstarting HHTD’S success. They say their mission is to “strengthen the human-companion animal bond by allowing our dogs to heal people’s hearts”.