I am a new volunteer with my dog Halo and I am having such a great experience! There is no better feeling than walking in for a visit with my dog and seeing the smiles on everyone’s faces. I’m so proud to be part of RocDog!
My dog Meeko and I are quickly approaching our one year anniversary of becoming a member of RocDog. This past year has been an amazing experience. RocDog has given us many opportunties to explore different kinds of visits and discover what works best for us. Meeko has really enjoyed going to summer school and college campuses; while he absolutely loves little kids, at times he can be a little overzealous. But he knew he had a job to do and needed to tone it down, and he displayed a calmness and maturity around the students that I have not seen before. I have loved watching him learn what it means to "visit" and develop his skills. We recently began visiting a local nursing home. On Meeko's first day, he spread joy and love to 41 residents. My favorite was when he went into a room to see one woman, but her roommate (who appeared to be sleeping and nonresponsive) suddenly cooed at Meeko, flung her arms out wide, and Meeko walked right into her embrace. Staff was completely shocked. It was a heartwarming moment that brought tears to my eyes. It is an honor to be a part of RocDog.
Violet and I are a dog/handler pair. We work in the Rochester City School District. This year we will have the pleasure of working with students with Autism and other disabilities. We've been having meet and greets with students before school so they aren't nervous for the first day. She even had her picture in last year's yearbook.
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We have been volunteering with RocDog for just over a year. What has struck us most is the positive effect Pinot, or any RocDog, can have on a student during in interaction lasting just a few moments. A quick pet to or from class has led to so many "Thank you, I needed that!" responses! We are so pleased to be part of an organization that brings a little joy to someones day.
7/2/22 Anchor International Convention in Rochester NY had RocDog join in with therapy dog guest speakers to share experiences and opportunities with our 50+ youth leaders from across the country and Bahamas. Thank you for giving of your time and expertise!
Roc Dog has been fantastic in supporting the high school where I work. My oldest dog was certified in August 2021 & Paul, the founder & president of Roc Dog immediately started the process to get an agreement with the Rochester City School District for my dogs to go to my school. It took several weeks & multiple meetings but an agreement that covered the entire district was approved. Roc Dog came to our school to support staff & students after we lost staff members. They also visited a few times a month during lunches to support students. Both of my dogs are now certified & founding members of Roc Dog. Having my dogs in the classroom a few times a week made a huge difference with many students & staff. Just seeing a dog at school brought smiles to lots of people. Life is measured in seconds & centimeters so we have to grab joy whenever we can. Having the dogs at school brought joy, smiles, & community. Thanks to Paul & Roc Dog.
We joined RocDog exactly one year ago this month! Joli is made for this stuff. She absolutely loves going to “work”, and it shows. The 911 Call Center, nursing homes, especially the memory centers, libraries with kids reading to her, all that and more she just adores! I’ve met so many wonderful people who clearly appreciate our visits. I also want to say that these wonderful dogs do not have to be purebreds. Joli was adopted at 8 weeks from a local rescue; she’s a Maltese-Pomeranian mix with the best temperament. You and your pooch can be volunteers too with just a bit of training and the desire to bring smiles to all kinds of people. ☺️
RocDog is an amazing organization with wonderful people and awesome dogs! Every week Darla visits Rochester General Hospital to greet patients, visitors and staff in the lobby and the Surgical Waiting Area. So many times we are told, "This is just what I needed!" or "This make my day!" It's great to see people smile in what is often a stressful situation. I am so glad we are part of the RocDog family.
Roc Dog has been great to work with! They responded so quickly to my request to have them visit the middle school I work in. The handlers and the dogs are all lovely. It is so wonderful to see the kids faces light up when they see the dogs and to see how a smile instantly breaks across their faces! Roc Dog visits have been something both I and the kids at school look forward to.
Roc Dog has been an amazing group to work with. They visit our day program at Jewish Senior Life on a regular basis and our seniors simply love them! The program participants get so excited when they see the dogs, and are very eager to get their turn petting and visiting with them. The handlers are wonderful as well- they are friendly and caring. Paul is a great contact- he is knowledgeable and very responsive to calls and e-mails. I am so glad we were able to find ROC Dogs! They definitely brighten the day of everyone who sees them!
As one of the first therapy dogs to join RocDog, I'm continually impressed with the openness and kindness of this organization! RocDog provides wonderful services throughout the greater Rochester area, bringing smiles and happy tail wags to everyone. Additionally, it's been amazing to see how many organizations are partners with RocDog in only the first year! Clearly, RocDog, Paul and Sue, the volunteers, and the dogs have found their way into the hearts and lives of the Rochester community. I'm proud to be a member and look forward to continuing to volunteer with RocDog!
One of my first volunteer visits was to the probation center in downtown Rochester. As Luna walked around to “say hi” to each person, she was a calming force and it showed. She would sit, sidle up and be petted and be loved. I did nothing, had very little conversation and let her do her thing. As we were getting ready to go, a woman came out and said, “I was having a really bad day, so I was just going to stay in my cubicle and cry. My co-worker came over to me and said, you must go out into the lobby and see this dog, Luna. I got myself up and…thanks, I feel so much better.” The power of animal rapport is real! I’m so grateful to Paul and RocDog for providing a place to witness these connections.
RocDog rocks! We are fairly new members, but our Rhodesian Ridgeback, Kanzi loves her visits to meet 911 Call Center heroes, kids at libraries and schools, health fairs, and other locations. It is so rewarding to see the smiles when she offers kisses, and lets her new friends pet the distinguishing ridge on her back. We are looking forward to many more adventures with our new RocDog family!
We took your therapy dog Holly to Rush Henrietta High School for a visit. We were not sure what to expect because other school visits were in their cafeteria to meet with students. This time we were taken to a class room for students with special needs. It seems that one of the students asked for either a pet or a visit to their class.
This experience was not only exciting for the students but rewarding for the dog handlers. The students and the staff loved the results of the ROC therapy dogs visit and suggested that this should be a annual visit. We hope to go back again.
We were SO happy to discover RocDog- we are Florida "snowbirds" who certified as a therapy dog team in Florida, but wanted to continue our work while here for the beautiful Rochester summers. RocDog was very accommodating and facilitated the certification process seamlessly. I am so impressed with the philosophy and structure of this wonderful organization, and am delighted to explore new venues with my sweet girl "Cora"- who has found a whole new team of fans at the 911 call center, and will hopefully be doing the same shortly at a local hospital. Here we are about to enter the 911 emergency call center for a therapy visit:
Yesterday Joshua and I met a man that was having a very hard time. He had just been moved into a Senior Living Home and he has dementia. He was lost, confused, and mad. As we walked into his room it was like a light came on. He looked at Joshua and Smiled. His whole body just seemed to relax. We sat and talked for about 15 minutes. It is such a joy to see how Dog's can help people in need.
Roc dog started working with DePaul and was referred by a coworker who loved them, I work with the Mentally ill and this has become such a highlight for both us staff and our clients. We look forward to him every time! never dissapointed thank you!
I'm the coordinator at a local senior center. I reached out to RocDog several months ago to have a therapy dog come to the center to visit our seniors. The dogs are so sweet and well trained! The owners have all been friendly and willing to answer our questions about their beautiful pets!
Thank you RocDog for giving us this opportunity to interact with these wonderful dogs!
~Valerie
RocDog comes to the Gates Public Library twice a month and it's the highlight of my work week! The dogs are absolutely wonderful and the owners are knowledgeable and super nice! There's nothing sweeter than watching children sitting and reading to the pups. Thank you so much for your continued visits to the library!
A Sweet story:
Yesterday as we were leaving the Seymour Library we ran into a woman in the parking lot that was thrilled to see Penny.
You see she was diagnosed with cancer a swift cancer this year and spent much time in the hospital, Her husband is still working, and had to take care of her and the Rough Collie they had at home and they decided it was too much for them and not fair to their Collie.
So she contacted her Collies breeder after boarding it for a while locally and she found a wonderful home for him.
You see some little girl through the “Make a Wish Program" wanted a "Lassie" dog.
The connection was made through Collie Rescue, the Collies breeder and the Collie found a new home with this little girl and pictures are sent to the woman with Cancer and she is very happy to see her baby in the new home,
She was thrilled to pet Penny yesterday in the parking lot of Seymour Library.
It made me so happy that Penny brought joy to this sweet woman that got to pet another Collie and share her story of her own Collie.