My Nonprofit Reviews

I have continued to volunteer with Fidos for Freedom since 2007. Now I have my third and fourth Golden retriever as Therapy Dogs with this fantastic organization. I enjoy the fact that we are able to go to so many different facilities to bring joy to many people. We go to nursing homes, hospitals, elder care facilities, facilities for adults with special needs, schools and public libraries in the county.
Each of my visits means something personally to me. The nursing home we visit is the one in which my grandfather passed away. The hospital is where all of my family, including myself, have been patients. The schools and facilities for clients with special needs; because I taught special needs children swimming and physical education for 4 years as a teenage.

I have so many great experiences I can share with you, but just to name a few:
Having a gentleman, who can only say one word, pet your dog for the first time in 5 years is priceless. It took 5 years and he finally petted my dog. Another client in that same facility always asks where is my Tucker, who passed away in 2015. She will always remember my Golden as the first dog she petted 9 years ago. That is the joy of going to the same facility each month, each year.

I have volunteered at Fidos for Freedom since 2007. As a therapy dog handler I have witnessed the joy that therapy dogs bring to patients in hospitals, nursing homes, and schools .
On one evening in a local hospital in the mental health ward, my 2 golden retrievers did a trick in which one jumped over the back of the other. Everyone in the room clapped. A patient said to me, "The entire atmosphere of the room was up-lifted!"
Several years ago Fidos for Freedom received a special request from a hospital to fulfill the dying wish of a 12 year-old boy who was dying of cancer to pet a dog. A friend and her Border collie and I with my Golden drove to Baltimore to let the little boy pet our dogs. The parents and family were so grateful. The nurse told us that the little boy would not survive the night and that she was so thankful that we were able to come when she called.
Recently two high school students approached me to let me know that they read to my Golden retrievers when they were in elementary school as part of the DEAR program. (Dogs Educating and Assisting Reading). The dogs made a lasting impression on these students, one of which is now a junior dog handler at Fidos for Freedom.
These are only a few examples that demonstrate how our therapy dogs have bought joy and comfort to children, students, nursing home patients, wounded warriors and seniors in assisted living facilities.