Meet First Responder Therapy Dog Mayzie
My name is Adrienne, and I used to be a first responder. I worked as an EMT and a hospital transfer center coordinator before switching into a career in K-12 education. I’m blessed to have Mayzie as my best friend, and that I can share her with first responders.
Mayzie's start to her life wasn't easy, even though she doesn't show it.
Mayzie’s rescue and adoption story
After spending a few months in a shelter in Sacramento, CA, after being dumped by her first owner, Mayzie was saved by Foothill Dog Rescue in early 2019. Before she was able to find her forever home, she got really sick with aspiration pneumonia and required 24/7 IV fluids and coughed for weeks. Her prognosis was grim, her foster family and all of Foothill Dog Rescue were concerned she wouldn't make it.
But Mayzie wasn’t ready to give up. She pulled through and healed in time for her forever family to find her on her first weekend available for a meet and greet. Which was meant to be since we didn't get picked for the dog we applied for the weekend before. She was meant to be our dog and share her life with us.
Mayzie’s journey to becoming a certified therapy dog
Shortly after we adopted her, we saw that Mayzie loved visiting with people more than dogs when we would go to the park. She also loved getting attention from kids and was so gentle with them. I saw her potential to be a therapy dog, so I started completing my own training and working on her obedience so she could pass the Canine Good Citizen assessments. Due to the pandemic pausing in-person assessments for certification, and then finding out that Mayzie had allergies to the main ingredients in most dog foods causing us to change her diet and unable to continue our certification process with a different organization, our certification was delayed until First Responder Therapy Dogs started certifying teams. I saw this as our opportunity to give back to those who sacrifice so much, knowing first-hand the stress they have because of the difficult things they do.
Her first training visit was to the Caldor Fire Base Camp in 2021, and I knew for sure it was her true calling after seeing how much she loved meeting the hundreds of firefighters there. I saw the impact she had on them too, and I knew we had to continue with our certification. In June of 2023 we finished our certification, and Mayzie became a beloved therapy dog, helping dispatchers, firefighters, law enforcement, military, and other first responders in our area at their departments, memorial ceremonies, and at community events. She has earned 4 AKC titles: CGC, CGCU, CGCA, and Therapy Dog. She is a few visits away from completing 100 visits and earning the Therapy Dog Advanced title.
Whether it’s helping hundreds of firefighters at base camps, visiting first responders in South Lake Tahoe when we go camping, or offering comfort to members of our community when called to help, Mayzie has made a significant impact as a therapy dog for first responders. We've even inspired a few people to join our organization!
Mayzie is trained to be obedient, but she already had a calm demeanor, making therapy dog work second nature for her. She remains calm and neutral as she waits for pets from busy dispatchers. While she shows excitement in her body language to say hello to first responders and children, she never jumps or pulls, and quickly sits or lays down next to her new friend. Some might mistake her calm behavior for her being bored, but many find it comforting and appreciate her steady presence.
Since we adopted Mayzie, she has helped us live a life of adventure. Outside of her therapy dog work, she loves to go camping, paddle boarding, and playing with her best friend (our other dog) Tanner. She loves road trips and is the best back seat driver. We just celebrated her 7th birthday on February 20th, making sure to shower her with appreciation and love. To date, she’s achieved 95 therapy visits, and is on track to complete 100 therapy visits very soon!
Our journey with Mayzie also led us to discover Grandma Lucy’s dog food due to her allergies to main ingredients in many dog food brands. After trying a bag from our local PetFood Express and loving it, we made the switch! No more cans or out of budget brands! Our vet asks every visit us how we get her coat so shiny! It's definitely her diet of Grandma Lucy's! We also use it as a decompression treat after therapy dog visits, spread out and frozen on a lick mat. Grandma Lucy’s Instagram team reached out to us recently and we became ambassadors, and now we're part of their Therapy Dog Program! We're so excited to partner with them, and spread the word about their 3 Bears dog food – a portion of the sale of every bag purchased goes to support reading and therapy dogs!
I believe Mayzie's story shows that rescue dogs can do amazing things, like helping to smash the stigma around mental health support for first responders. She has shown me the incredible impact a dog can have on a community as well. She's a Foothill Dog Rescue celebrity alumni, beating the odds stacked against her, and she assists with fundraising events to help other shelter dogs find their forever home.
Read more about Mayzie:
Sad shelter puppy becomes therapy dog for first responders
Find out more about the benefits of first responder therapy dogs:
First Responder Therapy Dogs: Animal Assisted Healing
Therapy Dogs Bring Relief to First Responders
Kerith and First Responder Therapy Dogs: A Mission of Love