Different breeds bring their own unique challenges but Cheyanne is up for the task with her Therapy Beagle, Tiana.
In this 28th episode of Therapy Dog Talk, I’m joined by Cheyanne and her Therapy Beagle, Tiana who volunteer through Alliance of Therapy Dogs. We learn about their adventures and the special challenges they face, and solutions they’ve found, working with a hound breed in therapy settings around Phoenix, Arizona.
Cheyanne tells us how she got into therapy dogs with her first Beagle, Sophie, and how she continued this work with Tiana. They have volunteered at the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport as part of the Navigator Buddies team and have helped at-risk youth through Gabriel’s Angels. Cheyanne and Tiana have made a big difference in their community.
We talk about the specific challenges Cheyanne and Tiana face as a hound breed, like getting distracted by food smells. Cheyanne also shares helpful tips for people who want to train their own therapy dog and talks about training opportunities from some test observers.
We also discuss the importance of taking breaks from volunteering and adding fun activities to keep both the handler and dog happy and ready for their work. Cheyanne encourages listeners to try therapy animal work if they think their dog would be good at it, and she highlights the happiness and satisfaction that comes from doing this kind of work.
In this episode, you’ll learn about the world of therapy dogs, the unique challenges of working with hound breeds, and the amazing experiences Cheyanne and Tiana have had volunteering in their community.
In this episode, we discuss …
- What encouraged Cheyanne to pursue volunteering with her first Beagle, Sophie.
- Why Cheyanne decided to carry forward Sophie’s legacy with Tiana.
- What Cheyanne and Sophie enjoy about therapy animal opportunities in Phoenix.
Key moments you won’t want to miss:
- [01:48] Cheyanne tells how she found out about Therapy Dogs with her first dog, Sophie, at an event.
- [04:18] Cheyanne talks about getting Tiana ready to be a Therapy Beagle, just like Sophie was.
- [06:00] Cheyanne mentions her other Beagle, Mardi, and why she doesn’t think Mardi would like volunteering.
- [07:23] Cheyanne is surprised by how many chances there are to volunteer with pet therapy.
- [07:57] Cheyanne and Tiana’s adventures volunteering at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport with the Navigator Buddies team.
- [08:47] They help at-risk kids through a program called Gabriel’s Angels.
- [09:28] They also volunteer at Phoenix Children’s Hospital.
- [09:57] Cheyanne and Tiana have fun volunteering at ASU with Sun Devil PAWS Therapy.
- [12:22] Cheyanne talks about the special challenges she faced while volunteering with hound dogs and how they worked through them.
- [14:59] Cheyanne gives advice for people who want to train their own therapy dog and how to know when to end a visit early.
I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I do. Give it a watch or a listen and then let me know in the community which part you found the most helpful!
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Therapy Dog Talk is a podcast where I interview a different team each week via Instagram Live. If you enjoyed this episode please find us over at Apple, Google, or Spotify and give us a follow after you leave a review.
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