During our first class, we thought maybe five teams might show. We had 31 handler/dog teams interested. Over the years we have gone from two handler/dog teams to over 1,000 teams nationwide and in South Korea.

Where you may have a child that witnessed a horrific event and would not talk, the child holds a dog and opens up. Same with the adults. They are no longer talking to a human, they are opening up to a warm animal, that is nonjudgmental.

After the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting, we had Team Pittsburgh jump into action. They, along with Team Ohio-Youngstown, walked through the neighborhoods, went to the police and fire stations, Jewish Community Center and attended the vigils. The teams were invited to a local Jewish Elementary School, where they spent time with the students for two days and the staff for one day.