News

Therapy Dogs United is so incredibly proud of the amazing work our therapy dog team from the North Fort Myers and Cape Coral area is doing.

After a brief hiatus, our monthly eNewsletters have returned!  Now you can catch a glimpse of our hard working therapy dogs, read success stories and find out where our hard working teams will be in the community right from your Email inbox!  Tons of tail wags in each issue.

Our friends at the Erie Yacht Club once again invited therapy dogs from Therapy Dogs United to attend it's annual Frolic on the Bay event.

The weather was picture perfect onboard the Victorian Princess on Monday, June 19th as 41 therapy dog volunteer handlers gathered to celebrate Therapy Dogs United's 15 year anniversary.

The Randy Faipler Memorial Foundation made a huge impact on our charity this past week with a major donation to benefit our programs and services.

Our friends at the Community Blood Bank rock! They hosted a week long blood drive in March and presented our organization with a financial donation to match the number of donors who donated blood!  It's all part of their CBB Gives Back campaign.

We are honored to have our therapy dog programs featured!  See the full story here.  

Therapy Dogs United's Cape Coral / Fort Myers team received national attention for their efforts to provide comfort and support to Hurricane Ian victims, following the devastation that leveled most of their community.

Our charity's guardian angel, Smith Provision Company, once again chose Therapy Dogs United to be the beneficiary of the 2022 Erie Insurance Charity Challenge golf outing - and once again, they placed in the top three for a huge charity payout! The foursome placed 3rd out of 28 golf teams...

If you've ever been visited by a certified therapy dog, you know firsthand the amazing work our therapy dogs can do! But have you ever thought about the many ways a therapy dog makes a difference in school?  Not only in the classroom, but working with guidance counselors, therapists or just walking the hallways ~ the presence of a therapy dog in school makes a difference! 

We are so excited to announce plans to produce and distribute TWO "Top Dogs of TDU" calendars in 2023.

We are so proud of our in school reading programs, especially this partnership with our friends at Erie First Christian Academy.   Thank you Ms. Vogt for your years of dedication to improving reading levels with the use of our therapy dogs.

We are overjoyed by the number of amazing books we collected during our 2022 Book Drive, sponsored by Pressed Book Store on West 8th Street.

Photograph: Team Mila, handled by TDU volunteer and AHN CI employee Maria Diaz-Chatlak

Whew! As we said good bye to 2020 and ushered in 2021 ~ we did so with much optimism toward the future!  One of our goals at Therapy Dogs United is grow nationally, and this April we hit a milestone.

Big thank you to Gannon's student news organization for making Therapy Dogs United the beneficiary of this fundraiser!

https://ironempireclothing. printavo. com/merch/therapy-dogs-united-and-gannon-knight

Even in the most difficult of times, our therapy dogs and handlers know how to have fun!  On Saturday, August 1st our team participated in UPMC Hamot's Doga (yoga with dogs) event at UPMC Park.

As the world-wide coronavirus pandemic continues to restrict our nation and our planet,  we remain optimistic we will soon be able to share your dogs love with our faithful friends and clients in the not-so-distant future. 

Today we were notified that the Erie County Public Library system is working toward a reopen date.   Our local nursing homes continue to welcome therapy dog video chats and walk by parades.  School districts and colleges are on the path to reopening in the Fall, and several hospitals say their new safety measures mean our therapy dog teams will be able safely return and bring smiles and joy to our friends in the foreseeable future.  We've begun conversations with courthouse officials on ways to develop a new COVID-19 visitation plan - and soon, our friends and supporters will be able to safely return to the public gatherings and activities that once united our human and furry friend community!   

While we still don't have a clear vision on when or what a face-to-face visit will look like, we can assure you that Therapy Dogs United has been working hard on modified COVID-19 policies and procedures and we are ready to adapt and overcome.  

Stay tuned, and we can't wait to see you all soon!

We would like to extend our most heartfelt appreciation to every juror and prospective juror who chose to donate their January service payment to Therapy Dogs United during the new jury management system trail run at the Erie County Courthouse.

Our friends at Pressed Bookstore on West 8th Street in Erie will help Therapy Dogs United with our book drive to get new and used books for our children's library and to benefit kids participating in our "Tutors with a Tail" reading program.

TEAM TDU HAS URGENT APPEAL FOR KIDS LIBRARY BOOKS!

Thank you to all the pet lovers who came to the R. Frank Media Studios at 1940 West 8th Street on Saturday, November 23rd for our holiday photo shoot!

Therapy Dogs United celebrated our 2019 Volunteer of the Year on Friday, November 1, 2019 at The Concourse at Union Station. 

Join your friends at Therapy Dogs United for our 2019 Holiday Pet Photos!

Several Therapy Dogs United volunteers joined UMPC Hamot employees at the 2019 Fall Fling!

Tremendous thank you to Smith Provision Company (Smith's Hotdogs) who golfed for Therapy Dogs United in the 10th annual charity golf challenge at the Kahkwa Club. 

Erie Gives Day 2019 check presentation day! Photo:  Kelly VanZandt, Associate Director, TDU; Michael Batchelor, Erie Community Foundation

Motorcycle enthusiasts from the Erie County Chapter of A.B.A.T.E. showed support for our mission with a Bike Run in July 2019, with proceeds benefiting Therapy Dogs United.

Victorian Princess Cruise, Thursday, August 1, 2019

Take the time to educate yourself on the difference between Service, Therapy and Emotional Support dogs! 

WAITING FOR SANTA!

Special thanks to the awesome staff at Gelnwood Pet Hospital on Peach Street in Erie for donating proceeds from a recent "Pics with Pets" photo shoot to Therapy Dogs United.

School is back in full swing ~ and that means it's back to business for our certified therapy dogs!

Get 'em while they're hot!  Our pale blue 2013 "Team TDU" shirts were such a big hit, we've freshened up our look for 2014!

It all ended well...but we still blame Captain Cat!

If you plan to participate in the 2013 Erie Gives Day, please consider donating to Therapy Dogs United, Inc. 

Fun times are coming our way!

Please help Team TDU 2013 by ordering one of our new t-shirts!

It took more than 150 hours to complete and 15 volunteers to make it happen - but in the end, Therapy Dogs United's entry in the historic 2013 Perry 200 Grand Patriotic Parade is something to bark about.

I would like to thank everyone that supported this project as well.

Summer is such a busy time of year and there is no shortage of events, activities, parades and visits our therapy dog volunteers are invited to participate in!

Special shout out and a heartfelt thanks to the Polish Falcons of America, Nest 123, for a generous $1000 donation made to Therapy Dogs United.

Therapy Dogs United is excited to build a float for the PERRY 200 Grand Patriotic Parade being celebrated on Saturday, May 25th in downtown Erie. For the past three months, our Float Committee has worked tirelessly to design a float that will be a promising entry in the parade.

Just a quick reminder to Save the Date for Therapy Dogs United's 6th annual Paws in the Park outdoor canine festival scheduled for Saturday, September 21st at Frontier Park.

Vanderbilt University, in conjunction The University of Pittsburgh's Dawn Marcus, M.D., is conducting an online  research survey of therapy dog handlers.

Special thanks to Erie Insurance's Personal Lines Activities Committee who recently raised $194 on a Friday "Jeans Day" to benefit TherapyDogs United! Doggie Kisses to you all!

Today Srs Carolanne and Rita, Rusty and myself accepted the grant during a presentation ceremony at the Jefferson Society. Grants were given to 22 participants that submitted a design for floats to be entered in the parade May 25th, 2013. 

Good Job! Sophie with her owner, Anne, recently participated in a dog safety class with pre-schoolers in the Corry school district. 

GREAT NEWS! We were notified this morning that TDU was awarded a grant for the building of the above float that we will enter in the Perry200 Commemorative Parade May 25, 2013!

I just wanted to give an update on the progress we are making towards our fundraising efforts for the Perry200 float building fund. 

Sure, it may be snowing outside right now....but it's not too early to think summer!

Thank you to everyone who stopped by Therapy Dogs United's booth at the EKC Dog Show (Bayfront Convention Center in Erie, January 26 and 27, 2013)!

TDU welcomes you to our Blog World ~ and we welcome your posts on our new and improved blog!