Susan Parker first found her love for therapy animals in a dark time in her life.

Her mother had recently had a stroke, and had to go to a nursing home at 55 years old, since Parker could not take care of her and her children at the same time. Knowing her mother’s love of animals, Parker brought rabbits and cats on visits to her, before eventually bringing a dog.

Since then, she’s been bringing dogs to help people in similar situations.

“Those kids are in their 40s now, that’s how long we’ve been doing this,” Parker said.

Parker is the president and program director of Paws From The Heart, an organization promoting pet therapy established in October of 2017. Currently, Paws From The Heart consists of 36 dogs and their owners.

Paws is seeking nominations for the  Paws From The Heart Pet Therapy Team of the Year award, given to a team of dog and owner nominated by others for their work within their communities.

“We feel from the bottom of our heart that these teams deserve recognition,” Parker said. “They’re going out into the community to give a gift. Their dog is a gift.”

The winner will be announced on Jan. 1, 2024, with a segment on Channel 10. Nominations start on Nov. 28, and can be sent to Parker’s email, dynamic.dog.lady@gmail.com.

Much of the training for therapy dogs, according to Parker, occurs at Rhode Island T.F. Green International Airport, the site of the PVD Pups program as well as a common place for therapy dogs to go following their certification. In addition to her role with Paws From The Heart, Parker works with Dynamic Dog Training, which conducts much of the training for therapy dogs.

“A lot of people think, ‘I have a good-tempered dog, so I’m going to be certified,’ and that’s wrong,” Parker said. “They have to go through a big process of testing and training, temperament testing, to make sure that the dogs going into these venues are a good fit.”

One of Parker’s dogs, Teddy, is a rescue himself from the Smithfield Animal Shelter. Teddy is named after the airport, which Parker started working with in 2015.

Teddy and Parker’s other dog, Ranger, typically visit hospitals, in addition to nursing homes, which Parker shares a deep connection with.

Different trainers end up specializing in different areas, according to Parker, depending on the preferences of the trainers and their dogs. Other venues that Paws From The Heart visit include schools, senior centers colleges and homeless shelters, which Parker said was the most gratifying experience for her.

The training is done in accordance with guidelines from the Association of Professional Dog Trainers (APDT), with different degrees and certifications possible. It takes a lot of work, a lot of training and a lot of testing for dogs to achieve a puppy Ph.D. 

“They have to be comfortable in new situations, which takes time, and they have to have a lot of impulse control,” Parker said. “They might be visiting somebody eating breakfast or lunch, or a kid with a stuffed animal, and you don’t want the dog to grab the animal or eat the food.”

Parker said that six new therapy dogs are preparing to graduate next month.

While Parker has seen a lot of Paws From The Heart’s growth already, she said she would love to branch into venues in Massachusetts and Connecticut as well- something that Parker believes Paws From The Heart is close to reaching.

The impact that Paws From The Heart has made, though, has made Parker and her fellow therapy dog owners proud.

“We’re just proud of these teams for giving it their all all the time without getting anything material out of this,” Parker said