Therapy Dog Brigade Seeks Teams for Training

Jessica Lola in class.Bettina Klein loves visiting Scarsdale schools with her therapy dog Chester, a cuddly King Charles Spaniel. The team, trained and certified by Therapy Dog Brigade, visits the village’s elementary schools and the high school to assist the district’s counselors in helping kids with emotional and behavioral issues, to help teach acceptance and compassion, and serve as stress relievers for both students and staff. “After more than 30 years in Scarsdale and raising my children here, all of whom went through the Scarsdale schools, it means a lot to me to be able to give back to the community that has been such a big part of our lives,” says Klein. “Watching the students relax, smile, and enjoy petting Chester is incredibly rewarding.”

Klein and Chester are just one of dozens of teams deployed by Therapy Dog Brigade in Scarsdale and throughout Westchester, as well as in Rockland and Fairfield Counties. In addition to schools, the non-profit organization sends teams to rehabilitation centers like Burke in White Plains, to hospitals and other medical facilities like MSK, also in White Plains, to Ronald McDonald House at Westchester Medical Center, to senior living facilities, and to area libraries.

With demand high for their services, Therapy Dog Brigade is rapidly expanding and looking for new teams to train with their experts this fall. The organization is offering pre-course screening appointments on October 4 at the American Red Cross in Greenwich, and October 6 at Raymour and Flanigan in White Plains. This is a chance for dog owners to learn if their pet is a good fit for dog therapy. Fall classes begin in October at the SPCA in Briarcliff Manor and at the Round Hill Community House in Greenwich.Heidi Penny at Fox Meadow.

“Being part of a therapy dog team is a wonderful opportunity to do meaningful volunteer work that touches many lives,” says Heidi Lobel, Therapy Dog Brigade’s executive director.
And she says for Scarsdale residents and their pets, there are many opportunities to bring comfort and smiles locally in their town and in nearby communities.

Jessica and Lola, a rescued golden doodle, took the training course at the SPCA in Briarcliff Manor this summer and passed their certification test. Jessica says they recently moved from New York City to Westchester, and she decided to enroll in the course because Lola is “amazingly chill and calm, and she’s amazing with kids,” all attributes of a successful therapy dog. Jessica and Lola will be visiting Scarsdale elementary schools this Fall, in addition to Northern Westchester Hospital in Mt. Kisco.

On October 9th, Therapy Dog Brigade will send human-dog teams to Scarsdale High School for World Mental Health Day, just one example of a variety of special events throughout Westchester in which teams are able to participate.

Bettina and Chester at Greenacres.Residents of Scarsdale and neighboring communities who think their dogs might be a good fit for this kid of volunteer work and are interested in teaming up with Therapy Dog Brigade should check out the organization’s website @ https://www.therapydogbrigade.org/ and consider applying and making an appointment for a screening.

Lobel hopes her team of experts can train a whole new crop of therapy teams this fall so they can be ready to roll in the new year. “It’s incredibly rewarding to see our volunteers share the healing presence of their dogs throughout a community that means so much to us all.”