It has been 10 years since Lyndi Hanna and her therapy dog Annie stepped foot and paw inside Texas Health Stephenville for the first time.
The dynamic duo celebrated the anniversary Thursday, July 31 with a typical stroll through the hospital where staff and patients showed their appreciation..
Annie’s Therapeutic Companions, a nonprofit organization was founded about 12 years ago by Hanna who became interested after she saw therapy dogs being used in crisis situations following the 9/11 tragedy. A therapy animal program partnered two of her loves together: animals and working with people. She realized it could be a great fit for her.
However, the idea kept getting put on the back burner because the dogs Hanna was getting simply didn’t have the right temperament to be a therapy dog.
Her prayers were answered when Annie – a super fluffy Australian Shepherd – was about 12 weeks old. Hanna saw the canine interact with a 2-year-old little boy at a feed store and she knew she found the perfect therapy dog.
She faced a hurdle as therapy dog programs weren’t wide spread in rural hospitals, and many perceived them as just another dog coming in.
“Most places about 12 years ago when we started didn’t even know what a therapy dog was. It was constant knocking on doors and trying to educate people on what a therapy animal was and that there is extensive training, testing and we are licensed and insured,” Hanna said.
Hanna started taking Annie into nursing homes, pursued therapy training, testing and licensing for the both of them kicking off more than a decade of success as a nonprofit.
“God put it on my heart to start the nonprofit. It has been my goal to be able to use therapy dogs everywhere that the community would benefit from them… As Annie and I continued to be received into facilities, I knew I wouldn’t be able to consistently be everywhere by ourselves. It is something I can still do when someday I have a family,” Hanna said.
Annie’s Therapeutic Companions is a 100% nonprofit.
“All of our donations goes back into the nonprofit to serve our communities. There is no one on payroll within the nonprofit,” she said.
Professionally, Hanna makes her living with grooming and training sessions, but a large chunk of her time is spent with Annie’s Therapeutic Companions.
As Annie and Hanna made their way through the hallways of Texas Health Stephenville, it’s clear they have a fan club. Doctors and nurses flocked to Annie to take a break and simply gather some comfort during difficult times.
“We really love her here,” Charge Nurse Rachel Clark said regarding Annie. Clark and other nurses on shift said that the duo helps their patients forget their troubles, if even for just a little while.
“Many of them have dogs of their own and so it’s like bringing a tiny piece of home back to them,” Clark said.
During the anniversary visit, both Hanna and Annie were welcomed with signs on doorways expressing thanks from the hospital staff and even received a gift basket from Labor and Delivery which included a stuffed duck toy that drew Annie’s attention.
Typically on a visit to Texas Health, Annie and Hanna will travel most places in the hospital – admin, hospital floors, radiology admin and even the ER if there are cases that could benefit from the duo’s comfort.
Hanna said the best part of being at Texas Health Stephenville is simply coming in for all patients and staff, bringing joy and encouragement with no time limit or agenda, knowing each person may need something different.
During the anniversary visit, Annie laid next to a patient who was about to get out of the hospital, but had been there for a week fighting an infection. The patient declared Annie “so soft” as he stroked her fur and made conversation with Hanna about his own four dogs which he had missed while in the hospital.
While they have a regular schedule for the hospital, sometimes they are called for special trauma cases such as serious car wrecks involving children.
Cases can be hard on both Hanna as a handler and on Annie.
“Annie is extremely empathetic; she can read a person’s emotions very well, knowing what they need in that moment. Her weaknesses: I would definitely say she prefers to work alone (we spent the first several years just her and I everywhere alone till another team joined us) and she is a bit wary of dogs when we are working (due to having almost been attacked multiple times by dogs in our beginning years),” Hanna said.
The occasional tragedies the pair witness can take a toll on Hanna but she sees the calling as being worth it.
The handler said dogs are especially suited for the work because of “their unconditional love, especially during tragedies. Therapy dogs can sense when someone needs the extra attention, love, silliness, or even comfort and want to be there for the person.”
Currently, ATC visits all nursing homes in Erath, Comanche and Hamilton Counties, all first responder facilities in Erath County, Dublin Public Library and Texas Health Stephenville Hospital.
None of the facilities pay for visits since the services are volunteer and provided free of charge.
“All donations go directly into providing our services. Our organization provides each team with all their grooming necessities, uniforms and [gear/uniform for the] animals working therapy. Once a team has gone through all their training and pass their evaluation/test, there are other large required costs we cover as well,” Hanna said. Lyndi also partners with Hank– a younger also super fluffy Australian Shepherd – who commonly visits the Dublin Public Library and ATC has a few other licensed teams as well as teams in training.
“ATC teams consist of a handler and dog or other animal who have been extensively trained to offer consistent safe attention to those in our care. All of the licensed teams in our organization are also extensively trained to help in crisis situations and have an additional certification in Animal Assisted Crisis Response,” she said.
At the end of the day, both Annie and Hank behave very differently, shedding the silence for happy barks as they ‘talk’ about their day with Hanna. Hank will often spin as he does so. Those interested in supporting the mission of Annie’s Therapeutic Companions can make donations at www.anniestherapeuticcompanions. All donations are tax exempt.