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We are back with another edition of The Paw Print! Read on for all the updates from the last few months about Hero Dogs programs, placements, events, and four new puppies. As always, thank you for your support!
Facility dogs assist people in ways distinct from other types of working and service dogs. In partnership with a trained handler employed by the facility, they work full-time with staff to achieve specific treatment or program goals through animal-assisted therapy.
Capital Youth Services provides psychotherapy services for adolescents, young adults, and their families in the Maryland and metro DC region. They focus on finding practical solutions to problems young people and their families face. Their experienced therapists are experts on adolescent and young adult mental health and are committed to treatments that work.
Hero Dogs Morty works alongside his primary handler Sami, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and the center's Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) Program Director, to serve their clients in a variety of ways, including:
helping young people with anxiety practice social interactions;
recognizing emotion cues and alerting the therapist during sessions;
providing a sense of calm regulation for clients who are experiencing intense emotions;
supporting trauma survivors through difficult sessions; and
providing pressure and physical support when prompted.
Morty is well-loved at his facility by both clients and staff. His handler Sami shared with Hero Dogs: "[t]he clients find so much comfort, joy, and motivation from Morty. ... It is incredible to see willingness to do hard things and talk about painful topics increase exponentially when Morty is in the room."
Four Hero Dogs Find Their Perfect Placements
From left to right: Facility Dog Virginia, Therapy Dog Monica, Service Dog Harriet, and Facility Dog Belle
Hero Dogs love to get out in the community and explore new places! Thank you to our volunteers for attending events, for giving the dogs these training opportunities, and for representing Hero Dogs!
Thank you to Shulman Rogers for hosting their annual Valentine’s Day bake sale benefitting Hero Dogs! Service dogs Hero Dogs Cliff and Anita and service dog in training Hero Dogs Faith, along with their humans, joined in the fun and were happy to thank the Community Outreach Committee and bake sale customers!
Throughout February and March, Hero Dogs therapy dogs visited first responders who were impacted by the late January plane crash over the Potomac River that claimed the lives of 67 people. Our dogs, accompanied by their handlers, provided comfort at to MPD's Harbor Patrol Unit.
On St. Patrick's Day, five therapy dogs visited students at James Madison High School in Vienna, VA for the school's Wellness Week! Thanks to Hero Dogs Fame, Zoe, Hudson, Ashley, and Shanna!
Big thanks to Waredaca Brewing Company and everyone who joined us for the Charity Night hosted for us on March 21st! Pictured above is Hero Dogs Tripp enjoying the event.
Meet Four New Hero Dogs Puppies!
Hero Dogs Valor (left) and Russell (right)
Hero Dogs Noonan (left) and Echo (right)
In early January we welcomed Hero Dogs Valor and Hero Dogs Russell to our pack! Hero Dogs Valor is sponsored by Arcfield. Hero Dogs Russell D’Entrone is sponsored by Goodway Cares. He is named after a 23-year veteran of the FBI who died in 2021 due to complications from his work responding at the World Trade Center on 9/11.
The following month, mama dog Hero Dogs Spirit delivered her second litter. Spirit and two of her puppies, Hero Dogs Echo and Hero Dogs Noonan, came back to our program in early April.
Hero Dogs Echo is sponsored by Arcfield. Hero Dogs 2nd Lt. Michael Joseph Noonan, USMC is sponsored by Wilder Leavitt and Mary Morningstar. Noonan is named after his sponsor’s uncle, a Marine Corps pilot who died in a training jet crash while on active duty near Atmore, Florida.
Interested in raising a future service dog? To learn more about what it takes to raise a puppy with Hero Dogs, visit our Raise a Hero Dog page and fill out an application! Please reach out to hero@hero-dogs.org with any questions about the process.
Hero Dogs Staff on the Road!
Early last month, Hero Dogs Executive Director Nikki, Director of Dog Programs Becca, and Trainer and Facility Dog Coordinator Sabrina attended Assistance Dogs International's 2025 conference in Orlando! They enjoyed networking and learning the latest in assistance dog news and best practices.
Sass Magazine's March/April issue featured one of our facility dog teams in its Women to Watch section! Click here to read the article on Frederick Police Department's Sgt. Rebecca Carrado and Hero Dogs Nevada, who launched the department’s K9 Comfort Dog program and are changing lives!
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