Friendly nature earns golden retriever, owner, Pet Partner Team of the Year
By Rose Mary Budge, San Antonio Express-News
Jasmine, a golden retriever therapy dog, and her San Antonio owner Carol Triesch have been chosen as a Pet Partner Team of the Year, the highest honor in the Delta Society’s Beyond Limits Awards.Recognizing outstanding contributions by Pet Partners and Animal-Assisted Therapy Professionals, the awards attracted entrants nationwide.
Triesch and Jasmine (the dog is known to many patients as “Nurse Jazzie”), volunteer regularly at a number of facilities in the area, notably Brooke Army Medical Center, where they work with burn victims and amputees returning from Iraq.
They also visit the BAMC Family Assistance Center, the Alamo Children’s Advocacy Center for abused children, two psychiatric facilities and an AIDS hospice, in addition to participating in a school reading program.
The team has been “on the job” a little more than three years, logging more than 400 hours of volunteer time and visiting approximately 6,500 people.
According to Marcia Walker, the Delta Society member who nominated the team, Jazzie and Triesch bring a special kind of comfort to those in need and have managed to help many face their difficulties and redirect their lives.
