Melissa

Certified by

and the Secretary for Therapy Pets Serving Mini-Cassia

Yorkshire Terriers are often referred to as the “King of Terriers” not because of their size, but rather because these tiny dogs have the heart of a king.  Wicket, Therapy Pets Serving Mini-Cassia’s only Yorkshire Terrier and smallest member, is true to form.  He weighs in at a whopping 5.5 pounds, but has as much personality as our larger dogs.  He is spirited, intelligent, and usually struts his stuff throughout the facilities that we visit.

Wicket and I registered through Delta Society in September of 2004, but Wicket has been doing therapy work long before he was officially registered.  Wicket became a member of my family while I was attending law school.  Law school is stressful at best, so Wicket acted as my own personal therapy pet, but I also took him to school with me where he always brought smiles and laughter to other law students as well.

Almost immediately after bringing Wicket home, I noticed a difference in the atmosphere at my apartment and gained a true understanding of the companionship a dog and the blessing a pet can be in a home.  However, it was not until Wicket’s first Christmas that I seriously started thinking about pet therapy work.  While on Winter Break, I returned to my parent’s home in Burley, Idaho, and of course, I brought Wicket with me.  My elderly, ill, and immobile grandmother came to visit on Christmas, and I was amazed at how much she liked Wicket and how well Wicket responded to her.  Unlike her children and grandchildren, Wicket did not expect her to remember names and dates and honestly had no expectations of her, other than to sit in her lap and be petted.

She liked Wicket and how well Wicket responded to her. Unlike her children and grandchildren, Wicket did not expect her to remember names and dates and honestly had no expectations of her, other than to sit in her lap and be petted.  After that experience at Christmas, I started researching pet therapy and inquiring about the requirements to be a Pet Partner Team.  Wicket was not old enough at the time, but I enrolled him in some training classes and eventually we were registered at a Pet Partner Team through Delta Society.

Because of Wicket’s size and silky coat, he is a favorite in any crowd.  Wicket loves to visit, and will sit eagerly at the door when he knows it is time to do therapy work.  Wicket may be small in stature, but he truly has a heart of gold.

In April, Wicket and I celebrated a new edition to our family.  Zoey is another beautiful Yorkshire Terrier that was born on November 3, 2005.  At first, Wicket was not sure he wanted a baby sister, but since that time, the two have become inseparable.  Zoey is now fourteen months old and she weighs about 3.7 pounds.  She loves people, training, and she is especially talented at dancing.  Zoey Pasted her Delta evaluations in December, and now is just waiting for her acceptance letter and registration

Melissa just passed her Delta exam with Zoey. Congratulations Melissa & Zoey! Zoey is going to be a new active member of the Therapy Pets. Here are some pictures of Zoey.

Zoey & Wicket                                                       Zoey

Zoey & Melissa

There is really only one word to describe Zoey – PRINCESS.  Zoey is a 3.7 pound Yorkshire Terrier that is absolutely sure she is royalty.  Even though Zoey has an air of importance, she has a sweet, charming, and completely disarming personality.  Just to add icing to the cake, she is a very talented dancer and absolutely adorable.  However, this has not always been the case.

Zoey is Wicket’s little sister, and she joined our family just over a year ago.  Zoey was the runt of her litter, and as a puppy, she was rather straggly and scrawny.  However, Zoey was so loving, that she won my heart right away.  The first time I picked her up, I knew that she was the right puppy for me.  She curled up on my lap with Wicket and made herself right at home.  I think she knew that she was supposed to be with our family.

Despite good beginnings, the first week was a little rough.  Wicket, who had been an only dog up to this point, was not at all sure he wanted competition, so for the first two days he had nothing to do with Zoey.  Luckily, that quickly passed and they became best friends and wrestling buddies.  In fact, they became such good wrestling buddies, that six days after Zoey came home, she was thrown off the bed during a wrestling match and broke her leg.

Zoey recovered from her accident without any permanent damage.  Throughout her first year, Zoey attending some training classes and grew into a beautiful, well-behaved young lady.  It was clear very early on that Zoey loved all people, unfortunately, she was not crazy about other dogs.  So we had to work on socializing her with other dogs, particularly big dogs.  The work paid off when Zoey and I registered with Delta Society as a Pet Partner Team in February.  Zoey is now our smallest therapy pet.  Zoey has been visiting about a month, and now loves visiting and sharing her enthusiasm and love with all the patients and residents she sees.

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