The saying goes, “dog is a man’s best friend.” For Jeanette Wood and Callie, the saying is true.
Jeanette has raised Callie since she was a puppy, into a therapy dog at Gabriel’s Angels and a former certified Crisis Response Canine. Since February 2007, Callie and Jeanette have been visiting the kids at the Mesa shelter bimonthly. On a Wednesday morning, excited shrieks and kids chanting “CALLIE” can be heard throughout the shelter as the kids anxiously wait for Callie to arrive.
On the surface, Callie brings smiles and joy to the kids, but on a deeper level, she brings so much more. The kids learn to treat Callie with kindness and respect her as a living being. Some of these kids have witnessed animal abuse, a common precursor to future domestic violence, and Jeanette begins to break the cycle of violence by helping the kids develop an emotional attachment to Callie. Trust is built over time as Callie and Jeanette visit regularly and treat the kids respectfully. Through their interactions with Callie, empathy, respect, tolerance, confidence, self-regulation, trust and attachment are developed, making the kids more resilient as they move through life.
One day, we arrive at the shelter to find a 9-year-old girl curled up in the corner in a fetal position. She was a new arrival and it was clear, she was very traumatized. She refused to leave her corner or to interact with anyone. Even when a staff member tells her a dog is there to visit, she does not react. I allowed Callie to approach her on her own. Intuitively, she walked across the room and sat quietly, regally, beside the child for a moment. You could see the young girl turn her head slightly away from the wall to catch a glimpse of this creature. Then Callie softly pushes her nose between the child and the wall. The child rocks back on her heels and gives this dog a desperate hug as if her life depended on it. And, in that moment, it feels like it does.
There are so many different ways to help the kids in our emergency shelter, and each one can have a truly lasting impact. Learn how you can help here.
In addition to Callie’s work at the shelter, she has been able to spread joy throughout the state. In Callie’s short 12 years she has served as a Crisis Response Canine. In this role, she has visited several schools shooting sites, the mass shooting in Tucson and at the request of the Arizona Department of Emergency Management at the Yarnell Hill Fires Recovery Center. Her work has been recognized by the FBI, the United States Federal Marshals, Jan Brewer, Yavapai County, the City of Phoenix and Oprah.com.
