Dianne DaLee and her Boxer Kayla have visited the Delmar Gardens assisted living facility in Smyrna, Ga., for their weekly therapy dog visit for the past two years.
"I do this because it makes them feel so good," DaLee said, according to Dogster. "They get to know Kayla and me, and they are so excited to get a visitor each week. Kayla makes them smile."
The dynamic duo visit nursing homes, hospitals, libraries and schools, all of who adore Kayla, the three-legged therapy dog. Kayla arrived at Atlanta Boxer Rescue, headed by DaLee, in March 2013, where DaLee agreed to foster her, after losing her much loved Boxer Simba to cancer. DaLee was advised that Kayla's severely broken leg required amputation, but DaLee took it in stride, as the Boxer healed from the difficult surgery and recovery.
Getting to know Kayla, DaLee could see she had a great tolerance and love of people, which are key traits for a therapy dog, according to the Huffington Post. Sweet Kayla had the perfect personality and demeanor to be a therapy dog, so DaLee registered her with Alliance of Therapy Dogs and the pair set on a mission to pay it forward through therapy.
"You need a dog who has a pretty relaxed personality; one who is happy to sit there and get petted and is not going to overreact to things," DaLee said. "The calm disposition is key, and you have to have them well trained."
Therapy animals give their hearts and souls to their work. The benefits they provide to those healing, or just lonely is highlight of their day, their week and sometimes their month. Everyone loves therapy animals, and Kayla is a superstar to those she visits.
"They love her," DaLee said. "It just makes a big difference in their lives - and it's not a huge chunk of time out of my day when you think about it. They miss their own dogs so they're thrilled to be able to see Kayla each week."
