A group of therapy dogs and their handlers take a group photo after a training session in the PHUMC gymnasium. || Photo provided by Gayle Fiser
Everyone’s Best Friend Caleb Hennington Digital Content Editor @arumceditor
Pulaski Heights’s therapy dog ministry brings people closer to Christ
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hen the idea for a therapy dog ministry came to Pulaski Heights United Methodist Church, it took the church completely by surprise. “None of this was planned; we just called it a God thing when it happened,” said Gayle Fiser, the volunteer Outreach Coordinator for Therapy Dogs International Chapter 255 of Arkansas. Gayle’s husband Paul – a retired math teacher from the Little Rock School District – was out shopping one day, more than 11 years ago, when he happened to run into a former colleague whom he hadn’t seen in a decade. The friend mentioned that she was now doing therapy dog training, and if Paul ever wanted to get his dogs certified as therapy dogs, then she could help train them. The Fisers had recently purchased two Cavalier King Charles Spaniel puppies. A week later, Gayle was in a meeting with the Rev. Betsy Singleton Snyder, who at the time was serving as a pastor at Quapaw Quarter UMC in Little Rock, where Gayle attended church. The two were discussing a church member whose dog had recently died and how the church was able to make a pet food donation in the dog’s name to someone who needed help buying pet food. “I had mentioned how much I loved that we were able to do that for someone through our pet food ministry,” Gayle said. “And then Betsy said ‘oh, speaking of dogs, I was in a meeting last week and someone had mentioned that it would be great if we could get our dogs certified to be therapy dogs so we could go visit the nursing homes around here,’ “And I said, ‘I can make that happen.’” Soon after, the church began offering certification training for therapy dogs through Therapy Dogs International, one of many organizations that helps to train and certify dogs worldwide. Gayle’s Spaniel puppies were two of the first dogs to go through the Quapaw Quarter therapy dog training. A few years – and a few appointments – later, Singleton Snyder was serving at Pulaski Heights United Methodist Church when the idea for a therapy dog ministry came up once again. This time, she knew exactly who to ask for help.
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ARKANSAS UNITED METHODIST
ARUMC.ORG
