Solid Gold Support
PINPOINTE RESIDENT PROFILE
Golden Retrievers, Dog Therapy Volunteer Offer Cheerful Support to the Aged, Infirmed, Youth By Patricia Hudson
“Dog therapy is truly my passion; I love having the dogs make people happy and put smiles on their faces.” (left to right) Sharky, Mary Anne, and Finn
Undoubtedly one of the best commercials airing currently is one sponsored by a dog food company. The scene: a hospital room where a sick young girl lies in her hospital bed, resignedly offering her arm for yet another dreaded “treatment.” The nurse says, “We’re going to try something different, today.” To the little girl’s delight, a Grand Pyrenees /Bernese Mountain Dog mix trots in to bringing cheer her way. Coles Crossing resident, Mary Anne Heckman bills herself as a “Graphic designer, photographer, golden retriever lover and pet therapy volunteer.” It is her love of her goldens and her work as a pet therapy volunteer that garners attention for this Cypress resident.
Why did you decide to become a dog therapy volunteer? “I was at lunch with a friend and she told me about Faithful Paws. I decided that would be rewarding and a fun thing to do since my graphic design work had slowed down. This was in 2017. The dog therapy helped me recover from what a terrible year 2017 was. My mother was in the hospital from January, until she passed away in May. My sister and I had to deal with readying donations and an estate sale; the company that did it was AWFUL. Both of my previous goldens died in January 2017; I had Finn for two days before I put the first one, Buffett, to sleep. Hurricane Harvey flooded the house I had inherited from my mother. Work on the 20 June | July 2021
- Mary Anne Heckman house had been finished just two days before the hurricane came; there was even a “Coming Soon for Sale” sign in the yard. I wrote Connie Richards, founder of Faithful Paws, telling her how much she and Faithful Paws meant to me and how they saved me from a terrible time in my life.” Are Finn and Sharky rescue dogs? No, they both came from show dog breeders. I did not want to show my dogs, so I bought pets. I was already doing therapy with Finn when I got Sharky, so that was my purpose immediately with Sharky. What are their strengths? They are completely different dogs when they go for therapy visits. They know that is their job, and know what to do. Sharky really loves kids and Finn loves everyone. Heather Sessions and Mary Anne bonded over their love of Golden Retrievers. “After I lost my Goldens, Ellie Mae and Lilly, Mary Anne worked very hard to find the perfect dog for me, tagging every golden retriever rescue and breeder she could find on Facebook. You should ask her about the time Sharky ate a huge piece of raw chicken when she turned her back for three seconds. Or when he stole cake from someone that she was handing it to,” laughs Heather.
