Meet Freddie 

I incorporate Animal-Assisted therapy into my practice using my therapy dog, Freddie Freeman Mercury. Freddie is a super-sweet Australian Labradoodle who was born in July 2021.  He is a mix of Labrador Retriever, Poodle and Cocker Spaniel (the “Australian” is not due to him being part Australian Shepherd; rather its because this type of dog was first bred in Australia with the intent to produce an allergy and asthma-friendly service dog). Freddie has hair, not fur, so he is hypo-allergenic and does not shed. When he was just eight weeks old, Freddie was selected as an ideal candidate to become a therapy dog due to his calm and gentle nature, his love of learning and his love of people.  I took Freddie home when he was eleven weeks old and immediately began his training.  We did both individual and group training sessions working on basic obedience skills as well as learning various tricks.   At nine months old, Freddie obtained his Canine Good Citizen Certification and later earned his AKC Intermediate Trick Dog Certification. Freddie and I are honored to have been one of the founding cohorts to obtain certification as a Professional Therapy Animal Team through the Association for Animal-Assisted Intervention Professionals (AAAIP).  Completion of this certification is evidence of having been assessed on my ability to partner with Freddie and on Freddie's degree of fit for the role of a therapy animal. Freddie will be re-assessed every two years aligning with the field's suggestions for best practice.

There are many potential benefits of Animal-Assisted Therapy. In addition to increasing motivation to come to therapy, other benefits include reducing anxiety and improving mood (research shows that just petting a dog for ten minutes decreases cortisol and releases ‘feel good” chemicals like oxytocin and serotonin.) increasing self-esteem (Freddie tail-wagging and excitement when he sees clients offers unconditional acceptance) and creating a safe space to share emotions (Freddie is incredibly intuitive and knows just when to come close and offer support) and modeling coping skills (Freddie is very good at going to his crate and taking space when he needs it). Freddie is super-excited to meet play and cuddle with you!

*Freddie comes to work with me every day but if clients are not comfortable around dogs, he does not need to join us for sessions.