This cute little girl is Millie Donner. She is a Chihuahua mix. Her handler's name is Betsy Donner. Betsy began going on visits back in 1996 with her Rat Terrier and then adopted Millie in January of 2000 and began going on visits with Paws2Care with her immediately.

Betsy enjoys the fun and rewarding part of being a member of our group and said that is one of the reasons she began doing therapy dog work. Her favorite place to visit with Millie is Oakmont. Betsy said, “I love to see people light up when we walk through the door. Since some people aren't able to be at home with their pets or they've had to get rid of them because they're in a nursing home, it brings great joy to give them the opportunity to spend time w/ these wonderful animals.” Betsy also reminds us that it is also very important for people in nursing homes to have the interaction with other people as well as the dogs.

Betsy recalls a visit at Oakmont, with Millie, where she went into a room where a lady had suffered a stroke and could not communicate. Millie crawled up to the lady and began interacting with her. The nurse in the room said she was amazed at the woman’s reaction. She said the woman had not smiled or interacted with anyone for quite a long while, but she was able to come out of her shell thanks to the visit from Millie!