Regional Area: West
Gender: Male
Breed: Golden Retriever Blend
Finn is everyone’s favorite pet by far!
This dedicated team devotes much of their time to Ronald McDonald House, The Palms of Largo, Arden Courts of Largo, YMCA Read with a Dog and HCA Hospital, St. Petersburg.
Elaine and Finn both share an affinity for memory care facilities. Finn, who’s so gentle with the elderly, loves to sit and be loved on by people who miss their own dogs, and helps fill that gap in their lives simply by being present.
One of their favorite visits was to Arden Courts of Largo, a memory care facility where one of the residents is a former dog and horse trainer. She was elated to see Finn because she specialized in training golden retrievers and desperately missed them. She then gave Finn different commands to follow. He listened carefully and performed each one perfectly, seeming to know that she was a dog lover, and he didn’t want to leave her side. Elaine was thrilled that Finn had brought her so much joy by helping her remember her former life.
At home, Finn, who’s excellent at solving puzzles, loves to chase a ball, preferably one thrown far away with a Chuck-It stick. He also loves to swim in the ocean and in the family pool, and will happily fetch his water Frisbee as long as someone’s willing to throw it.
Finn melts Elaine’s hearts in so many ways. If someone who’s petting him stops, he gently places his paw on them to remind them to continue. He actually smiles when he’s excited. When his family comes home, he always meets them with a toy in his mouth, and last but not least, he loves to show off his tricks like whispering and playing dead!
There is a non-verbal gentleman at the memory care facility the team visits. When he sees Finn, his eyes light up and he drops to the ground to pet every inch of Finn’s body. While he’s petting him, he says “good dog, good dog“ repeatedly. These are the only words that anyone there has ever heard him speak. Since Finn has a special knack with the older population, Elaine wants to continue visiting hospitals, nursing homes and memory care facilities.
Training/Certifications
Canine Good Citizen (CGC)
Hearts of Gold Therapy Team
Teams in action: Hearts of Gold YouTube channel
To learn more about what to consider for joining our Hearts of Gold team, click here!
