Regional Area: East
Gender: Female
Breed: Golden Retriever
Skylar is sociability paws-onified.
Skylar finds creating smiles very rewarding and gets excited when her therapy vest comes out. She and mom Ginger visit memory care facilities, hospice patients in different environments and attend large conferences and mental health wellness events. Skylar has learned to channel her energies at school reading programs and makes a concerted effort to remain on her own blanket. But what she especially enjoys are large conferences where she can greet new friends every few minutes. She also loves connecting with the children and families at Give Kids the World Village.
Then there are memorable moments … When the team visited a rehab patient, he burst into tears at the sight of them entering his room. Skylar placed her paws gently on the
bed next to him and received lots of kisses and hugs. To Ginger, the impact of the joy a pet therapy visit has on someone is overwhelming. They also have a hospice gentleman who adores their visits and always requests unscheduled ones for his “special” surprise. Skylar and big sister Madison brighten his day with little trinkets and even did a paw- casso painting for his birthday!
When not sporting her therapy vest, Skylar loves family trips to the NC Mountains, where she hikes and explores new scents. She also loves attending training classes and learning new commands, sunbathing on the back patio and watching the wildlife, and going on three-mile morning walks with her dad.
Skylar, who can be a goofball at times, keeps her parents laughing. Her expressive eyebrows and dimples are precious to them and to those she visits. When she’s extremely excited, she’ll jump three feet in the air multiple times — as if on a pogo stick – without ever leaving that spot! She also loves hiding her nose under a pillow and is a total bed hog. NOT a fan of water, she “becomes a gazelle” to avoid even the smallest puddle on her walks.
“We visit children and adults with cognitive disabilities,” says Ginger, “and the calm that the dogs create is magical. We love hearing a child say, ‘This is the BEST day ever!’”
Now Ginger and Skylar look forward to supporting veterans and training teams for crisis response.
Training/Certifications
Basic Manners
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!
