{"id":12921,"date":"2018-10-03T17:50:00","date_gmt":"2018-10-03T17:50:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/salarmyeds.org\/?p=12921"},"modified":"2026-10-05T17:52:29","modified_gmt":"2026-10-05T17:52:29","slug":"therapy-dogs-now-integral-part-of-salvation-army-disaster-response","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/salarmyeds.org\/index.php\/2018\/10\/03\/therapy-dogs-now-integral-part-of-salvation-army-disaster-response\/","title":{"rendered":"Therapy Dogs Now Integral Part of Salvation Army Disaster Response"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Wilmington, NC <\/strong>\u2013 The Salvation Army has responded to every major disaster in the United States since the hurricane that devastated Galveston, Texas in 1900. For the first time in this long history of disaster response, The Salvation Army has partnered with Therapy Dogs International to work alongside them in relief efforts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Therapy Dogs International (TDI) is a volunteer organization dedicated to helping handlers through the registration process to get therapy dogs to wherever they\u2019re needed most. From nursing homes to hospitals, and now disaster relief sites like The Salvation Army\u2019s response to Hurricane Florence in Wilmington, North Carolina, you can find them providing comfort and care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you followed Jazz, a Goldendoodle, around for a day, you may find him with his head in the lap of a little girl reading him a book while she waits on her mother to go through the government assistance application process. This process could sometimes take several hours due to the volume of need. \u201cI couldn\u2019t believe the magnitude of people impacted by Hurricane Florence,\u201d says Debbie Willis, Jazz\u2019s handler. \u201cIt does our hearts good to see our dogs making someone feel better, especially the children going through this.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Wally, a Long-haired Labrador retriever, could be found sitting with a Salvation Army volunteer while she absently stroked his head as she processed her day. A day spent driving out to rural areas to serve meals to hundreds of people who had lost so much from the storm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe therapy dogs add another level to our emotional and spiritual care efforts. It\u2019s another connection we\u2019re making with people that have just experienced trauma,\u201d says Kevin Chinault, Emotional and Spiritual Care Officer for The Salvation Army\u2019s Hurricane Florence response in the Wilmington area. \u201cEven when people won\u2019t talk, they\u2019ll connect. The therapy dogs are truly helping us provide the much-needed ministry of presence.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cSome of these people were in need before the hurricane, and now they\u2019re going through the heightened stress of a disaster,\u201d says Jane Willis, Wally\u2019s handler. \u201cThey don\u2019t think something as simple as a dog can make them feel better, but the unconditional love of a dog that doesn\u2019t want anything back from you helps release some of that stress, and it makes a big difference.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Jane remembers a woman coming up to Wally and starting to cry as she hugged him. \u201cShe didn\u2019t say much of anything, but she was able to find some release and comfort in him.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A typical disaster deployment with The Salvation Army lasts 14 days, and though the work is rewarding, it can be difficult. \u201cThe therapy dogs accomplish as much with the staff and volunteers as they do with the people that have gone through the disaster,\u201d says Steven Hartsook, Incident Commander for The Salvation Army\u2019s response in Wilmington. \u201cThey\u2019ve had a big impact on us, especially when we\u2019re missing home. They help us care for our team and give a little bit of respite so that we can continue working and caring for others.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This being her first deployment with The Salvation Army, Jane has been very impressed with the instant acceptance and organization. \u201cYou\u2019ve got so many people that don\u2019t know each other coming in to help,\u201d she says. \u201cDuring devotions the other day they shared Romans 12, which talks about the body of Christ and everyone doing their part to make the body function. I can see that happening here, and I have very much enjoyed the relationship we\u2019ve built.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Therapy Dogs International \u2013 especially Debbie, Jazz, Jane and Wally \u2013 are now a part of the body that comes together with The Salvation Army to meet needs after disasters strike.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cA body is made up of many parts, and each of them has its own use. That\u2019s how it is with us. There are many of us, but we each are part of the body of Christ, as well as part of one another.\u201d Romans 12:4-5<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"credits-overlay\" data-target=\".wp-image-12922\">The Salvation Army<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Wilmington, NC \u2013 The Salvation Army has responded to every major disaster in the United States since the hurricane that devastated Galveston, Texas in 1900. For the first time in this long history of disaster response, The Salvation Army has partnered with Therapy Dogs International to work alongside them in relief efforts. Therapy Dogs International [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":94,"featured_media":12922,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"elementor_theme","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center 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