Bella, Certified Therapy Dog

About Bella

  • Beagle/Husky Mix (Beaski!)

  • 8 years old

  • Rescue from Kentucky

  • Certified at Comfort Caring Canine Therapy Dog Inc.

  • Laziest “husky” you will ever meet

  • Enjoys snuggles, treats and her cat siblings

Bella’s role is to offer quiet companionship and grounding support for those who find comfort in the presence of a therapy dog. Her involvement is always guided by each client’s comfort and preferences. Some clients enjoy interacting with her, while others prefer to focus on therapy without her presence - and both are completed respected.

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Bella passed her therapy dog test! She is certified and it's official.

We live in a crazy and painful world these days. Being a therapist has been a strange experience when we are all, as a collective, going through these terrifying global changes. I'm finding the traditional ways of "self-care" and "coping skills" are just not enough anymore. 

We are being re-traumatized sometimes daily. 

When we can't rely on our external world for safety, where do we go? I have been on this journey of turning inwards and exploring what makes my nervous system feel safe and connected.

Animals have always been that for me. Growing up, I had an array of animals – two cats, a dog, around 20 parakeets (!) and an African grey parrot. I’m pretty sure we had a whole fish tank at some point too. Obviously completely chaotic but these animals were a huge part of my safety in a traumatic home environment. My animals loved me unconditionally and were always so happy to see me. I needed that so deeply. (Peter, the African grey, not so much. May he rest in peace!)

I took a training on the “Human-Animal Bond & EMDR” which further fueled my inspiration to have Bella certified. Animals do a wonderful job of supporting their nervous systems. They are constantly attuned to their needs and will do what they need to. They sleep when they need to, they eat when they need to. They will walk away when they are bothered. We can all learn from animals and I believe having Bella in our therapeutic space will give us a little bit more safety which I think we all need right now.