There are many types of service dogs who perform unique and specific assistance to the human with whom they share a life. Lee Atherton is the founder of Phoenix Rising, a community nonprofit dedicated to helping individuals with PTSD and other Mental Health disabilities to access the life-saving support of a service dog. In this episode, she talks about her two service dogs, Shadow and Phoenix, and how they have transformed her life. These dogs were the anchor in her storm and allowed her to remerge from Family Trauma. Lee is passionate about helping others gain access to the right service dog and reminds us that even from the deepest pain, new strength can emerge, that others, too, can rise from the ashes toward healing and wholeness. For more information, and how you can support, or tell your story of your service dog, please visit her website.
EPISODE NOTES: How Service Dogs Save Lives
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Genie Joseph, PhD, is the Executive Director of The Human-Animal Connection, a 501c3 organization dedicated to bringing people and animals together for the benefit of both. The Human-Animal Connection offers free therapy dog visits to veterans, Active Duty, Health Care Providers, and anyone experiencing stress in the field of Service to Others. Canines Teach Compassion is our high school program with therapy dogs that reduces stress by over 60% in just one hour of structured interaction. We also offer educational classes and zoom sessions to help people deepen their connection to animals, increase empathy, and facilitate cross-species communication. Genie is an Emmy Award-winning filmmaker and creator of The Act Resilient Method and author of the book by that same name. Act Resilient, which works with Therapy Animals, has been presented to over 4,000 Service Members and their families, and for this work, she was given President Obama’s Volunteer Service Award. And her team at Tripler Army Medical Center was given a National Award for Workplace Resilience from the American Psychological Association. She is a dog trainer, Animal Chaplain, and Animal Communicator and volunteers at various animal rescues and shelter, and shares her life with two miniature therapy Donkeys, Rosie and Lilly, and her rescue therapy dogs, Sophia, Harry, and Bailey, who have brought smiles to many humans.
