Eloise : The Therapy Dog

A certified therapy dog from Pet Partners, Eloise is technically called complex rated therapy dogs.This means that she is trained to work in locations such as hospitals, schools, disaster relief centers, and yes, the therapy office. Her training enables her to detect distress in the biological and chemical changes that occur when people shift in emotion. Once she detects distress in someone, Eloise will whine or come over and will comfort the person who is having a shift in their emotion or who is feeling uncomfortable in their distress. Patients have to referred to her as "an emotional traitor", in that they will not let you hide from your own distress. Thankfully, Eloise displays the beauty of non-judgmental self-compassion when soothing pain and in validating discomfort. She often comes to sessions dressed in costumes during Halloween, Holiday sweaters in the Fall, and stylish bandanas in all the times in between. It is amazing to see Eloise work with those that might not trust the human world, as animals tend to make more understanding listeners. For those people out there, Eloise offers a great bridge to building relationships. If you are interested in having her be a part of your therapy, simply inquire. Caution: she will try to lick your face and they love to cuddle. 

Eloise attends sessions with Ana Rodriguez MS LPC.