CALDWELL, Idaho — The Go Team Therapy, Airport and Crisis Dogs have been spreading comfort and joy in the Treasure Valley since 2016. Each dog and handler have been extensively trained to provide therapeutic visits to people in our community.
Jo Egbert is the team coordinator.
"We are all volunteers," Egbert said. "I have 98 dogs, and 92 humans. It's a national 501c, we are made up of dogs and handlers that go out in the community and give comfort."
Egbert is also a handler. She said she loves every minute of it.
"My dog is named Denali, she was named for the mountain in Alaska, and it means the great one and she truly is," Egbert said. "You're volunteering so you are giving back to your community, but you are doing it with your best friend. How much better can that be? The coolest thing about this job is the look on people's faces when we walk in the door. And it's not for us, it's for these four-legged creatures that do amazing work."
Several of the dogs and their handlers visited some Caldwell fire fighters recently.
"We have fourteen dogs here today, we love firefighters," Egbert said.
Caldwell Firefighter Jesus Gutierrez said he was excited to have the dog's visit.
"It's super inspiring to have these dogs come out here. I think we can learn a lot from these dogs, their compassion and willingness to just give love away for free is something as a firefighter you can remind yourself of when you get burned out," Gutierrez said. "You know it's always good to be a little more compassionate, a little more loving."
Fire Captain Kolby Kerbs said he knows how much his crew appreciates these therapy dogs.
"You know, I don't know if words can really express what it means to have the animals come hang out with us," Kerbs said. "It gets the mind off the grind. PTSD has been on the forefront for first responders, and how we go about mitigating that and taking care of our guys and our people. You don't know how much an animal, or a dog, really helps relieve the stress that we have throughout the day."
Gutierrez agrees.
"These dogs know exactly what they are doing, and I think they know who needs it, they can pick up on stress, and that's what they are trained for. It's a good thing they are here because I think we have a couple of stressed people in these fire stations," Gutierrez said.
Go Team handler Kristiina Spencer and her dog Doug are happy to be visiting these firefighters. She said she has always wanted to give back to Caldwell Fire, for a really special reason.
"Back in 2014, I had a total loss house fire, and Caldwell was my home station, so all these guys came out," Spencer said. "It means the world to me to be able to give back to them because they were so kind at an awful time in my life."
This visit gave her the chance to do that.
"We go to schools, assisted livings, the VA, hospitals, airports, libraries, and we go to any place that there is a crisis. We've been doing a lot with the Boise school district lately with the suicides they have been dealing with," Egbert said.
The dogs and handlers go through extensive training to join the team. Hours of classes, and preparation.
The Go Team Therapy Dogs even have trading cards to share with their fans.
"The trading cards are so popular," Egbert said. "It says a little bit about each dog on the back, about what they like to do, their birthdays, and people love it and it's not just kids; it's adults, they get really excited to get those cards."
These amazing dogs and their handlers are definitely making a difference in our community.
"Everybody knows when you hug a dog, you get all warm and fuzzy, and for that moment you don't have to think about the rest of life, you just think about you and that dog," said Captain Krebs. "I think it makes all of us happy."
Egbert said hearing that makes it all worth it; "That's why we do what we do."
For more information, or to request a visit from Go Team Therapy Dogs, click here.
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