By Julia Train
About nine years ago, Jeanne Ferwerda adopted a six-month-old pup named Rooney, a beagle mix who came from a puppy mill that had shut down. Now, she’s a therapy dog who’s been to 49 of the country’s 50 states.
Rooney was initially skittish and Ferwerda decided to start extensively training her and taking her stores to get acclimated to different noises and people.
Ferwerda trained Rooney for two hours every weekday– an hour in the morning and an hour at night– and for several hours a day during the weekends for over a year.
After having the pup for a few years, Ferwerda realized that Rooney had a gift for people, especially the elderly and children.
In September 2018, Rooney became a therapy dog. She and Ferwerda began volunteering with the Alliance of Therapy Dogs, a national organization that provides certification, registration, support and insurance for its members.
In order to be certified and registered as a therapy dog, Rooney had to go through testing and more training to teach her how to work. She had to get used to loud noises, being around wheelchairs and learn to not jump on people.
Ferwerda would drop a metal drinking bowl on the ground just so Rooney would learn to notice loud noises without getting startled.
Rooney also had to learn that while she wore her therapy animal vest, she was working and couldn’t interact or play with another dog during that time.
“It’s amazing because when we put [her] vest on, [she] knows she’s working. When we take it off, she’s back to being a [normal] dog again,” said Ferwerda.
She and Rooney visit local nursing homes and hospice patients every couple of weeks.
“I don’t think people realize a lot of people just get dumped off at a nursing home and us going there, not only is it good for the patients, but it also makes my heart grow a little bit bigger,” said Ferwerda, noting that she thinks Rooney loves it too.
Rooney hasn’t just helped strangers, but also family.
When Ferwerda’s father was diagnosed with kidney cancer in September 2023, Rooney went to every single doctor’s appointment and hospital visit with him until he passed away in March.
Rooney has been to every state, with the exception of Hawaii because only service dogs can fly with their owners. Other pets need to stay in the bottom of the plane.
“I think it’s a great disparity that they don’t recognize therapy dogs as a service animal because she does do a service. It’s just not under the federal guidelines,” said Ferwerda, an advocate for therapy dogs to be recognized as service animals. “She’s a perfect travel companion.”
Right now, the duo are in California on a two-month cross-country trip to celebrate her dad, visiting his relatives and national parks.
“We’re hitting all the different national parks and just enjoying ourselves. Taking care of someone with cancer really takes a toll on you and we’re trying to just be happy again,” said Ferwerda.
