“Sophie”
After being rescued from a Las Vegas shelter, Sophie became a therapy dog.*
Above and beyond their place as family companions and in traditional service occupations, dogs in New Mexico serve in an ever-widening spectrum of therapeutic roles. The physical and emotional benefits to humans that come from relationships with dogs are now recognized and utilized by psychiatric facilities, assisted living centers, hospitals, schools and even prisons.
Today, dogs contribute more to the welfare of individuals and the community than perhaps any other time in the history of the human-dog bond. Additionally, over the past 3 decades, increased awareness of the importance of humane care and control of dogs, the enactment and enforcement of leash laws, and dog bite prevention education, have all been instrumental in drastically reducing the number of reported dog-related injuries in New Mexico and throughout the nation.
People in New Mexico clearly value their relationship with dogs.
Photo: Courtesy Photographer Donna Berryhill
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* Sophie, a Rottweiler, is owned by Michele Mauldin and visits residents at the Casa Arena Blanca Nursing Center in Alamogordo.
National Canine Research Council