SAN ANGELO, Texas (Concho Valley Homepage) — The Therapaws of San Angelo, a member of the Alliance of Therapy Dogs, focuses on spreading happiness and smiles wherever they go.
These puppies visit various locations throughout the town, but on Wednesdays and Fridays, they go to branches of the San Angelo Library. Julie Shar, who has three therapy dogs and previously worked as a teacher, shared how she began with Therapaws.
As a teacher, I recognized the impact of incorporating animal-assisted therapy into classrooms and reading sessions,” Shar said. “I never had the opportunity to do it while teaching, so before retiring with my first dog, Luna, we became part of an organization in Pennsylvania. After retiring and moving here, it almost became my full-time volunteer work with my dogs. It began with Luna, and then we added Remus and Sirius.
Therapy dogs go to various locations in San Angelo, and Shar explains their role in helping the community:
We attend four different schools throughout the school year, visit two different libraries, Shannon Behavioral, the girls’ home, a nursing home, and the university when they request it,” Shar said. “Our goal is to bring smiles to people’s faces, as well as encourage the children to read. We mainly conduct reading sessions at elementary schools, but we’ve also visited a few high schools. The college students really enjoy it. They love the dogs. Sirius particularly likes the college students as long as they aren’t too noisy.
As a group, there are always individuals present who can bring their dogs to those who ask for their presence. However, completing the certification process is what enables the dogs to enter most locations.
There are 20 of us,” Shar mentioned. “We are members of the Alliance of Therapy Dogs. There is a local representative from the Alliance of Therapy Dogs who conducts tests and observations here. We undergo an evaluation where she assesses their behavior and introduces her dogs to them to observe their responses. They have supervised visits, two in a healthcare setting and one in a public place, to evaluate how they react to various sounds, people, and scents before they are officially recognized as part of the team.
Even though much of their activities take place in private locations, the library remains one of their go-to spots.
We visit the West Angelo Library every Wednesday and the North Branch every Friday,” Shar said. “The locations we are at are primarily libraries, so please come if you can.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This content cannot be published, aired, altered, or shared again.
