Woof Wish Champion - Sarah Broderick
Sarah Broderick and The Gift of Titan.
Muttluks is pleased to introduce Sarah Broderick and Titan, her six-year old Golden Retriever. Based in Anacortes, Washington, Sarah and Titan are in the Woof Wish spotlight this month.
Sarah, who is now retired, evaluated, trained and matched service dogs to their people. As Sarah put it, “providing a highly trained dog for a person with a disability was a very rewarding experience.”
Sarah says her own service dog Titan is a ‘shining light for me’. Titan has been a great comfort and aid for Sarah who suffers from debilitating panic attacks. It is because of Titan that Sarah can work, leave her home and basically participate in life. With Titan by her side Sarah continues to provide therapeutic care and visitations through Love on a Leash and Pet Partners, two national therapy dog organizations. She is also a co-founder of Dogs on Call in her home town of Anacortes. DOC is a “club” of like-minded volunteers who participate in numerous therapy dog programs in the county, visiting nursing homes, schools, and cancer patients.
One story she told was particularly worth mentioning. “We worked with two speech therapists and two autistic boys. The goal was to help the boys communicate clearly. That was accomplished by giving Titan commands and having him perform tricks. Titan would only do the activity if he could understand the boys. After four years, the boys turned 16 and went on to work with an adult speech therapist but they had Titan spinning and bowing and picking up all sorts of objects! They even introduced him to staff in the halls of the hospital.”
“There are endless things dogs can do and Titan and I only reach a few people in need of love and comfort but those moments are precious. Titan wears two important hats as both a service dog and a therapy dog. I tell him how great he is but I don’t know if he understands. I do know that because of him my life is better! Titan’s light shines brighter every day for me. I am so lucky to have the gift of Titan.”
If you or anyone you know has a Woof Wish story to tell or is in need of assistance through the Woof Wish program please contact us at muttluks@muttluks.com.