Name/Age: Shawnee - 9 y/o & Shaonia - 8 y/o
Family Members: Joanne, Charles, Sabrina, - Boston Terrier (9 months), 5 chickens, 6 goats, 2 donkeys, 30 ducks and a pig.
How long have Shawnee & Shaonia been in the family? Shawnee since she was 6 weeks old & Shaonia for 7.5 years.
Professions: I coach people to train their dogs Company: S&J Canine Coaching
Location: Cohutta, GA.
Nicknames: Shawnee: BoBo Shaonia: Sha Sha
5 words that best describe Shawnee & Shaonia?
Shawnee:
Smart
Devoted
Ambition
Good Supervisor
Eager
Shaonia:
Caring
Empathetic
Loving
Enthusiastic
Energetic
What makes Shawnee & Shaonia unique? Shawnee was a Therapy Dog for 4 years. Shaonia is also a therapy dog and has been for the last 5 years.
Sweet Shawnee!
Shaonia - Minnie Pibble Mous. One of her many therapy outfits!
Rescue Story: I was looking for a Pit bull. I came across Shawnee’s picture on Craigs list and working with some different rescues I knew most Pit Bulls would not have a great life if gotten from Craigs list. I have never had a strong dog before so we took some obedience class. That is where I heard of Therapy Dogs. Shawnee took the class & pass the Therapy Dog test. She was a Therapy Dog for 4 with Therapy Dogs International.
I rescued Shaonia when she was 6 months old from a Facebook post. They were going to euthanize her due to issues they created. I could not let that happened. It took me 3 days to get her out of the house. Finally when we made it outside, she was scared to death of everything. My other Am Staff and Boston Terrier helped her realize she was a dog and after a few hours got her to start to play. Shawnee, was already a therapy dog & I didn’t even consider Shaonia as Therapy Dog material because of her being scarred, I was prepared to have her as my shadow for the rest of her life. But I wanted her to experience the world. I started taking her everywhere with me. One day at Home Depot she was pulling on the leash to go somewhere, I said ok I’m game. She pulled me over to this gentleman. I asked him if he wouldn’t mind would he pet my dog. He said sure. And that is the day Shaonia, the Therapy Dog, was born. She has been a Certified Therapy Dog with Alliance of Therapy Dogs for over 5 years. She has almost 2000 visits and almost 2500 hours. We visit: 3 hospitals, work with 3 Hospice organizations, schools, Libraries, VA clinics, Special needs Community outreach programs, ATL Airport, Ringgold Courthouses and 911 call centers
What is your favorite pastime as a family? For Shawnee, all outdoor activities, for Shaonia SWIMMING!!!
What is life like since you rescued your dogs? Fun. Exciting. We love to camp, hike and swim. As therapy dogs we get to meet all sorts of people from different walks of life.
Social Media: Facebook: David Therapy Dogs Instagram: @davisgirlstherapydogs
Photographers Note: The Saturday after Thanksgiving I met this wonderful family at Red Top Mountain. Which is always a beautiful setting to take photos and is very dog friendly. Sweet Shawnee was a little shy and not overly thrilled with her photo being taken, then there is her sister; Shaonia who was quite happy to don her Minnie Mouse outfit and not even try to remove it. She might have wanted to go swimming in it. Since swimming is one of her favorite things that wasn’t a surprise considering the location. Thankfully everyone stayed dried & Sabrina the Boston kept everyone in line. I loved hearing all about Shaonias therapy adventures and learning about all the visits she has racked up. So happy she and Joanne are able to get out there and help those that need it most. Is there anything better then the soul healing an animal can provide?
All in the family!