A gentle, warm and goofy American Staffordshire mix, Luka is our friendliest therapy assistant. She's been our resident pet therapy dog since August 2016, and she visits once a week for work with clients.

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Luka loves bringing comfort and making people laugh. Her affectionate personality brings warmth easily, and she helps clients work through anxiety and depression. Even though she has a gentle disposition, she occasionally loves to show her playful puppy energy.

 

So far, Luka has her Canine Good Citizen certificate, with the ultimate goal of having a Fidelity of Animal Assisted Therapy label. Jenifer Jelinek, Director of Individual and Family Counseling, said pet-assisted therapy is becoming more common in occupational and physical therapy as well as in education.