L to R: Ro Riley with Cha Cha, Katie Metzler (Holiday House Pet Resort General Manager), Nate Weis, Bob Wharton (AOAL) with Jackson, Olivia Bohrer, Cindy Kaeble (AOAL) with Annie, Holly Moyer, and Alex Hendricks with Maggie.
DOYLESTOWN, PA, November 9, 2020—Angel On A Leash (AOAL) received a $1,020.00 donation from Holiday House Pet Resort & Training Center. AOAL is a local non-profit therapy dog organization. Contributions offset the cost of day-to-day operations, so the donations will allow the volunteers and their dogs, called Champion Teams, to continue their work with area schools, senior care facilities, hospitals, and fulfilling other community requests for therapy dog visits.
The pet resort’s dog daycare program holds the annual Halloween photo fundraising event to benefit a local non-profit organization. This year, for a donation to AOAL, pet parents received a Halloween portrait of their dog in a costume.
“Angel on a Leash is eager to get back to visiting and we are hopeful that some outdoor activities can resume in the spring. Some of these activities could involve outdoor parades or putting on a show. In the past, members have gathered and shown tricks their dogs can do and performed other things like Rally or Agility. Enjoying the company of a therapy dog has been shown to enhance physical, psychological and mental health. We are committed to doing all we can during these difficult times. Champion Teams are doing virtual visits, sending recordings, and mailing notes with pictures of their dogs that are shared by the staff. In the meantime, we are developing other ways for our members to stay engaged such as offering refresher training classes and pet CPR certification,” said Bob Wharton, Co-President of AOAL.
Bob and his golden retriever, Jackson, are an AOAL Champion Team. Bob also evaluates and tests for the American Kennel Club (AKC) S.T.A.R. (Socialization, Training, Activity and Responsible Owner) Puppy program, the Canine Good Citizen program, and the AKC Trick Dog program.
The original Angel On A Leash organization—which disbanded in 2016–was founded in 2004 by David Frei, a renowned breeder, show-dog handler and judge, former announcer for the Westminster Dog Show, and current announcer for the National Dog Show which airs on NBC on Thanksgiving.
Bob joined Steven Kramer—a friend of David Frei—in 2019 to reestablish AOAL. The leadership efforts of Bob and Steven launched the group of over 60 therapy dog teams serving throughout Bucks County as well as the Wilkes Barre area in Northeast Pennsylvania, and in New Jersey.
“Angel On A Leash is a wonderful asset to our community. We understand how important the donations are to enable their therapy dog teams to continue visiting with people throughout the community in safe and healthy manner. We are grateful for our generous clients and proud of our resort family for the wonderful outcome of this event,” said Dr. Laura Weis who owns and operates Holiday House Pet Resort & Training Center and Doylestown Veterinary Hospital & Holistic Pet Care with her husband Dr. Ransome Weis.
ABOUT ANGEL ON A LEASH
Angel on a Leash®, Inc. (AOAL), is a nonprofit organization that provides volunteer therapy dog handler teams (Champions) to visit with anyone that would benefit from the human-canine bond in enhancing human health and quality of life. All handler-dog teams (Champions) are tested, certified, registered by AOAL. Call 215-478-6762 or visit Angel On A Leash for information on how to become an “Angel on a Leash” member or to schedule one of the group’s dog-handler teams to visit your school, nursing facility or other site out in the community.
ABOUT HOLIDAY HOUSE PET RESORT & TRAINING CENTER and
DOYLESTOWN VETERINARY HOSPITAL & HOLISTIC PET CARE
Holiday House Pet Resort & Training Center offers overnight lodging for dogs and cats with activity packages, dog daycare, professional training programs, and grooming services. The resort is owned by Drs. Laura and Randy Weis, who also operate the Doylestown Veterinary Hospital & Holistic Pet Care, a full-service veterinary hospital located on the same property. For more information about Holiday House Pet Resort & Training Center, visit https://www.holidayhousepetresort.com or call 215-345-6960.