Sad shelter puppy becomes therapy dog for first responders

Editor's Note: In honor of National First Responders Day on Oct. 28, The Folsom Telegraph is featuring Mayzie the Therapy Dog, whose mission is to improve the mental and emotional health of first responders in our region, who often suffer from PTSD. In 2019, Mayzie was a sullen puppy who was dumped at the Bradshaw Animal Shelter by her former owner. Mayzie had been attacked by her kennel mate, leaving a scar on her face that remains today. "I saw the picture of her from Bradshaw and she had no gleam in her eyes. She doesn't look like the same dog. There's no sparkle in her eye. It's really sad," said Adrienne Steurer, Mayzie's current (and forever) owner. Mayzie was one of the lucky dogs who made it out: Her savior was Foothill Dog Rescue in Shingle Springs, who pulled her and got her ready for adoption. Part of the readying process was getting spayed, but Mayzie developed aspiration pneumonia post-surgery and nearly died. Thanks to constant dedication by the people caring for her, Mayzie survived. With all the trauma behind her, Mayzie's new life was about to start, with a special mission. Steurer and her husband spotted Mayzie at a Foothill adoption event and were immediately smitten. "First time we saw her, we were like Oh my God, this is amazing. She just ran up to us and she was so excited. And they called us later and they said, do you want to come pick up your dog? And … I cried." It wasn't long before Adrienne noticed Mayzie had a special way with people; she was just inherently calm or "soulful" as Adrienne describes. "I would take her places and people were just drawn to her, they wanted to pet her," said Adrienne. "And she would just sit with them. Like if we went to the dog park, she would hang out with the people and not the dogs." A pivotal moment came when Steurer, a former EMT, saw a social media post by First Responder Therapy Dogs and felt a calling for her and Mayzie. "I saw them on Instagram and I said, I want to do that! So we took the steps to become a certified therapy dog team." Mayzie earned all of the AKC Canine Good Citizen titles with Fidelis K9 and by June 2023, Steurer and Mayzie officially became a certified team. The dynamic duo are 100% volunteer, representing the non-profit First Responder Therapy Dogs. Their mission is clear. "We don't want anymore suicides from PTSD. Whatever we can do to help stop that, we're all in," explained Steurer. "Our mission is, when they have those feelings, of I'm not enough, this is too much for me to deal with, I just can't do this anymore; for us to come visit and (help them forget) those feelings, and feel normal again … because it's overwhelming as a first responder." Their visits have become a passion and life focus. Mayzie has made 77 visits so far, with dispatchers, Marine Veterans in Placerville, police and fire departments and wildfire crews, to name a few. One memorable visit was with fire crews at the Crozier Fire in August. The crews were exhausted and sometimes, edgy. Several therapy dogs, including Mayzie, visited their base camp, offering support. "She just comes in and she looks at them and they feel better. They don't have to say anything, they don't have to tell her or me how they're feeling, any of those details," explains Steurer. "They just see her and she helps. ... And it's so simple and amazing." Numerous studies have shown that petting a dog helps people decompress and produces the stress-relieving hormone oxytocin, which is why local first responder organizations identify therapy dogs as a pivotal part of their peer support group sessions … to help ease tension, and encourage talking. Steurer has found that sometimes Mayzie continues to work her magic at home, too. "She will sit with my son, who is almost going through law enforcement academy, and that's stressful, waiting to get picked for an academy. She will sit with him for extended periods of time at night instead of with me; last night she was all up in his face," laughed Adrienne. "Like, It's ok, you're going to get picked! She just knows." Steurer suspects that Mayzie's "gift" may stem from her own trauma she experienced as a pup in the shelter; it's a calling Mayzie takes to heart. "I think she can sense the stress, maybe from when she was in the shelter, that stress that she had, the trauma bond. They have a relatable experience of being stressed and she can take that from them," said Steurer. "When she was younger, she struggled … and she got a second chance at life, I think she just takes it and goes. She knows she has a purpose and she just does it. We don't want anymore people to feel like they're hopeless and not ask for help. That's the number one reason why we do this." If you want to follow Mayzie and her visits, you can follow her on Instagram @mayzie.the.kelpie and Facebook: First Responder Therapy Dog Mayzie.