From Surrendered to Service Dog: Macie’s Story

Macie’s family sent us an update on how she is thriving!

”Macie came into our lives in 2019 through GRROM. She was approximately 10 months old at that time and she was afraid of everything. She has gone through obedience training and pet therapy training and has made huge strides since then.

She now commits her time to visiting a nursing care facility near our home. She has been visiting the residents every other week for over a year. In the beginning, she was a bit nervous and skiddish, but now that she has gotten to know a lot of the residents quite well, she is more comfortable during her visits and always gets excited when it is time to go see them and any new residents that may have arrived as well.

When we get to the facility, we go directly to the activities area where the residents are waiting for Macie. On our last visit, when we arrived at the activities area, there were no residents there due to lunch running a bit late and they were still in the dining room. I decided that we would walk the halls and round up some of the residents to let them know we were here, however, Macie was not going to have anything to do with that idea. She put on her brakes and would not move from the area. I started to walk away thinking she would follow me, but she didn’t. She stayed right there knowing that her friends would soon come to see her. (I just had to learn to be a little patient like Macie). After a few minutes, they arrived. Macie got super excited and went to greet each one individually as she loves getting treats, pets and kisses from them.

The residents have helped Macie come out of her shell and she has also helped them as well. There are a couple residents who have never spoken to me, the staff or the other residents when I am there, however, Macie started going up to them and they would extend their hands and pet her. After a bit, they started talking to her. It is amazing to see this take place and how a dog can make such a huge impact on a person. I don’t know if she loves them more or if they love her more. Either way I see it as a win/win and Macie loves making new friends and regularly visiting old friends.”

We are so thrilled to see Macie thriving and love these success stories. HERE is Macie’s original story!