Therapy Dogs are often sensitive to those who are struggling physically or emotionally, making them unique resources for comfort.
Therapy Dog Brigade, which works to bring compassion, comfort and connection to people in facilities in Fairfield, Westchester, and Rockland Counties, is recruiting new human-dog therapy teams to offer emotional support and spread joy to people of all ages in Greenwich and neighboring cities.
This rapidly growing non-profit organization is offering new pre-course screenings and fall classes during the month of October, 2026. 
“Being part of a therapy dog team is a wonderful opportunity to do meaningful volunteer work that
touches many lives,” said Heidi Lobel, Therapy Dog Brigade’s executive director in a release.
“One of our core values is encouraging our teams to give back to the communities where they live. Having been a resident of Greenwich myself for 14 years, I feel a deep, personal connection to this community, as do many of our existing teams who live here.”
Therapy Dog Brigade is offering pre-course screening appointments on October 4, 2026, from 12:00pm-5:00pm.
This is a chance for dog owners to learn if their pet is a good fit for dog therapy. Fall classes begin at Round Hill Community House in Greenwich on October 21, 2026.
Over the past year since Therapy Dog Brigade launched, its teams have become an important presence in Greenwich, visiting sites such as King Street Rehab, the YWCA in support of Harmony Project events, at Kids in Crisis’ Hope Day, and Greenwich Library for Study Escapes. Teams will soon be onboarding at Greenwich Hospital.
Therapy Dog Brigade’s trained and certified teams support emotional well-being, deliver comfort and
smiles, and reduce stress. Dogs are often extremely sensitive to those who are struggling with physical or emotional challenges, making many of them good candidates for this kind of work. As teams repeat visits, they get to know staff and long-term patients in hospitals and rehabilitation centers, and befriend members of senior living communities and students and faculty in schools.
The organization’s therapy dog teams are also helping children improve their reading skills. Its “Reading to a Therapy Dog Program” is used in schools and libraries where reading aloud to a calm, nonjudgemental therapy dog has become a proven and effective way to encourage children to improve literacy and communications skills. Therapy Dog Brigade’s teams are specially trained and skilled in creating a relaxed and welcoming atmosphere where children feel comfortable and uninhibited to read aloud.
Melissa Giorgi and Bean, a French Bulldog mix Melissa adopted a year ago, took the six-week Therapy Dog Brigade training class at Round Hill Church this summer, and they’re now a certified team.
Melissa says she decided to do the training because she noticed that when Bean visits her at work in a Stamford school, “he loves other people, and the kids, and he’s very good with everyone. He’s not a jumper, he’s very calm and everyone seems to really enjoy him,” all important attributes of a therapy dog. Melissa says Bean learned so much in the class, and it was a positive and rewarding experience.
Now they are about to begin working with special needs students in the Stamford Schools.
Residents of Greenwich and surrounding areas who are interested in teaming up with Therapy Dog Brigade should check out the organization’s website: https://www.therapydogbrigade.org/ and consider applying and making an appointment for a screening October 4 at the American Red Cross in
Greenwich.
Lobel hopes her team of experts can train a whole new crop of therapy teams this fall, so they can be ready to roll at the start of the new year.
“It’s incredibly rewarding to see our volunteers share the healing presence of their dogs throughout a community that means so much to us all,” Lobel said.