Help from furry friends

Therapy dogs find way to 'tough people's soul'

By Nikki Rajala

Takoda, a border collie, was Mike and Georgia Thienes’ first therapy dog, who started in 2013.

Mike and Georgia Thienes, who live in the St. Cloud area, give their dogs outside places to play whenever they can. Takaya sits in front of Mike and Meeka in front of Georgia.  Contributed  photo

“One day someone saw Georgia, Takoda and me,” Mike said, not too long ago. “As soon as she realized the dog was Takoda, she said, ‘I have to show you this.’ She immediately opened up her phone to a picture of us from five years earlier — she still had that picture because he’d made such a difference in her life.”

“We knew that Takoda would make a difference in the world,” Georgia added. “His name meant ‘friend to everyone’ in the Lakota language and he did just that. Dogs touch people’s souls — it’s magical.”

The Thieneses, from the St. Cloud area, and many other Central Minnesota Therapy Animal Association (CMTAA) handlers bring their animals to St. Cloud State University, St. Benedict’s College, and St. John’s University each month. As many as 100 students seek them out, some who come and go, others who want to hang out with the animals.

“In September, freshmen especially have high anxiety, being away from home for the first time, some from other countries. They worry about finals, missing their family and pets — you can see them relax and melt with our animals,” Georgia explained. “When students can hold and pet our dogs, it means the world to them.”

The Thieneses described a college student, who lives on campus far from home, missing her own dog and loving visits with therapy dogs.

Takoda, a border collie, was the Thienes’ first therapy dog. He began in 2013 but passed away in 2022, shortly before they could return after the Covid-19 pandemic. Contributed photo

“College life is lonely and stressful. The dogs have given me endless love and companionship through the rough times during my time at college. When I feel down, the dogs make me feel better. The dogs are my friends,” she told them.

CMTAA therapy animal teams listen to children read at the Great River Regional Library once a month. Every week, they visit elementary and high schools, senior communities, the VA and many other places. In the summer they spend time with campers at Camp Friendship and Camp Courage. Besides therapy dogs, CMTAA members, with rabbits and horses, are a big family who love what they’re doing.

Meeka and Takaya are miniature American shepherds in Mike and Georgia’s current family. Meeka’s name means “Heart of Gold,” created from his mother’s and father’s names. They named Takaya after a lone wolf in the Pacific Northwest who swam to an island off Victoria, British Columbia, and lived for eight years, becoming a symbol of peaceful coexistence.

The four are registered as therapy dog teams through Pet Partners, a national organization, and are members of CMTAA. They volunteer weekly as animal assistant therapy teams at the St. Cloud Hospital.

At a dog agility class with Takoda, Mike and Georgia learned about a therapy dog class taught by J.P. Martin, who had begun working with his dog Kat at the St. Cloud Hospital in the 1990s. The Thieneses knew pet therapy dog work was exactly what they wanted to do.

“Initially J.P. was unsure about training a border collie for therapy work, due to the breed’s herding instinct and high energy,” Mike said. “But when Takoda laid his head on J.P.’s lap and gazed at him with his big brown eyes, J.P. knew it would work.”

“And we knew Takoda would bring great joy to others,” Georgia said.

To become therapy dog teams, the Thieneses needed to pass an online class and an evaluation test with their dogs through Pet Partners. After mastering those requirements and becoming registered therapy dog teams, they could begin volunteering at the St. Cloud Hospital and other sites.

Takaya (left) and Meeka (right) are American shepherds that regularly visit residence halls at St. Cloud State University with their handlers Mike and Georgia Thienes as members of Central Minnesota Therapy Animal Association. Many CMTAA handlers and their pets offer animal therapy each month at colleges, schools, senior communities and the St. Cloud Hospital. Contributed photo

“In the class, we learned from J.P. and his two co-instructors, Dorothy Bernardy and Priscilla Gray, to be proactive by considering potential problems we’d face and how we’d handle it, like preventing Takoda from getting tangled up in IV tubes or catheters,” Georgia said. “They prepared us for the intensity of hospital visits. We learned how to read our dogs’ behaviors and work together as a team.”

The couple reviewed different hospital situations — dealing with a large staff, patients of all ages, difficult medical concerns, equipment to be careful around. After they became registered but before they could work at the St. Cloud Hospital, they shadowed J.P. and Marlene Dingmann and her therapy dog, Ella. J.P. then guided each of them individually through the hospital with Takoda to know when they were ready to visit independently.

“Takoda learned quickly. He had a special gift to help people release their emotions. Many wanted to hug Takoda close to them.” Mike said. “He also discovered which nurses’ stations kept treats and in which drawer. He’d lead Georgia or me to those stations.”

Both Georgia and Mike regularly brought Takoda to the hospital — until that effort was paused during the COVID-19 pandemic. Takoda passed away before they could return, a deep loss for them, CMTAA and hospital staff.

The couple had already began preparing Meeka to become a therapy dog, who started in 2018. Takaya began in November 2025, and is learning.

“In 2022, when we came back after the pandemic, the hospital staff who knew us got down on the floor to hug our dogs. Some were in tears — they really needed us and we needed them,” Georgia said.

The animals bring many benefits: decreased anxiety, lower blood pressure, better respiration, lower pain levels, strengthened immunity, strengthened fine and gross motor skills, better emotional and mental well-being and help with physical therapy.

Meeka looks forward to a “puppu-cino” treat from cafeteria staff at the St. Cloud Hospital following the two-hour session of pet therapy. 

“Meeka loves to lay in bed with patients and put his head on them. Petting him can reduce their anxiety, blood pressure, heart rate or pain or give them a different outlook for the day. We might notice those things on the monitors — but not all are hooked up to equipment,” Mike said.

“Sometimes when people see Meeka or Takaya, they just cry because they have built up so much anxiety,” Georgia said. “Our dogs help reduce their anxiety. Doctors and nurses carry so much responsibility — they might stop to pet them while they’re doing rounds and attending to patients. Their faces light up seeing our dogs and they need that ease.”

All the therapy dog teams visit every unit in the St. Cloud Hospital except NICU. They check with the volunteer coordinator to learn if a therapy dog visit has been requested by doctors, nurses, or families. Occasionally someone will ask them to duck into a room.

“Whether patients we visit have been there for weeks or we’ve seen them once, they say, ‘Your dog made my day.’” Mike said.

Georgia recalled visiting patients at senior communities.

“I entered a room where a gentleman was dying, his family overcome with emotion. I laid Meeka with him. They all hugged Meeka and cried. The presence of our dog helped them all release their emotions. We were there at the right time, when they needed it,” she said.

They’ve worked in the intensive care unit with people are on respirators or induced comas.

“We’ve put our dog in the bed with a non-responsive patient, which brought the family joy,” Mike said. “What’s really interesting is that sometimes those patients remember a dog was present, though they might not recall their human visitors.”

“The surgical waiting area is often a stressful place,” Georgia said. “So we’ll spend time there with the family to let our dog visit with people while they wait.”

Georgia and Mike each schedule an afternoon every week at the hospital with one dog. Each week they switch which dog they bring, but sometimes all four go together.

Students at St. John’s University get a chance to pet Takaya, an American shepherd. Takaya is Mike and Georgia Thienes’ newest therapy dog.

“Patients and staff love seeing both dogs together,” said Mike.

The dogs work for two hours, a Pet Partners rule, so they don’t become over-stressed. Their handlers must be adept in reading their dogs’ behaviors and be their biggest advocates.

At the end of their hospital session, the dogs know it’s almost time to go home and relax. But they have one additional stop.

“Takaya and Meeka head to the cafeteria, where they get a ‘pupp-ucino,’ whipped cream in a cup. The cafeteria staff love giving it to them,” Mike said.

Mike and Georgia know that they, together with their dogs, make a difference in the lives of others. They hope others might consider their pets becoming therapy animals, because the need is great.

“No matter where we go, people appreciate our visits. It’s a win-win and makes everybody happy. We love what we do. Sharing our dogs adds joy to other people’s lives, and blesses us, the handlers, just as much,” Georgia said.