Athena, A Kind Therapy Dog

Q: What’s your full name?
A: Athena Harris

Q: Tell us about yourself.
A: I am kind, sensitive, goofy, energetic and playful. I am mischievous but only when there is mud involved. Is there anything better than a mud bath? No, no, there is not.

Q: What’s your favorite vacation spot?
A: My cabin in Camp Connell, California.

Q: And when you get to go along?
A: I love to frolic in the snow with my family and then snuggle next to the fire in our A-frame cabin while my family plays board games.

Q: Your best play spot?
A: When I’m not working, I LOVE to run and play with other dogs at the dog park.

Q: Do you have a guilty pleasure?
A: Licking toes and sleeping on the couch at night when I’m alone.

Q: Are you ever a naughty pup?
A: When I was a puppy, I ate the corner of my mom’s brand-new living room chair…after ripping up the corner of the carpet that was just installed. She still sighs and looks at me and shakes her head when she sees it.

Q: What’s your canine obsession?
A: I am obsessed with eating SOCKS. Tube socks, ankle socks, kid socks; you leave any sock laying around, I will find it, eat it, and then poop it out. I will never learn. I have probably pooped out a total of 20 socks. I’m only one and a half. The vet says I’m still healthy.

Q: What’s your favorite treat?
A: My favorite, most wonderful treat is peanut butter on a spoon or on my Kong.

Q: Where do you go for pampering?
A: I go to Pet Supplies Plus in Lodi to get pampered at the self-serve washing station. I don’t like the blow dryer but if I sit there and dry off, I get a treat.

Q: What else should we know about you?
A: I am a therapy dog for Colonial Rose Chapel & Cremation in Stockton, California. I started working when I was just 12 weeks old. I help grieving families after losing a loved one. Sometimes, they just want me to be with them, so they can pet me, and other times, they want me to walk with them through the entire process and attend the funeral. I love going to my job and helping people at one of the toughest times in their life.

Q: Who are your human parents?
A: Amber Massey and Steven Harris