Our Therapy Dogs
Meet Elliot and Ernie, The Dare to Love Project’s two therapy dogs in training! Our beloved babies are always daring to love!
If you would like to spend some time enjoying snuggles, pets, and play with the boys, email thedtlproject.com.
Elliot & Ernie’s Story
Saying Goodbye to Henry
Many people in our community were familiar with our beloved Dare-to-Love Doodle, Henry, who played such a loving and integral role in our organization for 7 years. When we lost him to cancer, our hearts were broken, but we were also given a sense of peace and hope knowing we had more love to give and that our time as dog parents was not finished. In the midst of grief, we were given the opportunity to start fresh and plant new seeds and then we knew it was time to begin another phase of the Dare to Love Project. That is when we reached out to Bella Rosa Goldens and began the adoption process of our two beloved babies.
The Babies are Born
We cannot imagine a world without Elliot AND Ernie but when we initially began the adoption process, we were only looking for an Elliot (more on that in a moment). Bella Rosa’s Donna & Joe allowed our ministry to be present throughout the entire process. We loved on the boy’s birth mama, Ginger, during her pregnancy, Dee and Faith got to help deliver Ginger’s litter, and we all took every possible opportunity to spend time with the boys during their first weeks of life before they were allowed to go home.
Elliot was the 4th to be born of the litter and was given a dark blue collar. The night before, Dee had a dream about the birth process and the words “blue collar” stuck with her. Dee and Faith sent Rachel photos of all the pups as they were being delivered and when they sent Elliot, Rachel responded, “Is that Elliot?” It was meant to be.
Ernie was the runt and the 11th puppy to be delivered and was given a red collar. When he came out, he had some fluid in his lungs, and Dee gave him puppy CPR, already planting the seed in our hearts. In the first couple weeks, Ernie had a hard time latching on or his siblings would hog all the feeding space. We felt bad for the little guy and gave him extra lovings. For a while, we nicknamed him “Little Red” and would tell Elliot every time we saw him to watch out for Little Red to make sure he got to eat too. Ernie’s grandmother, Emma, ended up producing milk and to our gratitude, gave Little Red a couple extra feedings. It did not take long for us to figure out that Little Red was meant to be our Ernie. We took a leap of faith and decided to adopt them both.
First Year at Beulah
For their first year at Beulah, the boys spent their time playing, embracing the zoomies, snuggling, and growing up on and off camera. Throughout the first year, we took them on little adventures that exposed them to as many people, other dogs, car rides, and nature as possible. Their adventures along with other intentional trainings and practices allowed us to gradual introduce them to therapy boy things at an appropriate pace while still allowing them to grow and develop. We knew that they would not be ready for official school until after their first year.
Each day offered a new lesson for everybody, and reminded us of the little pleasures and moments in life that deserve celebration.
We continue to post many of these moments on social media. You can follow elliotandernie on Instagram and TikTok.
Today
The boys are in school and are getting smarter and smarter each day. They are also growing into their own as therapy dogs. While they are not certified yet, we do offer therapy dog time where you can snuggle with, play with, or just spend time petting the pups. We have noticed how much these simple delights have improved our mental health, and we want to continue to share the joy.
If you are interested in spending time with Elliot and Ernie, please email thedtlproject@gmail.com.
Every penny helps! If you are interested in financially supporting their education or daily expenses, you can donate to us on venmo, writing “therapy dog fund” in your donation description.