Written by Richard Waxman, Executive Director
How it all Came to Be: “Paws & Hearts” is now officially in our 24th year of serving the Coachella Valley with our trained Canine Ambassador therapy dogs, who make weekly visits to area long-term care facilities, Alzheimer’s and cancer centers, and special education classes.
“Lucky,” the little abandoned poodle/terrier, came along first, and we visited Valencia Palms in Indio. From that first visit, Lucky proved to be a fantastic therapy dog. Shortly after, Scruffy came along, and the two of them were inseparable, visiting Eisenhower three mornings per week for many years.
Along the way, we became a 501C3 Non-profit, opened an office, established a board of directors, and recruited and trained volunteer teams who, once a week, would make visits to local facilities, visiting individual rooms and making patients feel better one paw at a time.
It is now 24 years later, and we’ve survived the pandemic. We are always looking for outstanding dogs to become Canine Ambassadors. If you are a full-time resident, your pup is at least one year old, spayed or neutered, current on their shots, and incredibly friendly and outgoing, please review our website: www.pawsandhearts.org to see if you would be interested in joining our group. All the information and a few YouTube videos are there. The rewards you receive from making people feel better are indescribable!
“Paws & Hearts” is situated in the Berger Foundation Building at 42-600 Cook Street, Suite 138, Palm Desert, CA 92211. For inquiries, please contact us at 760-836-1406.
