Community Service with Ronon
When I adopted Ronon in October 2021, he was afraid of everything. To build trust, we started training together, beginning with the basics—house training, manners, leash walking, and recall. As he gained confidence, we moved on to obedience and other structured classes.
It quickly became clear that Ronon loved being out in the world with me — especially when people stopped to say hello to him. Training him for therapy dog certification was a natural next step.
After joining Comfort Caring Canines, we started with visiting Roberts Elementary School and the Fox Chase Library. As of April 2026, Ronon has been a therapy dog for two and a half years, and we currently visit the travelers and employees at Philadelphia International Airport and the neurodiverse children attending Unfurling Littles. He has completed almost 80 visits so far.
Why I Do This Work
My dogs—first Snickers and now Ronon—have always been the driving force behind my community service.
Snickers pulled me into neighborhood involvement in Hell’s Kitchen, where I started by volunteering at our local dog run. That eventually led to founding a Shiba Inu Meetup group that grew into a rescue organization. Snickers also worked as a therapy dog, and we fostered dogs for multiple rescues and shelters.
With Ronon, I wasn’t planning to volunteer at all… he was enough work on his own! But his love for people naturally led us into therapy dog work. Somehow, my dogs always seem to lead me exactly where I need to be.
If you’d like to read more about Ronon’s life, training, travels, and community service, he has a website at rononthewoof.com and he is on instagram as @ronon.the.woof.