Our Instructors and Evaluators

Laura has been a Pet Partners evaluator since 2018.  She passed her first Delta Society (the forerunner of Pet Partners) evaluation in 2002 with her first therapy dog, Bob, and joined Denver Pet Partners in 2014 after passing her first evaluation with her partner Addie.  Laura also serves on the Board of Directors of Denver Pet Partners. She received the Animals and Human Health (AHH) certificate from the Institute for Human-Animal Connection (IHAC) at the University of Denver Graduate School of Social Work in 2017 and received the Canine-Assisted Intervention Specialist certificate in 2021.  Laura is also a registered Animal-Assisted Crisis Response Handler.  She loves to watch the variety of handlers and dogs that evaluate with DPP and learns something from each one. Contact Laura.

Cris and Maddy (right) and then Cris and Scarlet passed their evaluations to be therapy teams in 2017. Since then, Cris has really enjoyed discovering which settings her girls do best in. From going to different environments, Cris has learned more about recognizing their strengths and what kinds of things they like (and don’t like) to do. Seeing the joy and comfort they bring to so many encouraged Cris to be more involved with DPP and become an evaluator so that we can have even more teams out there doing the great work. Due to the pandemic, Cris was in the first class of Pet Partners Evaluators to take the exam completely virtually. It was challenging and very thorough! Contact Cris.

Linda considers it a privilege to be a volunteer with Denver Pet Partners and is a licensed handler, instructor, and evaluator for Pet Partners.  After registering as a therapy team in 2006 and joining DPP at that time, she volunteered for 9 years at Swedish Medical Center and at Anythink Library with her first 2 therapy dogs, Kenzie and Toby.  In 2010, Linda became an evaluator, and in 2015, an instructor. Currently, she volunteers at Rocky Vista University and Columbine Library with her therapy dogs, Will and Kate. Linda is appreciative that volunteers provided training and evaluations for her and she finds it gratifying to be able to provide those services for others. Contact Linda.

Susan became a member of Denver Pet Partners with her canine partner Lucy in 2009.  They visited in many facilities and with a variety of populations over the next few years, and that inspired Susan to take on additional roles.  She joined the DPP Board of Directors as Director of Programs in 2014 and became a Pet Partners evaluator in 2016. In both roles, she receives enormous satisfaction from helping to advance the impact of Animal-Assisted Interventions by nurturing the growth and knowledge of DPP members who work in countless programs. Contact Susan.

Sandy took the Pet Partners’ Handler Workshop, which was taught by Diana McQuarrie and Ann Rosenwasser, on June 7, 2014 and joined Denver Pet Partners on that day.  Sandy and Greyson, her current therapy dog, passed their first Pet Partners evaluation in September of 2014. They have participated in many of DPP’s special events and visit as much as possible.  Sandy was the Program Coordinator for DPP from 2015 through 2016 and currently serves on the Board of Directors. She became a Pet Partners evaluator in March of 2018. Her greatest joy is to make a difference in someone’s life with Greyson by her side and to serve the members of DPP. Contact Sandy.

Meme and her Standard Poodle, Buddy, passed their first Pet Partners evaluation in March of 2016 and immediately joined Denver Pet Partners.  In April of 2016 they began visiting patients and staff at Castle Rock Adventist Hospital through a new therapy dog program that Linda Tieman and Meme helped start. Along with visiting with Buddy, Meme enjoyed recruiting and training volunteers for the program and making community presentations about volunteering with therapy animals.

When Meme had to stop visiting with Buddy due to his advanced age, she responded to a Denver Pet Partners request for volunteer instructors.  She is impressed with the professionalism with which instructors are trained and prepared for their role.

Meme and Buddy have volunteered at Castle Rock Adventist Hospital and Rocky Vista University and participated in many destress events. She is excited to be able to use her experience, along with the professional Pet Partners training materials, to help prepare others to be therapy animal volunteers.  Contact Meme.

Rika joined DPP in 2015 with her dog Bindi.  In 2017, her other rescue dog, Baku, passed his evaluation.  Bindi is drawn to work with special needs kids in schools and libraries, while Baku prefers seniors.  Rika became a certified instructor in 2018 in order to widen her commitment to this special work. She is also a registered Animal-Assisted Crisis Response handler. Contact Rika.

Stacy became a Pet Partners team with her dog Sam in 2010.  She has volunteered with him in various facilities and in different parts of the country as well as in Germany on a US Army Base.  She became increasingly interested in AAI work by watching the difference human-animal interactions could make in someone’s day, and decided to study it further.  She has received both the Animals and Human Health certificate and the Canine-Assisted Intervention Specialist certificate from the University of Denver’s Institute for Human-Animal Connection.  In 2018 Stacy became a Pet Partners Instructor to help other teams on their journey. Contact Stacy.

Ann became a DPP member in 2005 with her first therapy dog Teddy. She became a Pet Partners instructor in 2007 and a team evaluator in 2008. In addition she became a READ instructor in 2016 and is a registered Animal-Assisted Crisis Response handler. She lives in Kansas but has remained an active DPP member. Ann and her current therapy dog Bode volunteer at Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, MO in their Physical Therapy Department and evening program with children. Other volunteer activities include women and children’s shelters, school literacy programs, and library programs.

Ann feels inspired by the energy, interest, and eagerness of students who attend the Handler Workshops. She enjoys helping them prepare for their journey in the field of AAI and finds it especially fulfilling when the new teams are successful in their evaluation. Contact Ann.

Linda has been a handler with Pet Partners since 2007.   She passed her first evaluation in 2007 with Dillon, her young golden retriever. In 2010 Linda evaluated with her second golden, Darby.

Linda and her goldens have passed 10 Pet Partners evaluations during the lifetime of the two dogs.  Linda is shown in this picture with Dillon, who inspired her to help others realize their dream of being a registered therapy team. Linda and her dogs have helped start therapy dog programs at 3 hospitals and Rocky Vista University. They also participated in many destress events and volunteered in a “No One Dies Alone” Program.  Linda serves on the Denver Pet Partners Board of Directors.  Linda recently became a Pet Partners Evaluator.  “In each evaluation that I participated in as a handler, I learned something from the Evaluator”.  “I hope that in my new role as an Evaluator I can help others in their journey to partner with their animal”.  Contact Linda.