NEW YORK, NY – NOVEMBER 11: General view of atmosphere at American Humane Association Salutes Four-Legged Military Heroes During 2014 Veterans Day Parade on November 11, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by Robin Marchant/Getty Images for American Humane Association)
If you’re a regular viewer of The Weather Channel (TWC), you may have seen segments featuring Winner native Dr. Amy McCullough (daughter of Gary and Jan Bowar) and her dog Butler, the official TWC therapy dog.
The two were brought together after McCullough’s employer, American Humane Association (AHA), and TWC partnered to launch a nationwide search to find a therapy dog that would assist with recovery in communities affected by severe weather. McCullough, who is AHA’s National Director of Humane Research and Therapy, would be the dog’s official handler.
Research shows that interacting with a therapy dog (a pet that has been specially trained and evaluated to provide comfort to people) can improve human health and well-being. In the wake of a disaster, therapy dogs can be a tremendous source of support for healing and recovery by engaging and relaxing people, providing a sense of safety, comfort and relief from grief.
Once the search for the therapy dog began, McCullough met over 100 dogs at animal shelters in four different states in a four day period. She was searching for a rescue dog at least one year old, medium-sized, and in good health. The dog needed to be calm, outgoing and affectionate.
She found those qualities in Butler, a one-year-old, 35 lb shepherd mix, at the Humane Society of Charlotte in North Carolina. “Butler stood out from the moment I met him,” said McCullough, “He had a balance of being calm and comfortable in new environments, but also had enough energy to be engaging to weather victims and TWC viewers.”
Once Butler was adopted, his therapy dog training began. McCullough enrolled him in obedience classes and began exposing him to new situations such as taking him to pet-friendly stores. To become a registered therapy dog, a dog must have solid obedience skills and be comfortable around a variety of different types of people, objects, settings, and situations.
Butler became a certified therapy dog in April 2014. Later that month, he was sent on his first deployment to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the devastating EF-4 tornado that hit Moore, Oklahoma, killing 24 people and injuring 377 others.
Butler visited community members across the city of Moore to provide comfort as the stressful time of storm season began. While petting Butler, many people talked about their experience of the devastating tornado and how they felt one year later. Inspirational and heroic stories were shared, as well as those of grief and tragedy. “Hopefully, Butler’s visit helped provide relief and healing as the people of Moore continue to rebuild their lives,” said McCullough.
Since then, Butler has been on several service missions, including post-tornado sites of Vilonia, Arkansas and Pilger, Nebraska. In 2015, Butler was deployed to his first winter storm site, visiting the city of Boston during their record February snowfall.
Last winter, he also paid a visit to a 16-year-old boy who was recovering at a rehabilitation center in Atlanta after being in a sledding accident which left him paralyzed. When Butler’s not helping comfort communities after severe weather events, he travels the country giving weather preparedness presentations and serves as an ambassador for American Humane Association. In his first year on the job, he’s traveled to over 20 states, spreading smiles and sharing knowledge about the vital bond between humans and animals.
If you’d like to share in Butler’s travels, you can follow him on Facebook at Butler The Weather Channel Therapy Dog.
Loading ...