Lottie and Her Therapy Dogs

Meet Lottie Webster, Manatee Glens Human Resources Records Manager since 2000.  Like many Manatee Glens employees, Lottie is a caring and generous volunteer who gives freely of her time – with the help of her two rescue dogs – Rusty and Lacie. 

Lacie and Rusty go to Manatee Glens Adolescent Recovery Center, where their job is to cheer the young teens that are recovering, some from addiction and some with an additional challenge of mental health issues.  Rusty, always alert for the most depressed, soon finds a teen who needs his attention, and devotes himself to that teen.  Lacie is all love and trots excitedly from one teen to another.  Both the dogs and teenagers have become very attached.  Barriers go down and all the teens receive “unconditional” love. 

Lottie trained Rusty & Lacie to be therapy dogs.  They passed intense testing to qualify for this job.  Rusty & Lacie are locally and nationally certified, receiving their therapy dog certifications from both the Sarasota Humane Society of Sarasota, Florida and Therapy Dogs, Inc., a national organization based in Cheyenne, WY.

Both dogs are small of frame, but very large of heart.  Every Sunday, the two dogs are neatly groomed, sometimes putting on little outfits.  As therapy dogs and take their jobs very seriously and are excited because they know they will soon be making some special teens very happy.  

Rusty is a four-year old, Tibetan Spaniel mix.  Scheduled to be euthanized after Hurricane Charlie hit Florida, Rusty was rescued and adopted by Canine Castaways, a rescue organization in Arcadia, Florida. Shortly after his rescue, Rusty met Lottie at an adoption presentation at PetSmart in Bradenton.   It was love at first sight and Rusty was adopted that very day!

Lacie is a three-year old, miniature American Eskimo.  She was rescued from certain death by a family that found her wandering deep in the woods of Bell, FL.  After much coaxing, they earned her trust and she came into their home, received veterinary treatment and was fostered. The family owns a ranch where they do rescue work for horses and really couldn’t add a dog to their collection.  They sent a picture of Lacie to Lottie and off she went on a two hour journey to claim Lacie as her own.    

Rusty is one of the rescue dogs featured in the new book entitled MUTTS Shelter Stories: Love. Guaranteed, by Patrick McDonnell.

Our thanks go out to Lottie, Rusty, and Lacie.