Shea Simmons
The year 2020 isn’t exactly the-year-of-good-news, so if you need a little good news pick-me-up we hear you—and we have some to share.
California—and much of the West Coast of the United States—is currently coping with wildfires. Scenes of the destruction are devastating, but Kerith, the golden retriever, is bringing a bit of joy to the situation. The two-year-old therapy dog belongs to Heidi Carman, and the pair are helping comfort the firefighters currently battling the blazes.
PopSugar spoke with Carman about Kerith’s role at the firefighters’ base camps. Carman explained that the pup has always had a bond with people and first started connecting with firefighters when she’d go to the emergency department of a local hospital. Now, she’s out in the field, arriving at base caps at 6 a.m. as the firefighters are eating breakfast, prepping for 24 hours shifts.
Carman explains Kerith’s work to PopSugar stating, “Kerith matches people’s energy. If a firefighter is super excited and lays on the ground so Kerith can roll around and play with them, then Kerith will be higher energy and silly with them. If a firefighter is calm, stressed, and withdrawn, Kerith will be calm as well. She’ll sit close to the individual, sometimes sit on their feet and lean into their body in a way that says, ‘I am here for you as long as you need me.'”
If you want to find out more about Kerith, you can check out Carman’s full interview at PopSugar, and you can help the pair visit more firefighters through their GoFundMe.
