Our Inspiration - Penny

Penny, a very special golden retriever, has truly been the inspiration for the Penny’s From Heaven Foundation. Her tireless work with patients from all over the world for nearly a decade has culminated in the formation of a foundation to honor her lifetime achievements from being selected as an American Dog of Distinction to Induction into the Texas Animal Hall of Fame to being selected as Companion Animal of the Year 2007 by the Texas Veterinary Medical Foundation and being a four-footed lifesaver to many. Because of Penny’s legacy, hundreds and hundreds of people struggling to overcome a myriad of physical and emotional problems will benefit from the abilities of the Penny’s From Heaven Paws On Therapy dog teams.

Penny’s stories of healing and her life is chronicled in Penny’s From Heaven: Stories of Healing is a non-fiction 168 page book chock full of stories of Penny, a golden retriever therapy dog and the hundreds of patients from throughout the United States she has provided with a very special medicine in a rehabilitation hospital. Aundrea Hernandez illustrates it poignantly and with great sensitivity.

Penny’s stories are powerful, touching, full of heart and soul. They are like precious gold coins. Readers will cheer in response to the amazing and breathtaking breakthroughs that occur each and every time Penny walks into the hospital. Amazement and wonderment prevail as Penny’s gift of presence awakens something in her patients in a calm and quiet exchange.

Often a patient’s memory begins to return, first words are spoken after an injury, limbs begin to move, a forefinger touches a thumb, eyes begin tracking Penny’s movements, smiles return to faces, and there is a distraction from pain. Courage returns in the face of despair as well as self-awareness, socialization and stress reduction. Feelings of loss are supported, range of motion increases, nurturing returns, and confidence is built, and the goodness of giving and receiving affection is remembered.

Penny’s From Heaven: Stories of Healing is the culmination of this special dog’s lifetime of work. Hundreds have been incredibly blessed to know Penny and now her work and stories are available to readers everywhere and are now an inspiration to the wounded warriors and their families.

This is a book that addresses not only the incredible bond and relationship between Penny and her owner/handler and author Patsy Swendson, but also provides readers with a book that has not been written before.

Penny’s From Heaven: Stories of Healing highlights and focuses on the mandatory interaction between the patient, the beautifully trained dog, and the handler. The compassion, sensitivity and intuitive needs of the patient struggling to heal from multiple challenging situations are at the forefront of this book.

The book culminates in Penny not only having been instrumental in many healing moments with ‘her’ patients, but also in the integral part she and the hospital ultimately played in healing the author and our Executive Director, Patsy Swendson.