Mayzie sat, patiently waiting. Mostly black, with a splotch of white on her chest and swaths of caramel—including two “eyebrows” that give an extra-caring expression to her beautiful face—she stayed, ready to welcome the captain from Humboldt Bay Fire. He kneeled beside her, cuddling her, petting her. He had just climbed 110 flights of stairs in downtown Sacramento as part of the 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb, when 343 firefighters in full turnouts carry the names of New York City firefighters who lost their lives responding to the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001.
Physically and emotionally drained, the fire captain rubbed Mayzie’s soft ears and stroked her smooth fur. “She didn’t care that he was wearing his helmet or heavy boots,” says Adrienne Steurer, who with Mayzie makes up this dedicated First Responder Therapy Dog team based in El Dorado County. “She knew he needed what she does best, and she let him unload his emotions.”
What Mayzie does best: provide comfort. As a certified First Responder Therapy Dog since June 2023, she travels with Steurer throughout the community and Northern California to give emotional support to first responders, including firefighters, police officers, 911 dispatchers, emergency medical personnel, coroners, and others—sometimes entire communities. (Recently, for example, Mayzie was on scene at a memorial gathering for a 13-year-old South Tahoe Middle School student who suffered a tragic accident.) Mayzie, a 7-year-old Australian kelpie, is a warm, welcoming and consoling presence, soft and furry, with soulful brown eyes and a cute leathery black nose surrounded by a sugar-dusting of white. “She seeks out people to sit with and just be with them in their space, sharing a quiet moment together,” says Steurer, who as a former EMT and hospital transfer center coordinator knows firsthand how first responders can be affected by stress and trauma, which can lead to depression, despair, and even suicidal impulses. “We’re part of a movement to smash the stigma around mental health, and I hope with our visits we can give hope to those who are silently struggling.”
Mayzie herself had a tough start. Surrendered by her first owner to Bradshaw Animal Shelter, she was attacked by a kennelmate; she then was picked up by Foothill Dog Rescue in Shingle Springs. After her spay surgery, she developed severe aspiration pneumonia and required intravenous fluids round the clock as she fought to survive. “Her foster family wasn’t sure she was going to make it,” says Steurer, “but she was able to pull through, and we adopted her shortly after she healed.” That was in 2019.
Steurer and her family recognized right away that Mayzie had a special temperament, love that needed to be shared. “I saw how she interacted with strangers, and I knew she would be an amazing therapy dog,” says Steurer, who discovered First Responder Therapy Dogs, a nonprofit organization based in San Rafael, on Instagram and proceeded with Mayzie’s certification. Mayzie has earned all three AKC Canine Good Citizen titles and two AKC Therapy Dog titles including the advanced title for surpassing 100 visits.
As an organization, First Responder Therapy Dogs has more than 400 teams in 46 states, and this year alone has made more than 300 visits and supported some 7,000 first responders. According to the First Responder Therapy Dogs website, research shows that therapy dogs reduce stress, lower blood pressure, and elevate mood, which enables first responders to focus on their communities while caring for themselves.
As a team, Steurer and Mayzie are volunteers, donating their time for free. Mayzie is sponsored by Grandma Lucy’s, which provides her high-quality freeze-dried food. Also, mileage and lodging reimbursement are available through First Responder Therapy Dogs to volunteers who travel with their dogs for base camp visits. “We also have our own peer support contact to help us with compassion fatigue and make sure we get the proper help after critical incident stress debriefings (CISDs), due to the possibility of secondary PTSD,” says Steurer.
While Mayzie’s primary job is to give comfort, some of her community work is simply fun and morale-boosting. She has become quite the celebrity around the foothills. She has her own Instagram page and won the contest to grace the cover of the First Responder Therapy Dogs annual calendar this year. Her presence is highly appreciated, whether it’s at a fundraising cornhole tournament, a CAL FIRE base camp, police department, memorial service, dispatch office or health care center. A message came to Steurer from Rainbow Kids Urgent Care in Folsom: “Mayzie’s visits bring smiles to not only our patients and their families, but to our staff and pediatricians as well. Her visits always brighten our day.”
At NORCOM—the Northern California State Parks dispatch center—Mayzie and Steurer are regular visitors, having made more than 25 visits. “We feel spoiled and grateful when Mayzie and her sweet mom come to let us love on her,” wrote Peggy Salazar from NORCOM. “When words fail, therapy dogs speak through silent comfort.”
Todd Hopkins, incident commander with CAL FIRE for the Crozier Fire in El Dorado County, sent a note thanking Steurer and Mayzie for helping at the base camp in August 2024. “For many of us, this year has been a very long fire season,” he wrote. “I have witnessed the joy that dogs like Mayzie bring to the first responders. It helps our first responders break away from the ongoing everyday grind and helps them remember a little bit of home.”
In between CISDs and visits to various spots in the community, Mayzie eats no peanut butter, to make sure she’s safe for interaction with anyone who might have an allergy. She comes to each visit clean and well-brushed. At home, she shares space with 5-year-old Tanner, who looks like her but has a very different personality. He’s afraid of ceiling fans and wears “a party hat” at the vet. He doesn’t appreciate strangers reaching out to touch him, and he howls at sirens. “He’s a vibe,” says Mayzie’s Instagram post from April, which also mentions his eagerness for snuggles and his fun-loving nature. “He’s handsome, and he’s my best friend.”
El Dorado County has just three therapy dog teams, including Steurer and Mayzie, and could use more. To be a therapy dog, a pup must be at least 18 months old and have lived with their owner/potential dog handler for at least six months prior to beginning certification processes. Dogs must pass the AKC Good Citizen (basic obedience and good manners in public settings). They must pass a behavior assessment to ensure they are calm and comfortable in changing environments. They must also have a health certificate signed off by a veterinarian when they apply and when they recertify each year. It’s equal opportunity: any breed may apply. Dog handlers must complete SAMHSA’s Service to Self-Training, FEMA’s Incident Command System 100, Psychological First Aid, and Skills for Psychological Recovery courses, and sign waivers and confidentiality agreements. They are encouraged to read books written by first responders and psychologists about first responder PTSD. “I’ve read a few that are really eye-opening and have helped make me a better volunteer,” says Steurer.
Ways the community can help support First Responder Therapy Dogs include making tax deductible donations, purchases through various fundraisers—Panda Express, for example, or Birdies for Charity—or buying goodies via the organization’s website (t-shirts, dog stuffies, challenge coins). Beyond that, spread the word! “Share what we do with your first responder friends and family,” says Steurer, “and let them know we’re here for them.”
Mayzie’s Instagram, @mayzie.the.kelpie, and First Responder Therapy Dogs at firstrespondertherapydogs.org.
What Mayzie does best: provide comfort. As a certified First Responder Therapy Dog since June 2023, she travels with Steurer throughout the community and Northern California to give emotional support to first responders.
Steurer and her family recognized right away that Mayzie had a special temperament, love that needed to be shared.
We feel grateful when Mayzie and her sweet mom come. When words fail, therapy dogs speak through silent comfort.