Meet
Maeve
Maeve is a 6-year-old American Staffordshire Terrier who was rescued in May 2017 by the Naperville Area Humane Society (NAHS). Maeve participated in the Illinois Youth Center-Warrenville's Project Pawsitive Future Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) Program, which is a goal-directed intervention program that utilizes the training of dogs as a motivator and teacher, helping the youth of the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice's IYC-Warrenville achieve their therapeutic goals. During her training in 2017, therapist Lexie Czarnecki worked alongside the facility youth to train Maeve, where Maeve completed her American Kennel Club Canine Good Citizen Test and training. Lexie eventually fell in love and adopted Maeve in July 2017.
From 2017 until COVID in early 2020, Maeve and Lexie engaged in volunteer work through NAHS's Pawsitive Pet Therapy Program, where they visited various sites, including schools, nursing homes, and community events to promote the human-animal bond, comfort, care, and awareness about bully-breed stigmas. Since 2020, Maeve has served as a therapy dog used in Animal Assisted Therapy sessions with Lexie at IYC-Warrenville, along with being a comfort dog for the staff in stressful situations.
Maeve loves to be around people of all ages, especially when they have a snack to share! She is loyal, patient, gentle, and goofy. She knows many different skills, including sit, down, paw, high five, and many more! She makes people laugh by simply walking in the room with her lovable big head, floppy ears, and constant smile!
Animal Assisted Therapy is the utilization of animals as a therapeutic modality to facilitate healing and change, whether it be social, emotional, or physical.
