According to therapydogs.com, the research on dogs contributing to therapy began in the 1960s. The website states, “During the 1960s, the first formal research involving animal therapy began. Dr. Boris Levinson found that his dog had a positive effect on mentally impaired young patients. Specifically, he discovered that these patients were more comfortable and likely to socialize with his dog than with other humans.” The authors note that dogs, and sometimes other animals, can even have a positive effect on the owner’s physical health and mental. Even a healthy elderly person may benefit from a pet to offset the depression as they age into their glory years.
Most adults will tell you that they love animals, especially dogs. Children especially tend to have a fixation and love for dogs that adults may not understand. That is how Trigger’s Toys started. In 2008, the founder started volunteering at a hospital and brought his yellow Labrador retriever, Trigger, with him. The founder’s wife eventually got involved as well. They have donated almost one million dollars to various hospitals and charities that help sick or disabled children.
Trigger’s Toys has gone above and beyond to help children and families in need. Together, the couple has helped families with a multitude of things they wouldn’t be able to achieve on their own. Their goal is to raise $25,000 for each family, as that is the average that a family with a sick child needs to pay a year for programs. Dallas Culturemap sums up Trigger’s Toys’ mission, “It all started with Trigger, a therapy lab who cheered up kids in the hospital and eventually inspired an organization that does all it can to alleviate the financial and emotional stress on sick children. The group is flexible with how it invests the money it raises so that it always goes where it’s needed most. Care packages. Physical therapy equipment. Financial support for families in need — just some of the ways they’re making a difference to hospitalized children.”
When Covid-19 hit the United States in 2020, they decided to broaden their horizons. They weren’t going to stop helping children with medical needs, but now they also help the juvenile system and youth criminal justice. The organization says they partner with the organization Youth With Faces to help integrate adolescents in the juvenile justice system back into society and put them on the right path to success.
Trigger the Labrador Retriever, unfortunately, passed away in 2020 after helping children for over a decade. Although Trigger started the organization, it will not end with his passing. His name will live on and continue to create a legacy of helping children in need. Whether it’s children who are sick or children who are unfortunate and have landed themselves in undesirable situations, Tigger’s Toys will do what they can to help out any children and families in need.