When Glenn named his dog “Magic,” he knew she had something special. But it wasn’t until they joined Anderson Humane’s Healing Paws program that he truly saw her magic in action.
“It really is like magic,” Glenn says. “She walks into a room and people light up. She’ll sit quietly on someone’s foot, gently offer a lick, and it’s like their whole day shifts.”
As a Healing Paws volunteer team, Glenn and Magic visit schools, nursing homes, hospitals, and community events across the region, offering comfort and connection where it’s needed most.
Glenn recalls a moment at a high school during ACT testing: “A student sat with her eyes closed, petting Magic and taking deep breaths. She said, ‘I needed this today. I have to get a good score to get into the colleges I want. Thanks for coming.’ Moments like that remind you how powerful a calm presence can be.”
Glenn was recently invited to speak to a group of fourth- and fifth-graders about leadership and community involvement. He shared stories from Healing Paws and challenged the students to find ways they could help animals, even if they were too young to volunteer at shelters. “Their answers blew me away. Kids want to help more than we give them credit for.”
Many people still don’t know about the Healing Paws program, Glenn says, but once they see it in action, they always ask if the team can return. “You don’t get paid money for this work, but you do get paid—in smiles, in stories, in the difference you make. And you pay it forward.”
Some of Glenn’s favorite photos tell the story:
The day he picked out Magic as a puppy, already imagining her future as a therapy dog
A custom coloring page of Magic, drawn by his neighbor, that he hands out at events for children
Magic surrounded by nurses during a hospital visit
Glenn with other Healing Paws volunteers at a high school
A silly moment wearing a hand-painted cat mask, gifted by a young girl at the Elgin Community Crisis Center, “in case Magic ever wanted to play with a cat.”
“At the Crisis Center, even the counselors light up when we walk in. They always say, ‘MMMAAAGGIICC is here!’ They don’t even know my name,” Glenn laughs. “As a therapy dog handler, that’s how it should be. We’re just the Uber driver and leash holder.”