Turning Point, one of The People Concern’s interim housing facilities in Santa Monica, welcomed our agency’s first-ever Resident Therapy Dog, Barni! A 17-month-old Chihuahua mix, Barni was linked to The People Concern’s k9 connection program when a program participant needed to rehome his beloved pet due to a demanding work schedule. It was then that we began the journey of finding a fur-ever home for Barni.
Building on the success of Life on Paws, an animal-assisted therapy program launched by k9 connection at several of our interim housing sites in 2021, emerged the idea of Barni becoming a part of the Turning Point family – permanently. “We knew that we could help Barni and that Barni could help our residents, just like the dogs from Life on Paws had done before. Barni is bringing comfort and joy to so many people as they navigate this chapter in their lives,” says Juliet Beynon, Director of k9 connection.
Today, Barni is housed, healthy and safe – and continues to be a bright spot in the lives of our program participants!