Roxy™ Therapy Dogs Celebrates 20th Anniversary
Roxy™ Therapy Dogs Celebrates 20 Years of Providing Children Comfort and Enhanced Learning Experiences
A generation of children in Bucks County has improved their reading skills and reduced their stress and anxiety through the visits of Roxy dog teams.
Press Release
May 5, Doylestown, PA – 2025 marks 20 years that Roxy Therapy Dogs has provided comfort and support and enhanced the learning experience for countless children throughout Bucks County.
Founder Diane Smith saw how a therapy dog brought her grandmother, suffering from Alzheimer’s, out of her shell and into the present. This inspired Diane to get Roxy, a Boykin Spaniel, and train as a therapy dog team for her grandmother. To practice for those visits, in 2005 Diane visited her son’s school. She encouraged children with reading challenges to read aloud to Roxy. The rest, as they say, is history.
From those initial visits, Roxy’s programs grew through community requests.
“Study after study has shown that childhood depression and anxiety are on the rise. Roxy Therapy Dogs is uniquely positioned to help battle these challenges within our community,” said Phyllis Mikolaj, Vice President, Director of Schools & Pedia-Manor Programs. “When we pet dogs, science shows our blood pressure goes down 10% within 15 minutes. Our heart rate slows. And our depression fighting hormones increase.”
In 2011, the Honorable Judge Mellon asked Roxy to start the first Courthouse Companionship program for children who are part of the Dependency Court Program at the Bucks County Courthouse. In this program Roxy dogs provide emotional support to children who must testify in court.
In 2013, Pedia Manor, a group home for medically fragile children requested Roxy visits.
In 2016, the Central Bucks School District requested Roxy create a Secondary Student Stress Relief program in Central Bucks high schools. That same year, the Bucks County Commissioners declared June 1st Roxy Therapy Dogs Day in Bucks County.
In 2021, Roxy dogs became the only dogs permitted in CBSD schools (outside of law enforcement and service dogs). Additionally, that year Roxy created Roxy™ Responders, a specialized trauma response team providing extra support to all school districts in Bucks County during times of crisis.
“Roxy dogs and their handlers are part of the DNA of CB East” said Chad Watters, Principal at Central Bucks East High School. “The students and staff light up when they visit proactively, or as part of a club, and they bring with them a welcome wave of unconditional love, combined with needed moments of peace, during times of crisis. We benefit tremendously from our work with Roxy and are so grateful for our partnership.”
By 2023, Roxy officially had teams in all 23 schools in the Central Bucks School District.
Currently, Roxy has 78 all-volunteer teams who visit 115 classes each week in CBSD in addition to comforting children at the Bucks County Courthouse, universities, and pediatric healthcare facilities.
“The magic of what our Roxy dogs do is felt by children and adults alike. Suddenly that little eight-year-old is not nervous to read in front of their peers. Or that parent is relieved that their child who must testify in court seems more relaxed," said Sharon Fleck, President, Roxy Therapy Dogs. "Our all-volunteer dog/handler teams have had that impact on our community for 20 years. Think about that. It’s now a generation of children that have been helped by Roxy Therapy Dogs. That’s something to celebrate."
About Roxy Therapy Dogs
Roxy™ Therapy Dogs is an all-volunteer, 501(c)3 non-profit organization. Our mission is to bring comfort to children, to enhance the experience of learning, and to enrich the lives of our canine and human volunteers. Roxy Therapy Dogs offers six programs to benefit the health and well-being of school-age children in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Roxy™ Reading, Student Specialized Support, Secondary School Stress Relief, Courthouse Companionship, Roxy™ Responders, and Pediatric Comfort.
