Therapet hosted a Cuddles and Cookies event to offer the community to learn more about the nonprofit and take home boxes of Girl Scout cookies. (Jennifer Scott/Tyler Morning Telegraph)

Therapet‘s ‘Cuddles and Cookies’ event Friday brought a day of joy and connection, offering visitors a much-needed serotonin boost through the warmth of furry friends and the opportunity to take home a box of Girl Scout cookies.

“The Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas donated a lot of cookies to us so we thought about how we could share our mission while distributing these cookies,” said Elysia Reineck, Executive Director of Therapet. “And that’s when we came up with the idea for ‘Cuddles with Cookies.’”

Therapet received 2,000 boxes of cookies that arrived on two pallets from the local Girl Scouts.

“It’s a fun event that invites the community to come together,” Reineck added. “Who wouldn’t want to enjoy cookies while cuddling with dogs? It’s a wonderful day for everyone.”

The event also served as the launch for the 2025 Therapet 101 and Skills classes, inviting the community to learn about the programs while enjoying the comforting presence of therapy animals. Attendees explored the curriculum, met instructors, and discovered how these classes can enhance their skills in animal-assisted therapy.

“It’s a good chance for people to really hear about the differences in our two classes and put their name on the interest list and even sign up for a class today,” Reineck said.

Therapet is located at 225 E. Amherst, Suite #200 in Tyler, in the Broadway Town Center. As a 501©(3) nonprofit serving East Texas, it is 100% donor funded and are celebrating their 30th year with a team of 75 dogs, two cats, and one umbrella cockatoo.

To become a Therapet, dogs 10 weeks and older must first complete obedience training at an accredited facility and pass the Canine Good Citizen Test, which serves as a prerequisite for enrolling in the Therapet Skills Classes. This seven-week course, offered throughout the year at a cost of $125, equips both the pet and its owner with the essential skills needed to serve in various settings. The curriculum is designed to cover all necessary competencies for successful volunteering, and dogs must be fully vaccinated to participate.

“The skills class is a really fun and engaging class,” Reineck said. “It teaches a lot of the early therapy concepts … just different things that the dog learns to trust their human more. Observing what their dog can accomplish helps their owners grasp the concept of animal-assisted therapy and encourages them to pursue further training.”

The next step is the Temperament Test, which evaluates whether the pet is ready to assume the responsibilities of a Therapet.

“After that, they start their apprenticeship with us … visiting hospital patients and students and learning the ropes,” Reineck said.

Therapet serve 13 facilities, including Christus Trinity Mother Frances Rehabilitation Hospital, Christus Mother Frances Hospital, UT Health East Texas, UT Health North Campus, Beckville ISD R.E.A.D. Program, Wayne D. Boshears Center for Exceptional Programs, Breckenridge Village, East Texas Crisis Center, Chapel Hill ISD, Lillie Russell Memorial Library R.E.A.D. Program in Lindale, Skyview Unit in Rusk, and Rusk State Hospital.

“Dogs see things in people and the needs that people have,” Reineck said. “They’re able to help humans in a way that sometimes we’re not always able to. Dogs just have this amazing intuition … they just walk into a patient room and issue no judgment. They’re not judging your education level, what you do for a career, how much money you have in the bank, what kind of car you drive — they don’t care about any of that. They just see you.”

For more information on how to enroll in the classes or how you can support Therapet, visit therapet.org.