After watching the powerful impact these dogs had on Guy and to honor Charlotte’s biggest passion, Joel and I decided to advocate for the use of therapy dogs in all schools. We founded the Charlotte’s Litter program to bring awareness to benefits of therapy dogs in schools with the hopes that more schools and districts will adopt a therapy dog program of their own.
We have seen steady interest from schools that would like to introduce therapy dogs, and our next concern is advocating for and supporting the training of more therapy dog teams to meet the demand.
Our family has suffered a tremendous loss and we continue to grieve each day. We were fully aware of the joy and comfort a family dog brings to a home, but had never considered the impact that working therapy dogs would have on our family.
Most of these therapy dogs are just regular pets who like to sleep, cuddle, play catch, and perform tricks for treats in their leisure time, but when it is time to work they commit to giving fully to the human they are helping.
It is a demanding job, but these dogs demand nothing in return. That is dedication to the highest degree.
To learn more about Charlotte, therapy dogs, and our books, visit our websites:
www.gooddogsgreatlisteners.com and charlotteslitter.org
Joel, JoAnn and Guy Bacon are the parents and brother of Charlotte Bacon, who died as a result of the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT. Charlotte was just 6 years old but left a bold impression on everyone she met. The Bacon family has founded and developed a number of projects to honor their spirited Charlotte, share her joy and beauty, and advocate for what has helped them most as they grieve.
Both books, Good Dogs, Great Listeners and The Dogs of Newtown, are able to stand alone, but are also used as tools for the Charlotte’s Litter Program. Charlotte Bacon’s bold story, the things she loved, and the Bacon family’s own grief process have contributed to a brand that is unique to their family.
The Bacon family lives in Sandy Hook, Connecticut. They will always be a family of four.
Connect with Charlotte’s Litter and Good Dogs, Great Listeners on Facebook and Twitter.
Good Dogs, Great Listeners can be purchased from www.amazon.com.
The Dogs of Newtown can be purchased from www.amazon.com.
