A dog’s life: Thank you, Oakley, for improving ours.

The Bert Nash Center has a new addition to the staff that spreads love and joy everywhere she goes. Her name is Oakley. And she’s a recently certified therapy dog.

Oakley belongs to Riley Wohlrab, a Bert Nash Center behavioral health specialist, and her boyfriend, Austin. Oakley is a Labrador and Australian Shepherd mix.

“Oakley loves literally everyone she meets,” Riley said. “She is the most cuddly dog you can meet. She loves to play. But when she’s in a situation where she knows she needs to calm down, she does it right away.”

Oakley and Riley began the certification process in December 2019 and then COVID happened in March of last year and Oakley’s training was put on hold. She finished her training in February and the paperwork arrived in early March to make it official.

Oakley is 4. Riley and Austin took her in when she was 3.

“At first we just wanted a dog. When we met her, she was just so sweet, even coming from an abusive situation. She was abandoned in the woods with four

puppies, and three of them survived. She was found by someone in Wichita. You could tell she had definitely been neglected,” Riley said. 

Oakley was scheduled to be euthanized when someone from the Pawsitive Tails Dog Rescue team picked her up at the shelter in Wichita and brought Oakley to Olathe, where Riley and Austin met her for the first time.

Riley had fostered dogs before through Pawsitive Tails Dog Rescue and when they reached out about Oakley, Riley said yes. She quickly realized Oakley had what it took to become a therapy dog.

“After training with her, I knew this would be part of her path in life, that she would be a therapy dog,” Riley said. Riley said Bert Nash Center clients love having Oakley around.

“The kiddos just love seeing her. A lot of times I will bring her in when they are doing online schooling and it helps them to stay focused. They can just sit there and pet her while listening to Zoom or doing their WebEx. She’s been a huge help,” Riley said. 

Some people may have been afraid of dogs because of a previous bad experience, but Oakley has helped them see that not all dogs are scary. With sufficient veterinary care and training, dogs are the most precious beings to be around.

Dogs are known for their intellectual level and many breeds are used for training purposes. They are highly affectionate, gentle with friendly nature, and can be easily adaptable to the new environment. With proper training, they can be highly obedient along with their funny mischievous behavior. Like Oakley, you can also have puppies that can also be adopted.

The Bert Nash Center staff also enjoy when Oakley comes around.

“She also has helped out a lot of staff,” Riley said. “They look forward to seeing her.”

Riley said the feeling is mutual. Oakley loves coming to work at the Center

“I’m so proud of Oakley and all that’s she’s proven a rescue dog can do,” Riley said. “She’s just amazing.”