Somewhere in Round Hill, in a gray rambler that sits on a quiet street of a subdivision, sleep 10 little Golden Retriever puppies, completely unaware of the job that awaits them. Their mission will be to work alongside their human handlers as they visit schools, nursing homes and hospitals. They are therapy dogs in the making.

To look at them, lying there sputtering and snoring, the very definition of cuteness, you might think they are clearly suited to their future job, which is essentially the complex, not precisely understood mechanism of making humans feel better.

But as far as they are concerned, their job is quite simple: eat, sleep, play, repeat.

Helping humans be more motivated and content doesn't enter the realm of possibility right now.

Such is the life of the Golden Retrievers that the Henry family views as the foundation of Paws4People.

Terry Henry, the man behind the Paws4People idea, is the current Executive Director. He is every bit as friendly, approachable and dedicated to his work as the dogs he is surrounded by in his foundation's home office. While the office is small, it is organized and neat. The dogs, who are as friendly and exuberant as they are well behaved and obedient, are quiet; very happy to be stroked on the head by a seated visitor.

While discussing the Foundation's mission and plans, Henry sits accompanied by Brielle, mother of the 10 puppies in the pen in the next room, and Kyria, Henry's daughter, who will be a senior at Loudoun County High School this fall.

Kyria, a soft-spoken, mature young woman, was the originator of the Paws4People idea.

She not only convinced her parents to get her a Golden Retriever (the original Paws4People therapy dog, Riley) but, after she saw Riley's positive impact on her grandparent, she decided he could do this work with others in need as well.

Riley's official foray into the animal therapy field led to a greater interest in it by the entire Henry family and, finally, to the formation of the Paws4People Foundation in 1999.

In the five years since, the organization has grown in scope and in mission. Today, the official mission is "to increase the number of therapy dogs for special education classrooms, the seriously ill, the physically and mentally challenged and spouseless seniors."

Animal assisted therapy (AAT) is a fairly new field, which has not yet been exhaustively researched but is largely believed to be a reputable, effective means of helping certain subsets of patient populations. Much work has been done with therapy dogs in nursing homes and hospitals. For reasons that are not yet fully understood, animals in these environments have been shown to have a positive effect on patients.

Going to School

An even newer form of animal assisted therapy is working with children in schools. It is work with mentally handicapped and emotionally disturbed students that has become a specialty of Paws4People.

A few years ago, Henry began taking his dog Addie into classrooms in the Loudoun County public schools. At the time, although these sessions were not quite official, they were so obviously effective that it was decided by all those involved (teachers, administrators and Henry himself) that the pursuit of official approval would be worth the uphill battle of obtaining appropriate insurance coverage and dealing with whatever bureaucratic hurdles presented themselves.

Dawn Woodyard, occupational therapist at Round Hill Elementary School, was the first to introduce the Paws4People Foundation dogs into her program. As a professional, Woodyard had long heard of the positive effects of AAT. When her daughter, a classmate of Kyria's, told her about what the Henry family was doing, she decided to include Foundation's dogs in her school program.

Response has been extremely positive.

"It's not the only service provided to these kids," explains Woodyard, "It's another method, another tool to work on some of the same skills that are worked on every day.

The dogs work well with a variety of students, the physically and mentally handicapped and those suffering emotional disturbances."

"They provide a very calming influence," said Woodyard. "Animals can make an environment much less threatening, more like home. Dogs are nice in this regard."

Feedback from all the teachers using the program has been so positive that Woodyard said she would definitely recommend therapy dogs to therapists in other school systems.

Now the Henry family's objective is to grow their organization. To date, the Henry family has largely supported the Foundation's existence with their own resources, but the growing list of clients on the "waiting list" makes it clear that more dogs and handlers are needed. To respond to that need with more dogs and handlers, Paws4People must increase its size and capacity.

Henry is frank when he states his desires. "I have a list," he says as he points to the final pages of his very professional PowerPoint presentation.

While all foundations, particularly fledgling ones such as Paws4People, need donations, Henry's main concern is staffing. "We are actively seeking a professional fundraiser who would be willing to work on a commission basis. We need volunteer accountants, artists and legal advisers. And, we need more therapy dogs and handlers."

No Fear of Goldens

Right now, the Paws4People Goldens are visiting four-to-five classrooms a week, in addition to trips to local hospitals and nursing homes. There is no question that, as the word spreads about their success, more dogs and trained handlers will be needed.

To provide additional dogs, the Henrys have initiated a breeding program. The 10 pups currently at their home are part of this new initiative.

This litter of puppies will be fostered and raised by carefully selected families who will be responsible for their care and training. Once the puppies have reached the advanced level required of therapy dogs, they will be taken on 36 documented therapy visits before each dog is three years old.

At that point the foster family's obligations will have been met.

When asked why Goldens, as opposed to any other breed or a mutt for that matter, Kyria is quick to point out, "No one is scared of a Golden." Looking across the room at Brielle and her ten snoozing pups one would have to agree.

For more information on Paws4People Foundation please call (540) 338-7580 or see their web site: www.paws4people.org