This page honors CAP members and/or their therapy pets who have recently retired after years of service to CAP. Both the organization and those we serve have been beneficiaries of their talents, care, and efforts. We appreciate our retirees and are grateful for all that they have given to those in need on the Cape and surrounding communities and all that they have done to help CAP thrive and prosper.
Tucker (13) and Cricket (12) are retiring this month from CAP. It has been a long, fun, and rewarding run for Jean Handren and her two dogs. Tucker and Jean have been a therapy team since 2018, and Cricket and Jean have been a team since 2021. Jean’s not sure whether she or the dogs had more fun. As soon as they would see Jean put on her vest, the dogs would run for the door. They seemed genuinely disappointed when it was not their turn and elated when it was. They have both kissed many faces, listened to many kids reading them stories, and brought many smiles. Both Team Cricket and Team Tucker have visited schools, libraries, nursing homes, assisted living sites, and attended lots of events from The Turnip Festival to Easter Egg Hunts. Jean is sure the dogs will miss all the friends they have made along the way during their CAP careers, and Jean will, too. But Cricket and Tucker don’t run to the door with as much excitement as they used to, and Jean thinks that they are letting her know that they are tiring of their therapy dog schedules. Jean says that they have all had a wonderful time and she thanks everyone big and small, young and old who touched their hearts. CAP thanks Jean, Tucker and Cricket for their service and for all the comfort and happiness that they provided for those they visited on Cape Cod.
Kaylin (KK) is a career change Seeing Eye dog who was originally from Morristown, New Jersey where handler, Barbara Valenti, and her family lived prior to moving to the Cape in 2020. KK has enjoyed pet therapy very much, especially the treat rewards after visits. CAP thanks Barbara and KK for their visits with CAP and wishes them well in their retirement. They’ll be missed.
Winston, Margaret Crosby’s mini schnauzer, was her second of this breed to serve as a CAP Therapy dog. Margaret and Winston’s predecessor, Teddy, started visiting in 2012. After 8 wonderful years of memories, Winston, aka Mr. Man, is retiring due to his failing eyesight. With over 150 visits to care homes and Cape Cod Hospital under his bandana, it is time to bid farewell to CAP. Winston enjoyed visiting, and his sweet, loving temperament delighted residents. CAP appreciates Margaret and Winston’s many contributions to CAP and the Cape Cod residents whose lives they lifted. The photo shows one example of Mr. Man doing what he did best.
When Dian
e Willcox retired to the Cape 22 years ago, she knew that she wanted to become involved in meaningful volunteer work. A newspaper article about CAP teams visiting nursing homes caught her eye. It meshed with her desire to serve and her love of dogs. CAP seemed like a perfect fit. It did not occur to her at the time that her new standard poodle, Jamie, may not like it. But Jamie passed her training evaluation with flying colors and was all in. Thus, Diane’s therapy dog career began. When Jamie was six, Diane’s second standard poodle, Shadow, joined the family and following Jamie’s lead, became a CAP therapy dog, too! Teams Willcox made many visits to both adult residences and children’s programs. Diane says that she made many friends, both human and canine through her time with CAP. She retired Jamie at age 13 and Shadow just before the Covid Pandemic.
After 21 years of valued contributions to CAP, 16 as a visiting therapy team, Diane Willcox is retiring from her current role as an evaluator in the CAP program. In addition to her expertise in that position, over time, Diane has served on the CAP board of directors and assumed the roles of visitaton coordinator and training class evaluator. She has also led orientations and re-evaluations for new and experienced members.
Diane says that although it is time for her to step back, she is deeply grateful for her experiences with CAP and all the years of companionship. She’s heartened to see that CAP is thriving with many new visiting teams and evaluators.
In turn, we are grateful for Diane’s service to CAP and her many contributions toward making CAP what it is today. We wish Diane health and happiness in her well-deserved retirement and are appreciative of all her work on behalf of CAP and the residents of Cape Cod.
Jan Weiner is retiring after over thirty-five years of dedication and service to CAP. In her time with us, Jan wore many different CAP caps, and she wore them all well. She held every office on the CAP board, except for treasurer, some for multiple terms. She was an instructor in our training program and one of the first to qualify as an evaluator for CAP’s therapy teams. Jan and her various CAP therapy pets, including her beloved dogs and Dutch rabbit, Bunny Foo Foo, brought love and cheer to many. All who had contact with Jan benefitted from her expertise, competence, and warmth. In her retirement, Jan is looking forward to spending more time with her family, participating in “nose work” with her dog, Ozzy (in which dogs learn to identify items by scent), and enjoying a favorite dog sport, Canine Musical Freestyle (aka dancing with your dog), with her dog, Aiden. We thank Jan for all that she has given to CAP and wish her the very best with what’s ahead.