Meet Our Team

Shannon Escobedo has had a lifelong love for animals and desire to help others since a very young age. She worked at Valley Animal Center in the Dog Adoption Center and as a Volunteer and Educational Coordinator for 7 years. She worked closely with professional dog behaviorists to assist in training the shelter dogs to get them into homes faster. She also helped develop a program to teach volunteers how to train the dogs.

Shannon's dogs, Doxie and Fozzy Bear, became the Official Education and Outreach dogs for Valley Animal Center special events, children's camps, and more. In 2014, she trained her first dog, Doxie, for therapy work so that she could visit with her grandmother. Doxie was certified through Therapy Dogs International (TDI), Chapter #220 out of Fresno in September of that year. The two visited with her many times before she passed. After that, they carried on in her memory to visit libraries, schools, and retirement communities.

Three years later, in 2017, her second dog, Fozzy Bear, was also certified as a therapy dog through TDI. Today, she works at Wonder Valley Ranch Resort as their Group Tours Director. Fozzy and Doxie do trick training shows and paint pictures for guests as one of their activities! Shannon also still volunteers with them every Saturday at Reedley Library and Bear Mountain Library as part of TDI's Tail Waggin' Tutors Read to a Dog Program. She has also become Secretary and Orientation Chair for Therapy Dogs International, Chapter #220 and in March of 2020 tested her dogs again to become the first certified TDI double team (two dogs at once) in the Central Valley. Shannon said this about founding the club:

"When I was looking for a place to further train my dogs and to help my mother become a handler, I had no idea how far this idea would go. I hadn't planned on inviting others to our sessions, just have it be the two of us, but when other handlers with their dogs arrived unexpectedly, we invited them to join us. It was a fantastic experience and we decided to continue doing it. Not only are more dog and handler teams able to learn the skills that they need to become therapy dogs, but the dogs benefit from learning those skills in a group environment, around the distractions of other people and canines in the room. As a group, we can learn from each other and work on our commands and behaviors. We can celebrate our successes, and, eventually, be able to certify our dogs to bring happiness and joy to those who need it most. Our community often is overlooked with these kinds of programs, due mostly to distance and drive time, but with the Bear Mountain Therapy Dog Training Club, this is an obstacle no longer!"

Linda Huffman has worked hard to help get the Bear Mountain Therapy Dog Training Club into official club status. She presently volunteers with many clubs at the Bear Mountain Library, including the Garden Club and TOPS. She had this to say about her involvement in our club:

"Since the age of four, I have lived with dogs. They are my friends, my family. An aunt who always had well-trained dogs had to enter a care facility. Her sorrow was not for her health - but for having to give up her dogs.

My present dog, Kita, loves all people, young and old - and loves to wear costumes. This rare opportunity to train her as a therapy dog will please her - and allow us to give back to those who miss dogs. This is also a wonderful class for seniors who still want to be useful!"

Doxie is a dachshund, Chihuahua, shih-tzu mix who is 10 years old. Doxie has been a certified therapy dog through Therapy Dogs International since 2014. Since he has been working in therapy longer than Fozzy Bear, he has also received his AKC Therapy Dog Advanced title and the AKC Achiever Dog Title.

Fozzy is a golden retriever, husky mix who is 6 years old. Fozzy has been a certified therapy dog through Therapy Dogs International since 2017. He also had the opportunity to play Sandy the dog in the Children's Musical Theaterworks production of Annie in Fresno, CA in December 2017.