TIMBERKNOLLS SPIRIT COVE INC

TimberKnolls Spirit Cove began with a brain tumor and a promise.

In 2015, some headaches landed our founder, Lisa Schiller, in urgent care, where she was told that she needed emergency brain surgery to remove a massive, life-threatening brain tumour. A nurse asked if she could do anything to help, and all Lisa could ask, “Is there a dog in the hospital?” A volunteer brought in a small therapy dog, and for a few minutes, Lisa found peace and could escape the fear and anxiety of her situation. Lisa promised that if she survived, she’d pay that gift forward by getting a therapy dog. A few months later, when she realized she had a future, she thought, “If a small dog can do that, imagine what a giant one could do.” Chewie, her first Newfoundland, came into her life. After seeing his incredible impact on patients he met with, Lisa teamed up with Patti Sutherland and Benita Edds, who had more than 30 years of combined animal training and therapy work experience, in 2018. Together, they launched TimberKnolls Spirit Cove, a 501c3 nonprofit organization dedicated to helping people overcome illness and trauma through animal therapy.

Since that time, over 90 registered Newfoundland Therapy teams have helped more than 160,000 people!

TimberKnolls Spirit Cove encourages its therapy teams to support front-line community heroes, such as veterans, teachers, healthcare workers, and first responders. They often don’t ask for help but spend their lives serving others. Our Animal Therapy teams also support hospitals, community events, assisted living facilities, hospices, and anyone who can benefit from the love and affection of a Newfoundland.

TimberKnolls Spirit Cove has delivered no-cost mental health support to more than 15,460 Veterans, 10,397 first responders, 28,700 healthcare heroes, and 14,990 Teachers and their students. Sessions with the organizations Newfoundland therapy dogs have been documented to increase disposition and mood by 37% and positively increase social and emotional interactions by 35%.

The stories of these ‘Official Newfie Therapists’ and their impact on people's lives are inspiring. Patients who haven’t spoken in months have started speaking while stroking the fur of a Newfoundland. Newfie Therapists have comforted families in ICUs while they are saying goodbye to loved ones, they sit with patients as they receive chemotherapy, and firefighters have cried in their fur after a traumatic fire event.

TimberKnolls Spirit Cove has purchased 16 acres in the peaceful Blue Ridge Mountains, a master plan has been developed to build the first giant animal therapy dog ranch in the country. The ranch will be home to an average team of 15 Newfoundland therapy dogs, their handlers, and a team of Gypsy Vanner horses. The Gypsy Vanner is the ‘Newfie’ of the horse world, a gentle and affectionate natural therapy animal. The ranch will provide stress-relieving animal therapy programs to community heroes needing refueling (veterans, first responders, healthcare workers, and teachers), people battling serious illnesses, and children overcoming trauma. The ranch will serve as a national training and animal therapy registration center for people interested in pursuing or continuing animal therapy work.

The network of volunteers and donors who believe in sharing the healing power of the Newfoundland dog has made this dream of spreading hope and healing a reality. TimberKnolls Spirit Cove and the Newfie Therapy program couldn’t continue the work without this support.

There is an urgent need for mental health support services in the US due to the rising prevalence of mental health issues exacerbated by social, economic, and technological stressors, but a lack of funding to keep up with the growing demand for services.

With your support, TimberKnolls Spirit Cove can continue to bring hope to thousands of people in need, every year!