Air Force Staff Sgt. James Kennedy strokes his therapy dog, Maria, at the USO at Yokota Air Force Base, Japan, January 25, 2024 (Kelly Agee/The Star-Spangled Banner)
YOKOTA AIR FORCE BASE, Japan — At the home of U.S. Forces Japan in western Tokyo, furry friends bring cheer every week.
Maria, an 8-year-old lab terrier mix and rescue dog, is the first therapy dog certified by the USO in Japan, Josephine Grenier, operations specialist at USO Yokota, told Stars and Stripes on January 18.
“Maria's job is to give of her time to boost morale in the Yokota area,” she said.
As a therapy dog, Maria spends every Thursday from 5pm to 7pm at the USO at the Aburajiro Community Center in Yokota City. Her visitors can pet and play with Maria, and treats are also welcome.
Grenier said Maria, who began visiting the USO in August, receives up to 15 people per visit.
“When you're overseas, at least for single Airmen, you're not really allowed to have dogs, cats, pets together in dorms.” James Kennedy, videographer for the Tokyo American Forces Network he spoke at the USO on Thursday. “So it's a pretty big morale booster for me to have someone bring their pet in and let me interact with it and play with it.”
Maria's human, Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Kristen Yarber, a radio DJ and AFN video broadcaster, adopted her in 2017.
Maria was a “satos” (Puerto Rican slang for stray dog), Yarber recently told Stars and Stripes. She survived two major hurricanes that hit the island in 2017. One of them, Hurricane She Maria, is the origin of this dog's name.
Maria, who was pregnant and homeless, was rescued by an organization for the ethical treatment of animals and taken to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Norfolk, Virginia, where she gave birth and the puppies were quickly adopted. It was done.
Maria remained at the shelter despite being unwanted, underweight, anemic and suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, Yarber said.
“When I first saw her, she was like a glass box,” she said. “They took her out and she jumped on me. And they said she wouldn't do that. That I was sent to provide humanitarian aid to those islands. I told them and they were like, 'This must be your dog.'”
October is Dog Adoption Month, and Yarber took Maria home for $25.
“I found that being around her really eased my anxiety and made me feel really happy every time I saw her,” she said. “So she decided to register her as a therapy dog in 2020.”
Therapy dogs are sometimes confused with emotional support animals because they don't require the special training that service dogs do.
Therapy dogs provide support to others, and emotional support animals provide support to their owners, according to servicedogcertifications.org, an unofficial website where owners can register their dogs.
According to the University of California, Los Angeles health website, the simple act of petting an animal automatically triggers a relaxation response.
Therapy dog Maria visits the USO at Yokota Air Force Base, Japan, on January 18, 2024. (Kelly Agee/The Star-Spangled Banner)
The website states that stroking promotes mental health by stimulating the release of serotonin, prolactin and oxytocin, hormones that play a role in boosting mood. It also reduces anxiety, makes people relax, provides comfort, and reduces feelings of loneliness.
For physical health, this practice lowers blood pressure, improves cardiovascular health, and reduces overall physical pain, according to the site.
Maria seems to meet all those conditions for her admirers.
“She's a very sweet dog and loves getting all the pets she can get,” Kennedy said. “She's a great dog and I'd love to come back so I can say hello to her.”
