LOCAL

Who's a good girl? Rockford's Miss Keanu honored for therapy work during the pandemic

FROM NEWS REPORTS
Special to The Journal-Standard
Mallory Wrenn, Emergency Operations Center manager with the Rockford Fire Department, greets therapy dog Miss Keanu before the border collie received a state proclamation Tuesday, Aug. 3, 2021, at the Winnebago County Criminal Justice Center in Rockford.

ROCKFORD — A border collie that helped ease people's stress at one of the city's mass vaccination sites last spring was given a state commendation for its work as a therapy dog.

Miss Keanu, the 10-year-old official therapy dog for the Winnebago County Sheriff's Department, was presented with a state Certificate of Recognition on Tuesday by state Sen. Steve Stadelman. 

Keanu typically volunteers at the county's 911 center and was dispatched in 2019 after the death of Illinois State Trooper Brooke Jones-Story. During the pandemic, Keanu was alongside the Illinois National Guard at the mass vaccination clinic at the former Kmart on Sandy Hollow Road.

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Keanu is owned by Joe Love and Arles Hendershott Love.

"I must admit I hesitated in asking the Illinois Senate to issue special recognition to a four-legger," Stadelman said in a news release, "but Miss Keanu's record of volunteer service and the dedication of her owners really is exceptional. Keanu has brought comfort to many in times of stress, and the Loves deserve credit for sharing her with us."

Arles Hendershott Love, third from right, Joe Love, fourth from right, and their therapy dog Miss Keanu, below, receive a state proclamation in Keanu's honor at Winnebago County Criminal Justice Center Tuesday, Aug. 3, 2021, in Rockford. State Sen. Steve Stadelman, second from right, and Winnebago County Sheriff Gary Caruana, third from left, celebrated the work of the 10-year-old border collie as a therapy dog during the coronavirus pandemic.

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Keanu is one of only three border collies in the American Kennel Club to earn the highest rank of therapy dog, according to a news release. She's also an AKC gold-medal winner, among her 40 titles.

"Everyone at the Emergency Operations Center loved Keanu. She visited on numerous occasions, comforting about 50 people each time and often leaving so tired we had to lift (her) into our car," said Arles Love, who adopted Keanu from an animal shelter.

Pre-pandemic, Keanu provided therapy for adults with physical and developmental disabilities who reside with Milestone, a Rockford-based nonprofit organization.