Aye’la is an 11-year-old Golden Retriever who loves to go to the beach. Her favorite toys are balls and a stuffed, squeaky raccoon. She and her fellow therapy dog friend, J.R., are best friends and they enjoy romping together on the grass at Elings Park.

Buffy (aka “Dickens”) is a 9 year old, 7.5 lb. Chihuahua mix who was adopted from an animal shelter in Southern California in 2018. Her favorite activities include eating, snuggling, going for walks, and checking “pee mail” and her favorite toy is anything with a squeaker. Buffy loves to entertain both children and adults by “Counting to 5” (in both English and Spanish!).

Cali (California) is a 4-year-old Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever who traveled from New Hampshire to become a California girl. She is sweet, very smart, and quite helpful around the house. Cali is calm, well-mannered and loves having her picture taken!

Cupcake is a 7-year-old Havanese whose favorite toy is a stuffed hedgehog. Her full name is Cali Cupcake, but is known to all her friends as Cupcake because (no surprise!) she is soooo sweet. When she’s not busy participating in our Mindful Kids’ classes at local elementary schools, you can find Cali wearing a string of pink pearls and riding around town in a special basket on her human mom’s bicycle.

Frida is a one year old Labrador Retriever who is in training to become a therapy dog.  She started training when she was just a few months old and continues to work on her skills. She has started her therapy dog work with virtual Mindfulness classes at local schools.  Frida loves the water and her favorite place is the beach. Her next favorite place is Elings Park where she plays off leash with her dog friends. Frida is a true ‘social butterfly’ and loves other dogs and people!

Lacey is an 8 year old Golden Retriever.  She loves surfing, swimming in the pool, and carrying the largest stick she can find on the beach! She loves everyone and her tail is always wagging.  She also serves as a secret double agent/superstar as a medical alert dog using her keen sense of smell.  She gets high marks for being an all-around-good-dog.

Mazda is an 8-year-old Labrador Retriever whose favorite toy is his Jolly ball. Mazda was originally trained as a guide dog, but he had other plans! Mazda was adopted into his forever home one Thanksgiving weekend and he is forever grateful to be able to continue helping people through his many volunteer activities.

Molly is a 15-years-young Maltese mix. Molly has been a therapy dog for nearly half her life and is an active participant in our ARF! reading program and our Mindful Kids program (we affectionately call her “Mindful Molly” because she is so calm and helps the children learn how to reduce stress and anxiety). Molly visits The Samarkand on a regular basis and  L-O-V-E-S giving kisses to everyone she meets!

Olivia is an 11-year-old Schnauzer, Yorkie, and Poodle mix (affectionately called a “Snorkie-Doodle!). She loves hiking around her parents’ ranch, snuggling, and showing off the many tricks she knows… doing handstands is one of her favorites!

Rogue truly loves people of all ages, from the smallest babies to the oldest seniors. This two-year-old boy is ever-ready to please with a sweet lick, a shake of his paw, a flop onto his back for belly rubs, or a “hug” by leaping into your lap with just his front legs. Rogue is a playful guy, and loves meeting new pooch friends on the beach, in the park, or around town. His favorite things, besides people and dogs, are kitties, squeaky toys and balls, and a good chew session with a peanut-flavored bone.

Sadie is a 12-year-old Border Collie and Heeler mix. At 7 months old, Sadie was adopted from a local shelter when her mom fell in love with her while volunteering. She quickly became the queen of the house! Sadie loves to work for food and will spin and dance during meal times.

Suzy is a 10-year-old Jack Russell Terrier mix. “The Snooze” was adopted from the Ojai Humane Society and enjoys playing with her squeaky toys, going for walks, and (of course) snoozing. She also loves “her” chickens and listening to children read to her!

IN LOVING MEMORY of Sandy, beloved therapy dog and the matriarch of Therapy Dogs of Santa Barbara. Sandy passed away on August 5, 2020 at the age of 14-1/2. Throughout her wonderful, long life, Sandy enjoyed hiking with her family, swimming in the ocean, and visiting children in schools and libraries and listening to them read to her. She even published her very own children’s book, Animals Have Feelings, Too!

Willow is a 6-year-old Golden Retriever who brings love to everyone she meets! Her favorite activity is running on the beach and her favorite toy is an orange rubber bone. As part of her continuing education, Willow is now learning how to Salsa dance and she will be ready for the dance floor very soon!