Nothing pleases Coco more than when she hears, “Time to go visiting!”

Coco and her mother, Sue Grundfest, have been a trained pet therapy pair for more than eight years now. Coco began her training at six months old and became a pet assisted therapy dog at age one.

All dogs are wonderful loving creatures but why is Coco so special? Her mother tributes it to the way she cocks her head, the way she smiles, and the way she reads the moods of the children she visits.

According to Rose, one of the children Coco visits, it comes down to feeling loved. “Coco doesn’t have to do tricks or anything – she just loves us.”

Over the years Coco has brought joy to many charitable organizations in the New York Metro area including New Alternatives for Children (NAC), Rivington House, Lighthouse International, Coalition for the Homeless and Bide-A-Wee to name just a few. She does everything from physical therapy to play therapy; but most importantly she spreads love!

Coco also serves as the Spokesdog for the Assisted Pet Therapy Program affiliated with Bide-A-Wee, one of the nation’s oldest animal care-adoption facilities in the country. She represents the program at gala affairs, community outreach events and education programs. She has been honored as Bide-A-Wee’s Therapy Dog of the Year several times.

When Coco is not visiting, she loves sitting on a park bench watching people go by – she is the ultimate spectator! She loves shopping too and is a big fan of any store that greets her with a smile.

Coco lives with her mom Sue Grundfest in Manhattan.