TulsaPets Magazine November 2021

12 TulsaPets • November/December 2021 “I think Mavis knew that that season was over … and it was time for Gracie to go; she was so sick,” Bain shared. “When I got off the phone with the vet, Mavis started going into seizures and we knew she wanted to go with Gracie, and she also knew that the season of Joy in the Cause was over. It was a new season and so they went together. “It actually was one of the sweetest moments because they were so close to each other, and when we looked at them with their arms around each other, it just brought us comfort,” Bain said tearfully. A proponent of animal therapy work, Bain wanted the ambassador of Lisa Bain Ministries to be Mabel Joy. “Mabel learned so fast, in fact, she just got her therapy dog registration. She’s al- ready got several titles on her,” Bain added. “She will be a court dog that will be sitting with the children as they testify.” It wasn’t long after the passing of their older dogs that Bain and her husband realized Mabel Joy needed a companion, and they made the decision to get a second Bernese Mountain Dog. “We thought, you know what? Let’s just get another one, and we’re going to start the training all over and we’ll have two therapy dogs we can switch out. Mabel will be able to show her the ropes,” Bain said. The couple recently welcomed home Maddie Grace, who is almost six months old and active in her training, to join Mabel Joy in therapy work. While Mabel Joy does not bark, a necessi- ty when you are a court dog, her sister has a different personality and will work in other avenues of animal therapy. “Now her sister barks, so she’ll do some other things,” Bain laughed. “Her sister is so smart, and it’s been fun to watch Maddie learn from Mabel and kind of take on the motherly role. She’s got such a sensitive, tender spirit.” When visiting with children, Mabel Joy has an uncanny ability to hone in on the ones who need her most, something her predecessor was known to do. “She really is following in Mavis Pearl’s footsteps; she just knows,” Bain shared. “She’ll go in and she’ll be all excited and she’ll see all the people but then you’ll see her kind of hone into [certain children] more, and those are the ones that really, really need it. We’ve been able to work with a lot of autistic kids, kids that struggle with ADD, and it’s just amazing to see how kids can transform.” Bain loves that the two dogs have such different personalities and energy levels. They balance each other and appeal to dif- ferent people and personality types. “We had one girl that was here that needed that excitement, and Maddie was just perfect,” Bain said. “We had another little boy that was here not long ago, and he just needed to sit on the couch and he just laid on her and snuggled her. The other one was just out there playing and running. So, I am thankful that I’ve got two different personalities.” One of the questions Bain has been asked since the passing of Mavis Pearl and the addition of Mabel Joy is why she did not get another Bulldog. To that, Bain replies, “Why would we get another Bulldog? Because there’s not going to be another Mavis Pearl.” Additionally, Bain said having a larger dog makes therapy work in a hospital set- ting a little easier. “We were even asked to get a bigger dog that could go straight up to the hospital beds and just stand. She’s learned to put her paws up and just kind of be there for the child to pet her head,” Bain explained. “It’s just easier and when we’re going to be vis- iting the cancer treatment centers, she can just go straight up to the chair and she’s not going to have to be lifted up and we won’t have to worry about IV poles.” Another large part of Lisa Bain Ministries is the specialized care packages and stuffed Mabel Joy dogs. “Hundreds [of stuffed dogs] have gone out already,” Bain said. “From the juvenile bureau to homeless kids and abused kids, they are in every care bag.” Bain describes her ministry as caring with connection, and part of that is connecting with other nonprofits. “We just had a vision to be able to meet people that are walking through broken- ness,” Bain said of her ministry. “That can look a whole lot of different ways, especial- ly with this pandemic, through job loss, through illness, through trauma. We’ve even partnered with other organizations that deal with suicide.” In just five months, the organization has already sent out 1,000 care packages, rang- ing from care boxes to diaper bags, depend- ing on the needs of the recipient. “They have made such an impact, and it’s been such a blessing to see once again the community jump on board,” Bain said. In the Resilience Care Boxes, every item has a story behind it and the connection of someone walking through brokenness to help another person. For example, care bags that have been packed by volunteers of John 3:16 Mission include their stories and prayer quotes. Some care packages include a kintsugi necklace and the story of the woman who created the jewelry. Kintsugi is the Japanese art of repairing broken items with gold. Bain describes the passing of her two beloved dogs and departure from Joy in the Cause as a tough season that led to a wonderful season. “Mabel and Maddie have just been such a healing factor in it all and definitely a God factor,” Bain said. “Many people said, ‘What are you going to do when you lose Mavis?’ I didn’t have an answer, but it just kind of all worked into something really beautiful in a way that we’re able to help in an even broader way with animal therapy. “Sometimes you have to walk through a broken place to really get the biggest break- through of your life and find your greatest purpose,” Bain said. “That’s really what hap- pened; this broken place led to something I’ve really been praying for all along.” For more Be sure to visit lisabain.com and check out Mabel’s Corner for videos of Mabel and Maddie and for more information on animal therapy. You can also donate a stuffed Mabel dog and receive your own for a minimum donation of $50. On Nov. 13 , Lisa Bain will be releasing her latest book, It’s Better Out Here, which will, of course, include animal stories.