A Superwoman For Both Animals and People

Ruth Olsen claims that it was her dog "Maggie" who launched her partnership with Pet Partners. Hearing from many people that Maggie would make a great therapy dog, in 2005, Ruth began looking into various organizations that were involved with therapy animal programs and she chose Pet Partners to get involved with. Ruth jumped in with both feet and throughout the years, she has had a significant impact on the Georgetown, Texas community.

Claire Peel, also an avid supporter and active volunteer with Pet Partners had this to share about Ruth.

"In 2010, along with her husband Tom (now deceased), Ruth started the Sun City Pet Partners community group. She had a vision for how animals could be used in the community to help people. Over the next 10 years, under her leadership, the group grew to sixty teams. Ruth taught courses for the animals, for the handlers and conducted countless evaluations. She developed relationships with community partners, including the Georgetown Independent School District and St David's Hospital, which continue today.

One of the values that Ruth emphasized with the teams was safety. She made sure that all activities were conducted in a safe manner for the animals, the handlers and the people that received visits. Teams trained by Ruth had handling skills that represented the high standards of pet partners.

The current group, Pet Partners of Williamson County, has Ruth to thank for our solid foundation. Her high standards continue as we strive to re-build post COVID. Ruth will always be attributed as our founder. She continues to consult and to educate prospective teams on the value of the work to the animal, the handler and the people that we serve."

Perhaps her training and work as a physical therapist fuels her passion for helping people. Combining her compassion for both animals and people, Ruth has had dogs that are keen to the needs of individuals which led her to this fulfilling activity. Yet Ruth has gone further by including Pet Partners in her estate plan. She chose Pet Partners to be the recipient of her estate because the organization has changed her life while impacting the lives of thousands of others.

Ruth continues to be active in the community, sharing her knowledge of training dogs, evaluating them to become registered with Pet Partners and now she has planned a future legacy gift to support the mission of Pet Partners.