At the age of 17, Melissa Millett was on a path of destruction. Living on the streets, she would describe herself as a ‘troubled kid. During those difficult times, she even spent a few weeks at Rotholme Women’s & Family Shelter in between couch surfing marathons at the houses of random friends. “I kept wondering why I wasn’t happy and why I didn’t feel good about myself,” she recalls. “I decided that in order to value myself, I had to start doing good things for others.” Thus began the path toward volunteering and community service.
Melissa remembers one of the first times she felt the true spirit of giving. Years ago, she was bartending at a club in the big city of Toronto. “This woman came in, all ready for a night on the town, but the heel of her boot had broken,” she remembers. “I gave her a pair of shoes I had tucked away in the back. I told her to just bring them back later.” The woman left, shoes in hand, ready to enjoy an amazing night on the town. Did she come back? She definitely did. She brought not only the borrowed shoes but gave Melissa a necklace as well. “She told me the necklace had always brought her luck,” Melissa explains. “She said she hoped it brought good luck for me too.” Right there, in that moment, Melissa experienced the true spirit of giving. A volunteer was born.
Melissa began volunteering at several organizations, recapturing that feeling of warmth, and joy that comes from service. After spending some time at the Humane Society and learning from experienced animal handlers, Melissa discovered she had not only a profound love of dogs, but a talent for training them as well.
It seemed a natural progression that Melissa would make her exceptional talents available to the public. She opened In Dog We Trust, a professional dog training centre, and from there, began implementing pet therapy sessions at different organizations in London. “There are so many opportunities for the dogs to provide this kind of therapy,” says Melissa. What kind of therapy exactly? Imagine highly trained yet calm and loving dogs performing the most unbelievable tricks – right before your eyes.
The Ulta-mutts Stunt Dog Show, features “five fabulous, fun loving, four legged stars’ performing an assortment of tricks from riding skateboards to playing basketball. The Ulta-mutts have been featured all over the media including The Rick Mercer Report and Breakfast Television in Toronto to name just a few. When Laureen Harper, the wife of Prime Minister Harper visited to London, The Ulta-mutts had the privilege of doing a private show for her at the London Humane Society. What an honour!
Because of her experiences with Rotholme, Melissa decided to bring this type of pet therapy to the family shelter. “The kids just love it,” she says. “You can feel it. It changes the whole vibe.” Sometimes, children who have recently arrived from other countries are seeing and interacting with dogs for the first time. “They smile and they laugh,” says Melissa. “The excitement just radiates.”
Melissa and her Ulta-mutts visit Rotholme Women’s & Family Shelter once a week on a completely volunteer basis. She gives children and caregivers the opportunity to experience the joy that only an animal can bring.
French poet Anatole France once said: “Until one has loved an animal, a part of one’s soul remains unawakened.” We are so grateful for the efforts of Melissa Millet and her team at In Dogs We Trust.
For more information on In Dogs We Trust click HERE
For more information on The Ulta-mutts click HERE
If you would like information on volunteering with Mission Services of London click HERE or contact Melissa Tiller, Volunteer Relations Coordinator at 519 433 2807