Jovone has always had a love for animals and a desire to help others. As a little girl she adored her family dogs and was always the first one to help a stray find its way home, or try to fix a bird’s broken wing. Jovone retired from a long career in public service. Her daughters, who had been campaigning for a puppy for quite some time, suggested that now may be the perfect time to get a puppy. That Goldendoodle puppy Riley, became Jovone’s companion and sidekick. Jovone often calls Riley her angel and proudly points to the black and white markings on Riley’s back that are in the shape of angel wings. A few years later, Jovone and her family decided that Riley needed a sister so they welcomed another Goldendoodle puppy to their family and named her Pippa. Fun fact – biologically Riley is Pippa’s aunt.

Jovone and Riley started training in our beginner class and advanced to become a certified Pet Therapy team. When Jovone is not teaching, she and Riley spend their days visiting patients at Luminis Health Anne Arundel Medical Center, McNew, and Pathways; providing comfort to victims waiting to testify at the Anne Arundel County Courthouse; and participating in programs at the Anne Arundel County Library and Schools. Pippa recently passed the pet therapy certification and is now out and about in the community for pet therapy visits just like her big sister.

While training Riley, Jovone realized just how valuable pet therapy teams are to so many members of our community. In keeping with her passion and love for animals and to help others, Jovone joined the PNP team as a pet therapy trainer. Jovone runs our Pet Therapy Program and Leadership classes and challenges herself to find new training opportunities to train in real-life community-based scenarios. She is also a Canine Good Citizen Evaluator. When she is not hanging out with dogs, she enjoys spending time with her family and friends and looks forward to one day living at the beach.