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Stay Paws-A-Tive Therapy Dogs, Inc.

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United States
Gainesville, FL
Stay Paws-A-Tive Therapy Dogs, Inc.

Oliver & Elliot are therapy dogs dedicated to working with children who have experienced complex trauma & sexual exploitation.

Both are rescue dogs and play such a pivotol role in the healing process. ��

04/22/2026

“If you cannot fail, how will you know how far you can go?” Lazarus Lake 💛 I am very honored and overjoyed for this opportunity! I found out today I was accepted into the PhD program in Clinical Psychology with a forensic neuropsychology concentration at Fielding Graduate University! I hope someone can find encouragement in knowing it doesn’t matter where you are in life, it’s not too late, we have a beautiful opportunity to be life long learners. If you have a dream or goal to pursue, you can truly do it, I believe in you!! Don’t be afraid to be the worst at som**hing again. 💛Thank you to everyone who has been so supportive of me during this time, words cannot express my gratitude for your friendships and encouragement. This whole process is for my Mom, Dad, and the many wonderful clients and co-workers who have inspired me over the years. Moving forward in courage is going even if there could be a terrible outcome, it’s a daily choice. The next few years are going to be a beautiful challenge but I also have the two best dog-tors in training! Oliver and Elliot are up for the demands! Lol 🥹🐶🐕‍🦺 Also!! Ending the week running in the Skunk Ape 100 So what a great way to celebrate! 🥰🤓🧠🌻🌷🦋💛🏃🏾‍♀️🐆

04/03/2026

Yay! Happy happy Spring!!!🌷🌻🌸☀️🦋It’s the best time of the year and perfect time for Lauren’s Walk Please come walk with us on 04/19/26 at 12pm, we would love to have you there! This is such a special walk and we are honored to be apart of it! 🥰🐶🐕‍🦺🩵💖🦋✨

02/25/2026

What a fun month! We cannot wait for spring time, the best time of year!!🌻🌷💖🦋☀️ Oliver and Elliot want to remind everyone to be shame disarmers and to remember, the more rigid the behavior, the more the trauma hurt. ❤️‍🩹 Many times we see maladaptive behavior as problematic, but through the lens of trauma and neuroscience we see som**hing that is now “maladaptive” was at one point an adaptive survival strategy that the nervous system developed to keep the child alive during traumatic events…. But fast forward when now the same survival strategy is off putting and problematic. It’s not that the child “won’t” behave, but in a moment of dysregualtion they physically cannot access the part of their brain required to make a better choice. I’m amazed at how many times we see this happening and then through repeated moments of healthy connection the child feels emotionally safe enough to learn and problem solve. The most powerful healing tool for a traumatized child is safe connection, lacking of shame and contempt. It is the relationships that provide the patterned, repetitive experiences that heal the brain, no matter your age. Healing is for everyone and your never to old or young to begin! 🥰🐶🐕‍🦺💖🫶🏽✨🧠

11/04/2025

Birthday pup cups and lots of joy today celebrating Oliver! Happy Birthday to the best co-therapist, shame disarmer, and hope giver around! 🥹🥰🥳🐶🐻🤍🤎✨

09/30/2025

Oliver loves his sloth! (And meeting a new guinea pig friend) 🥹🦥 💖 Fact: A lot of times sloths are compared to the shut down response caused by dorsal vagal nerve. 🧠 The dorsal vagal nerve is apart of the vagus nerve and is directly connected to our gut. So when people say “I feel a gut level fear” it’s actually the dorsal vagal nerve preparing them for survival. It becomes activated when the body perceives extreme danger and all other defenses like fight or flight have failed. Many survivors of ongoing interpersonal trauma remain in dorsal vagal shut down even after the traumatic situation has stopped; which can explain the constant feeling of leathargy, tiredness, feeling disconnected, dissociated, just to name a few. Things like connection, right right brain activation, and movement help in getting out of dorsal vagal shut down. Kids that are constantly tired or seemingly not paying attention are not always showing signs of inattention, but may be operating in dorsal vagal shut down. Viewing children’s behavior through a trauma responsive lens versus behavioral means not assuming intentional bad behavior. Joy, playfulness, and meaningful connection activates resilience and healing. Oliver and Elliot play a huge role in trauma recovery by bringing so much joy! 🥰🐶🐕‍🦺🦥💖💜

09/23/2025

You can do hard things! 🫶🏽💖 Elliot does not let the hard things stop him so neither do you! This weekend I was grateful to have the opportunity to complete the “marathon” finish at the Barkley Fall classic. We don’t really know the distance since we could not wear gps watches. We started at the Brushy State Penitentiary and ran through sanctioned parts of the Frozen Head state park along with some unsanctioned trails affectionately known as rat jaw, m**h lab, and testicle spectacle. Frozen Head has so much history due to the Barkley Marathons and Brushy and it’s my favorite place to run and hike when I’m there in TN. 🧡🤍 Elliot has run many of the sanctioned trails with me. So during BFC when we got to chimney top trail- which is one of the more difficult sanctioned trails in the park, I kept thinking that Elliot runs up and down chimney top. It’s very rugged with lots of elevation so thinking of him during the race gave me much encouragement. I got to share his story with many runners and it brought so much joy! ✨Thankful for the reminder to keep moving step by step no matter what life throws your way. Eli wants you to know you are more capable than you think and do not have to allow the hard things stop you! You are PAW-some. You are PAW-riffic. You are loved! 🥰🐕‍🦺🌄🤍✨

07/31/2025

A huge part of complex trauma includes the invisible traumas that children go through. For instance, things like trauma in utero, attachment trauma, spiritual trauma, cultural trauma, and keeping adult and family secrets cannot be seen most of the time. Its all of these plus the other forms of trauma and stressors that children with complex trauma are going though. Their bodies, brains, and nervous systems are in constant chaos and survival mode. Often times, these are the children that may present with the big externalizing behaviors that end up getting them in trouble at home, school, or with other professionals; which leads to more shame and feelings of badness, thus the cycle perpetuates. Felt safety and attachment repair happen even in small interactions where there is a sense of not being judged and genuine connection. Physiologically there is a shift in the nervous system where the child can feel at ease. That’s where learning, communication, and meaningful trauma processing can occur. Oliver and Elliot take their job very seriously as shame disarmers and felt safety helpers! 🥰🥹❤️‍🩹🧠🐶🐕‍🦺🐾💗🩵 🩵

06/26/2025

Happy Summer!!☀️ For the month of June we had the privilege of spending time with our amazing friends We truly love you guys and all that you do! Oliver and Elliot enjoyed every minute with everyone, especially making homemade dog treats while we learned about sensory integration and paying attention to our feelings. Can’t wait to be back with you all! 🥰🐶🐕‍🦺🍪🫶🏽💖🩵 🧡💜

06/23/2025

Yay! After a wonderful trip to TN we got home to a nice surprise! 🥹🥰🐶🐕‍🦺💖🤍✨☀️

06/21/2025

We got to take a break from the therapy office and head to TN to visit family! Hiking at my favorite place! Then we got to explore the Brushy State Penitentiary Brushy has a lot of interesting history and has a connection to the Barkley Marathons. 🧡🤍I first learned about Brushy while running in the BFC, it’s such a cool place to explore! Thankful for a beautiful day! 🥰🌄🥾💦🐶☀️🌻💖

06/17/2025

Eli had the best time exploring all the waterfalls today! 🥰🐕‍🦺🌄💦🤍✨ 💦

06/10/2025

We are long overdue but finally designed some more stickers! Oliver and Elliot can’t wait to pass them out to our clients… or everyone! They love spreading joy and smiles! 🥹🥰🐶🐕‍🦺🤍✨🐾

Address

500 E. University Ave. Suite A
Gainesville, FL
32601

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