Savanna and Debbie have a heartwarming dog episode for you! During WWII, a tiny Yorkshire Terrier named Smoky was found in an abandoned foxhole and adopted by American soldier Bill Wynne, who quickly noticed she had a calming, uplifting effect on the people around her. That instinct carried into the years after the war, when Wynne brought her to veterans' hospitals across the country, where she visited wounded soldiers and helped ease their recovery, work that's now recognized as some of the earliest therapy dog service on record. Smoky continued these hospital visits for about a decade until her death in 1957, leaving behind a legacy as a pioneer of animal-assisted therapy.

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Sources:

Yorkie Doodle Dandy Book: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/479249.Yorkie_Doodle_Dandy

https://nationalserviceanimalsmemorial.org/project/smokey-first-therapy-dog-and-veteran-of-wwii/

https://clevelandmagazine.com/articles/smoky-the-wonder-dog/

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/140520-dogs-war-canines-soldiers-military-healing-yorkshire-terrier-smoky

https://www.military.com/history/worlds-first-therapy-dog-was-world-war-ii-pacific-veteran.html

https://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/23162

https://www.britannica.com/animal/Yorkshire-Terrier-dog

https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/yorkshire-terrier/