Healthy Bond for Life Mascots

安琪拉 always grew up with animals, and although she wanted a pet, as a busy working professional, she didn’t think she had time.

在大流行期间，当她与朋友隔离并渴望陪伴时，这一切都改变了.

在萨克拉门托动物保护协会，她被介绍给了一只一岁大的帕特代尔梗混血狗奥利.

“他真的很害羞. They described him as a dog with high anxiety, 他有问题,安吉拉说, an HR manager for a Biotech company. “That pulled at my heart strings. Who hasn't had high anxiety in the last year? 这只小狗看着我，我只想成为它生命中的那个改变周围事物的人.”

她当场收养了他，并立即被迫养成新的、更健康的习惯.

“他帮助我建立了一种常规——在疫情期间，很难有一种常规. He reminds me to take a break for lunch, and then we take a walk. 他喜欢蔬菜. I'm including more in my diet.”

A marathon runner, 安琪拉’s gym runs had been sidelined. 现在奥利和她一起在外面跑步，她正在为另一场马拉松训练.

“Ollie's definitely shifted my perspective, she said. “He’s just really made me focus on the small things.”

基特和她的丈夫在他们11岁的爱犬去世后的13年里一直没有养宠物.

Until Thoreau entered their lives.

小猎犬, who they brought home right as the pandemic hit, 对克拉克夫妇的影响比他们想象的要大得多.

基特是一名按摩治疗师，由于新冠肺炎，她被迫关闭了两个月的业务.

“这是毁灭性的。. I was used to being surrounded by clients all day. 我整天都和人保持联系，从那种联系到什么都没有真的很难. He's been instrumental in my emotional and mental health. My stress level was very high. 老实说，我不相信没有他我能挺过那段沙巴足球体育平台.”

克拉克一家热衷于徒步旅行，梭罗正好融入了他们的日常生活.

“We incorporated him into our hiking. 我们喜欢徒步旅行. We’re walking more out at parks, in the mountains,” she said. “Dogs need to be at a healthy weight, just like humans. He needs to exercise just like you do.”

现在她已经回去工作了，梭罗帮助她记住白天要休息.

“He's taught us to slow down a little bit. I leave my job at lunch and come home and walk with him. It gives me time to center myself and keep active.”

工具包, who was diagnosed with a congenital heart defect in her 30s, 一直是她所在社区美国心脏协会的支持者. 虽然她不需要手术来矫正心脏上的洞, it was a light-bulb moment for her to live a full life.

事实上, 她最喜欢的一句话是诗人亨利·大卫·梭罗——梭罗的同名——这句话激励她这样做:“自信地朝着梦想的方向前进。! Live the life you've imagined.”

斯蒂芬妮曾梦想着骑马，但在成长过程中，她认为这是不可能的.

直到七年前，她和她的妹妹珍妮作为成年人开始上英语课. 他们在练马场遇到了惠斯勒，这是一条纯种汉诺瓦杂交犬.

惠斯勒, 他现在21岁了, 曾经是马术障碍赛冠军，但一次受伤迫使他退出了赛场. 他的主人把他放在谷仓里，作为斯蒂芬妮和她妹妹这样的人的学马, who were learning to ride.

惠斯勒’s owners were looking for a new home for him. 不幸的是, 他的身体状况不适合他们想送他去的骑马治疗组织. 而不是, the owners gave him to Stephanie and her sister, who were beyond thrilled to realize their childhood dream.

Just last year 惠斯勒 sustained an injury to his foot, and Stephanie has been there to help him through his recovery.

“我觉得我应该照顾好自己，让他保持最好的状态，”她说. “Taking care of him motivates me more for myself. You can't explain to an animal, ‘I just don't feel like doing it.’ I’m committed to helping him be happy and healthy.”

That means making sure she’s in good shape, too. 斯蒂芬妮做力量训练和柔韧性练习来加强她的臀部, in addition to cardio to keep her from getting winded during riding.

The benefits of riding extend to mental health, too.

“I'm an anxious type of person. I practice yoga, mindfulness and being in the moment. 当你骑马的时候，你不能把注意力集中在马身上，你必须全神贯注.”

大流行期间, 照顾惠斯勒有助于她在不确定的漩涡中保持情绪状态.

“有了Covid，人们在寻找真正让你快乐的东西方面发生了这样的转变. We didn't know if we'd be able to go to the barn. 当你整天呆在室内时，你会失去对周围事物的关注. 看到他，给他梳洗，多到外面让我保持积极.”

注意:斯蒂芬妮在犹他大学医院的神经科学中心工作. (the hospital partners with AHA locally). She was team captain of her own Cycle Nation team, 她在心血管科做了几年护士助理. Heart disease runs in her family -- her dad, grandpa and family on her mom's side have had heart disease.

比利乔 grew up riding horses in upstate New York. But when she went to college, she left horses behind.

她向自己保证，总有一天她会再拥有一匹马.

不健康的生活方式限制了她的梦想——体重的显著增加使她无法骑马. 这是她开始改善健康和减肥的动力.

两年前, some friends were selling their horses, including Grace; they made 比利乔 a deal she couldn’t refuse.

比利·乔说:“她对我的健康起到了不可思议的推动作用。. “I ride her more than any horse -- we take “Sunday drives” together. 她鼓励我. Having her encourages me to stay healthy.”

比利乔 and Grace have developed a special bond.

“Our kitchen window overlooks the pasture,” she said. “当她知道我在厨房时，她会过来站在窗边.

格蕾丝帮助改善了比利·乔的身体和情感健康.

“她是我的锻炼工具. She lowers my blood pressure. 她减轻了我的压力. Grace just has a graceful spirit and heart. 她只是散发着爱.”

大流行期间, 比利乔, 特殊教育老师, especially leaned on Grace to help her cope with the stress.

“Being a teacher in a pandemic was difficult. Teachers are used to being in a classroom with kids. We were all being called to do things we weren't used to. 压力很大. 能够拥有她，抚摸她，和她在一起，对我的压力水平有很大的帮助.”

比利·乔想和她的学生分享格蕾丝，所以她开始了虚拟的“谷仓数学”课程. 她每周有一天在谷仓里广播，和格蕾丝一起上现实生活中的课程——比如测量她肩膀的角度和计算饲料.

比利·乔的一个自闭症学生爱上了格蕾丝，开始骑她.

“She's been a very big motivator for him.”

NOTE: Autistic student's family may be willing to participate. 比利·乔还打算在Zoom上找她教学生“谷仓数学”的视频片段. 格蕾丝和比利·乔去年在默特尔比奇进行了20英里的沙滩骑行. 比利乔’s dad died of heart disease.