Giving pets for pick-me-ups
Jan. 15, 2026
Opal sat calmly, waiting for her next patient to come say hi. Her eyes gave a reassuring level of support, possibly even understanding, to anyone who could use it. Her grey speckled coat serving as a companion to the warm heart that beat beneath.
“She's just very calm and very patient with people,” said Sophia Legare, Opal’s handler.
Opal the Australian cattle dog knows it’s time to go to work when Legare packs her bag, special blanket and bejeweled collar, and Opal takes her job very seriously.
The pair have been a team with North Star Therapy Animals (NSTA) since 2024, visiting libraries, schools, hospitals, nursing homes, Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport and just last week, the State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC).
The SEOC recently moved to a new, highly secure facility in Blaine, where staff coordinate responses to some of the state’s most impactful emergencies. In recent years, the SEOC has been activated for the COVID-19 pandemic, 2020 civil unrest, destructive flooding across Minnesota, the assassination of Melissa and Mark Hortman, and most recently following the deadly shooting of Renee Good.
During an activation, the SEOC serves as a home base and allows for coordination between city, county and state agencies. It can be an emotionally demanding place to work.
That’s where the therapy dogs come in.
“These activations are long and stressful,” said Allison Farole, director of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (HSEM). “I want to make sure my staff, and others working in the SEOC, are taking care of themselves in whatever ways possible.”
Farole invited volunteers from NSTA to keep those working this weekend company.
A number of dogs and their handlers graced the SEOC lobby from Friday through Sunday, ready for pets and kisses from anyone who needed a pick-me-up.
Opal is the third dog Legare has adopted and put through therapy training, a testament to the impact she’s seen this work have on others.
“It definitely helps with destressing and brings a smile to people’s faces,” said Legare. “Dogs are nonjudgmental, and it's so nice that we can share that joy and love with others.”
