How Penny the Labrador Retriever and 2023 USO Canine Volunteer of the Year Supports Service Members in Germany

By Danielle DeSimone

At more than 250 USO Centers all around the world, 20,000 USO Volunteers carry out our organization’s mission and ensure that service members and their military family members always feel the support of the American people through their time in service.

From greeting service members at the doors of our Centers, to serving home-cooked meals, to hosting game nights and more, the work of our volunteers comes in all shapes and sizes. But perhaps some of the most unique work is in the shape of our four-legged volunteers; that is, the USO Canine Volunteers.

These certified therapy dogs provide emotional support and a morale boost to the military community in our Centers and at expeditionary locations. One such volunteer was recognized this year for her hard work: Penny the labrador retriever and our 2023 USO Canine Volunteer of the Year.

Meet Penny, the 2023 USO Canine Volunteer of the Year

Penny, a certified therapy dog with a passion for squeaky toys, spends her free time volunteering at the USO Warrior Center in Landstuhl, Germany. | Photo credit USO Photo

As Penny pitter-patters her way down the halls of the USO Warrior Center in Landstuhl, Germany, the mood visibly shifts.

After all, it’s hard not to immediately feel a boost when you see the 9-year-old yellow labrador approach, tail wagging wide with an open smile. But Penny’s work as a therapy dog and USO Canine Volunteer does so much more than just boost moods – she provides real, emotional support and helps alleviate stress for the service members who have come to this USO Center to rest and recuperate.

The USO Warrior Center at Landstuhl was the first of its kind ever built in the world. It is located near the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany, which is often the first stop for service members who have been injured or fallen ill while downrange in conflict zones like the Middle East, Africa or other parts of Europe. From here, they will either recover and return to the front lines, or return to the United States for further treatment – and possibly separation from the military, depending on the severity of their injuries.

Recovering from these injuries or illnesses can take a toll on service members, especially when far from home and the support of their loved ones, which is why locations such as the USO Warrior Center are crucial – and why Penny’s work there is so important.

“We got Penny when she was a puppy and she has always been super calm and sweet, and I knew it was something that she would be great at. It was just always something that I wanted to do,” said Tiffany Danahy, Penny’s owner. “And when we moved here to Germany, it was just finally the right place and right time, and I was just able to start her journey.”

Penny became certified to work as a therapy dog and first began volunteering with the USO through K9s for Veterans Abroad, an organization dedicated to training service dogs for service members and veterans abroad.

Penny – whose favorite snacks include bacon and green beans – soon became a regular at the USO Warrior Center, where she visits service members who are there to take advantage of USO programs and amenities, or even just a comfortable space to spend time in that is not a hospital room. With each visit, Penny allows service members to pet her, talk to her and simply spend time with her. The benefit of having a dog to turn to after a long day can have immensely positive effects on the service members she visits.

Tiffany explained that she and Penny also regularly visit the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center to check in on patients throughout their recovery journey. On one such visit, they ran into a service member they had met several times before, and he and Penny shared a poignant moment.

“There was one service member in particular who knew us because he’d visit with us every time we came, and [when he saw us], he sat down on the ground,” Tiffany said. “Penny crawled into his lap and he just let out a deep breath and said: ‘It’s been a hard week.’”

“It’s amazing what Penny has done for all our service members down here at the USO Warrior Center,” said USO Center Operations Manager Geno Mendiola. “When she walks into the Warrior Center, [service members] get right down on the ground with her. The impact that our Canine Program has and what Penny brings to that program is…amazing.”

For service members who are navigating a difficult recovery – whether from a physical injury, mental illness, or both – having a therapy dog present can help them open up and assist them in their recovery journey. The American Counseling Association states that therapy dogs are uniquely helpful in breaking down patients’ emotional walls.

“We come into the Center and they start talking about the dogs that they have back home, or the dogs that they grew up with as a child, and they’re just petting her. And it just gives them a break from everything that’s going on,” Tiffany said.

“Something about petting the dogs opens up their vulnerability and they start talking to you about what’s going on, and it just kind of breaks down walls and it gives them a sense of comfort.”

Penny, who has a habit of stealing kitchen towels and has a love for all squeaky toys, has been recognized multiple times for the incredible work she does as a USO Canine Volunteer. Together, Tiffany and Penny have contributed more than 200 volunteer hours to the USO, and Penny previously was awarded the title of USO Ramstein’s “Volunteer of the Month” before canine-specific awards had even been created within the USO, in recognition of her therapy work at Ramstein Passenger Terminal. Here, Penny provides comfort and support to military families moving to and from Germany, as well as patients of Landstuhl Regional Medical Center who are being transported home to the U.S. for further treatment.

This year, Penny was recognized by the USO as our 2023 USO Canine Volunteer of the Year, after competing with several other USO Canine Program volunteers across the nation for the top spot. USO EMEA Regional Vice President Grant McCormick recently awarded Penny with the EMEA Regional Coin of Excellence, in addition to her organization-wide USO Canine Volunteer of the Year Award.

Why the USO Warrior Center in Landstuhl, Germany, is a Crucial Outpost of Support

Although all USO Centers strive to bolster the morale and well-being of the military community, our specialized USO Warrior and Family Centers provide some of the most important support systems for service members navigating the recovery process following an injury or illness.

These Centers – located in Landstuhl, Germany; San Antonio, Texas; Bethesda, Maryland and Fort Belvoir, Virginia – were built specifically with injured, ill and wounded service members in mind. The USO Warrior and Family Centers have all of the familiar USO Center amenities, such as comfortable couches, TVs, gaming systems, books, free Wi-Fi and more. But they also feature amenities like ADA-compliant spaces, outdoor gardens, communal kitchens and special programming tailored to engage recovering troops with both visible and invisible wounds.

Recovery from these injuries or illnesses can be a long and difficult journey for any service member, both physically and mentally, and it can be made even more difficult if they are far from home and loved ones. That is why having a welcoming, supportive space to turn to, away from the hospital environment that they are in every day, is crucial for recovering service members.

Science backs this up. In fact, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), having a safe, supportive environment plays a large role in mental and physical health. When people feel secure in their surroundings, they experience less anxiety and depression, improve their physical health, have fewer instances of substance abuse and experience an overall improved quality of life and life expectancy.

Our specific programs – such as yoga, art classes, cooking activities and more – also provide very real support to these recovering service members. But our USO Canine Program remains one of the most popular ways in which service members can take a break from the stressors of their day and connect with something outside of themselves – and therapy dog programs have also been proven to have immense health benefits.

Research shows that interacting with animals can make an incredible difference – and improvement – in one’s physical and mental health. Studies have also found that petting an animal can lower blood pressure and release hormones such as phenylethylamine, an anti-depressant.

Other studies have shown that after petting animals, people were found to have increased levels of serotonin, prolactin and oxytocin – all hormones that can play a part in elevating moods and decreasing anxiety and the feeling of loneliness.

And that is why therapy dogs like Penny are so crucial to the work that the USO Warrior Center does in Germany. Through USO Canine Volunteers like Penny, service members have an additional avenue of support through their recovery journey.

“Volunteering and doing this [therapy dog work] is something I never thought I would do,” Tiffany said. “We just got a family pet and she was a great dog and I knew she’d be really good at this, but to be able to volunteer and see the impact that you can make – you can bring people moments of happiness, moments of joy, and just let people melt their stress away for a couple minutes. That’s a great feeling.”