Therapy dogs, owners provide comfort

By Chad Previch

Published: April 20, 2005

People whose lives were woven together by the Oklahoma City bombing held on to each other Tuesday while downtown. Some hugged; others used the sleeve of the person standing next them as a makeshift tissue to dry their eyes.

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Others laughed. Memories were shared.

And every once in a while, a crowd would form around three golden retrievers: Jake, Jessie and Mattie. The retrievers had to know it was coming. That's their job to comfort those in need.

"They were crying until they see the dogs and then they always stopped crying," said Mario Canzoneri, an owner of The Smile Retrievers. "That's the purpose. They stop crying and they start smiling."

Mario, along with his wife Karen Canzoneri, a couple from Staten Island, N.Y. have used dogs for seven years to help those grieving. Mattie is the newest addition to the Red Cross-registered therapy dogs. He's named after Matthew D. Horning, who was killed in the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

During a ceremony in October 2001, Karen Canzoneri asked Matthew's mother, Diane Horning, if their next dog could be named in her son's honor. She agreed.

The first time Diane didn't cry at the Ground Zero family viewing area is when she was there petting Mattie, Mario Canzoneri said.

"We've watched her grieve and grow, evolved and heal ... and we owe a large part of her coping ability to Mattie," Mario said.

Tuesday, the Canzoneris and Hornings were watching others heal and grow in downtown Oklahoma City.

The Hornings were part of the 9/11 ambassador group chosen to go to Oklahoma City a decade after the bombing. Kurt Horning said it was a no-brainer to arrive in Oklahoma City, as many Oklahomans helped 9/11 families through the attacks.

As he watched a group of about 15 children roll around the ground near the reflecting pool with the dogs that helped his family through his son's death, Kurt Horning said he couldn't help but smile.

In the back of his head, he knew some survivors, family and friends felt a little better.

"The owners call them 'The Smile Retrievers' and they do that," he said. "They have an empathy for people who are upset and they always go to the one that needs the most attention."