A Tiny Therapy Dog’s Big Year: Willowbrook

In 2025, tiny therapy dog Willowbrook claimed the FHE First Responder Paws title thanks to her giant heart for connecting with firefighters and other first responders. The yearly contest, now in its fourth year, brings attention to dogs focused on helping first responders deal with extreme situations and the stressors of everyday life on duty.

Willowbrook knows about overcoming challenges. She came into this world as a 1-pound puppy who had to contend with parvo, a viral illness that’s often deadly for young puppies in shelters and other locations. But Willowbrook fought through that first life challenge before being adopted by Jennifer Stott, who had just started a new career as a civilian hire with a local sheriff’s department. The connection sparked an idea that turned into a mission as Jennifer and Willowbrook worked to become a specialty therapy dog and handler team.

When Willowbrook took home the First Responder Paws title in 2025, she was doing big work, including working tirelessly as a therapy dog at command centers, dispatch hubs and staging centers during wildfire response efforts in Southern California. Since winning the title in 2025, Willowbrook has continued her work, adding more than 300 visits to locations around Los Angeles County. She’s connected with more than 5,000 additional people in various roles. Willowbrook works opposite days from her sister, Acacia Ronin, allowing them to reach even more people. Together, those numbers rise to more than 450 visits and more than 7,500 people.

One of her more recent projects is a partnership between the LA Sheriff’s Department and the community. In connection with the Sheriff’s Youth Foundation, Carson Animal Shelter and Blue Line Dogs, Willowbrook worked alongside others to help teach 16 LA Sheriff’s Department youth to train and care for dogs.The program used dogs from the animal shelter along with personally owned therapy dogs from LASD and Blue Line Dogs teams, and it culminated with Sheriff Luna presenting graduates with their certificates.

Willowbrook and Jennifer put the winnings from their 2025 prize to work for further service, including:

Willowbrook wears a vest from tactical gear company OneTigris when out on deployment. Media attention related to the 2025 prize and her other work caught the eye of the OneTigris president, who recognized the vest in TV coverage of Willowbrook’s work. Wanting to help support Willowbrook’s mission, OneTigris created a Pay-it-Forward campaign and donates a portion of sales of select bundles to Blue Line Dogs and Project K9 Hero.

A Growing Star

Willowbrook’s therapy work the past year has ranged from work with teens to field work with first responders. She’s earned numerous recognitions, including a commendation from the LA County Board of Supervisors. Her big personality and adorable look have even pulled her into the limelight for fun. UrgentVet loved her look and asked her to do a nationwide commercial for them!