Madeleine Drake-Metzger from Wilton achieved the Gold Award, the highest award a Girl Scout can earn, for addressing mental health needs in her community and training a therapy dog.
“By helping to train and certify a dog for therapy, there are now 30-50 children and adults a week that will benefit from having a support animal with them during difficult times in our community,” says the Gold Award Girl Scout.
Madeleine began her project working with Buddy, a Mastiff with a sweet temperament. She and Buddy worked toward training him and developing a guide for future foster families training a rescued dog as a therapy dog.
“About five months into fostering and training Buddy, the rescue decided to euthanize him due to medical issues. After spending some time dreading having to finish this project without him, I decided I was going to do this for him, whatever that takes,” says Madeleine.
After processing losing Buddy, Madeleine began training her mom’s three-year-old Saint Bernard, Isa. Isa is carrying on Buddy’s legacy and helping in the community by spending at least two days weekly in different classrooms at local schools.
“I learned how to persevere even when navigating the grieving process. I learned that I am much stronger than I think I am and not to doubt myself,” says Madeleine. “I also learned that it is okay to take care of yourself. I took a break for my mental health, and that was really beneficial.”
Through achieving the Gold Award, Madeleine inspires schools and other community groups to train and support therapy animals. She was selected as the 2023 recipient of the Girl Scouts of Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois for her perseverance and growth while working to achieve the Girl Scout Gold Award.
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