Margaret Griffo and Miranda Miller are two Alaskans who serve with their canine
partners through NATIONAL Crisis Response Canines, a nonprofit that deploys
highly-trained teams into high-stress environments. These canines don’t just visit they respond. They seek out those who need them most, offering stability, connection, and moments of relief in the middle of crisis, disaster, and trauma.
Both teams recently traveled to Washington DC, where they supported airline staff and travelers at Reagan National Airport (DCA) following a tragic incident with American Airlines.
Margaret is a retired speech-language pathologist, a first responder chaplain with the Alaska Police and Fire Chaplains, and the team coordinator for Alaska’s CISM (Critical Incident Stress Management) team. Her Keeshond, Smartie Pants, is the Chaplain K9 for the Municipality of Anchorage, and together, they’ve been there for all kinds of responses within Alaska and beyond. From helping first responders after tough calls, to offering support in hospital hallways or deploying to the LA fires in California... Margaret and Smartie Pants show up where they’re needed most. As a chaplain, Margaret even has the privilege of crossing the yellow tape to support those in the front lines.
Miranda is an Indigenous Alaskan from rural Alaska. She works alongside her Brittany, Arya Bear, who started training at just 10 weeks old and has been a well-known presence in the Anchorage community ever since. During the pandemic, when certifications were paused, Arya supported the community wherever dogs were allowed — offering comfort and love when it was needed. In 2022, Arya officially became a certified therapy dog, and soon after, they joined NATIONAL Crisis Response Canines.
Miranda is CISM-trained and focused on getting crisis response canine teams into rural and Indigenous communities that may not have easy access to these resources. Arya’s real-life stories will soon be shared in a children’s book series.
Find out more here:
https://www.crisisresponsecanines.org/
https://wjla.com/amp/news/local/washington-dc-plane-crash-midair-collision-dca-
reagan-national-airport-american-airlines-staff-passengers-black-hawk-helicopter-crisis-response-dogs-support-photos-victims
https://linktr.ee/Cupidthecrisisresponsek9
https://linktr.ee/aryabearthebrittany
https://www.aryabearbooks.com/
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