This letter is to recommend Mary Rose Ardolino and acknowledge her many years of service to the animals of the San Diego Humane Society.  She began volunteering in the dog programs in 2005 and has contributed hundreds of hours of service time to our organization since then.

During my time as her volunteer coordinator Mary Rose completed volunteer training classes in Behavior and Training, Dog Walking, Grooming, Canine Physical Therapy, Pet First Aide and other areas and she also frequently transported animals to their weekly hydro-therapy sessions and assisted in their Post Surgery recoveries.

As a Dog Buddy volunteer she spent time every week working with our dogs to help them adjust to their shelter surroundings while they awaited their new homes. She has true talent for communicating with animals and helping them to heal from any emotional or physical traumas they had endured. She has been a wonderful asset to our organization and to the dogs.

Mary Rose currently volunteers her time in our Dog Buddy Program, and assists with dog training and enrichment, socialization, exercise, habitat cleaning and basic shelter operations. She also routinely assists with our annual fund raising events including our Furr Ball and Dog Walk. Mary Rose is truly devoted to the cause of animals and animal welfare and I strongly feel she would be an amazing asset to any organization.

I am grateful to have this opportunity to write a letter of recommendation for Mary Rose, an amazing woman in so many ways.

Mary and I have been friends for close to 20 years.  She and my daughter worked together under the same employer.  Upon returning from work, my daughter would share the day’s events, never failing to mention Mary Rose, a woman she highly respected and revered. Completely by chance, I purchased a home across the street from Mary Rose.  From the beginning, I was blessed with the gift of a thoughtful neighbor, a person who loved people and animals as much as I did, a “Best Friend,” and the “Sister” I never had.

She is multifaceted in her approach, enabling her to select the best course of action in diverse situations.  She is professional, a self-starter and a team player.  She has an enormous capacity of compassion for people and animals as well as an innate ability to draw them toward her.  She is soft spoken and speaks from her heart.  She has great humility and a depth of insight that is rarely seen in an individual.  Her knowledge is freely shared with others, knowledge gleaned from personal experience as well as her own in-depth research.

Mary has always made it a habit to search out healthy, holistic options for humans as well as animals and by doing so has developed an expertise in those areas that she freely shares with others.  Additionally, she intuitively knows the importance of listening and observation and utilizes those talents to gain an awareness of an animal or person’s physical or emotional state, utilizing that information in her attempt to assist those faced with various challenges.

She has spent numerous years and hours volunteering at the San Diego Humane Society, providing those animals her trusting sole, loving comfort and healing touch as they waited for adoption.  This is a woman who loves the outdoors, all living creatures she encounters, cares greatly about the environment and doing her part, and believes in holistic options for healthy living.

In the time I have known Mary Rose, she has always worked hard to support herself, accepting and working through challenging situations with grace, dignity and a positive attitude.  She has a great sense of humor and a contagious laugh and is honest to a fault.  Believe me, if I had my own business, she would be my first choice as an employee!

My four year old dog, Rica acted very strange after Sophie left us.  They never seemed to like each other much, even tho I had Rica for 3 years by then.  MaryRose communed with her.  She told me Rica did miss Sophie, and didn’t know what was happening, and was confused about her “place” now.  She told Rica that I loved her much!  Rica has slowly been becoming much more friendly to me, and beginning to realize her safe place in our home.  (She was a rescue from Puerto Rico that “adopted” me when I went down there once, and so had to bring her home to keep her alive.)

Mary Rose has a true gift with animals!  She does so much good.

When I told Mary Rose that Frankie was different from a lot of dogs as he had high energy but there was more going on with him then just that.  She just told me to let him go so she could see how he was and it didn’t take long for her to see what I was talking about. So many times I tried to explain him to others or vets and they would say of course he has high energy as he is an Aussie!  Well, I have been a trainer for over 35 years and I know the difference.  MaryRose is the first person who could really see what I was talking about and she was able to understand him and give me great ideas to help him and it has made a difference.  Thanks MaryRose for having the knowledge to see how Frankie really was and the compassion to help us.

All my life, I’ve been surrounded by animals.  They lift me up when I’m down, make me laugh when I want to cry, keep me fit and have always filled my heart with laughter and love! I’m pretty certain if you’re on this website you too have a unique bond with your animals!

The difficult part of having animals is when they slowed down, acquired joint and spinal pain, illnesses that are treatable, or that time in their short lives, when it becomes clear to you that you need to spend every precious moment with them because your time is short.

When our pets have problems of any kind, we want to do whatever we can to keep them comfortable, happy, and loved.  After all, isn’t that what they do for us?  I’ve searched out the best Vets I can find, in fact, I have three different Vets that I use for my boy, Otis.  He’s a great boy and a fabulous therapy dog, so to keep him happy and healthy, he also gets aqua, and laser therapy, and acupuncture along with healthy home cooking.

Why am I telling you all of this?  I want you to know how important animals are in my life, and why I spend time searching for the right person to work with them, not just for the knowledge and experience they have, but for the “heart” they put into treating and caring for them.

Here is where Mary Rose Ardolino comes in!  Observing animal behavior can teach you some amazing things.  Animals have an incredible depth of awareness for each individual that crosses their path.  MaryRose is an exceptional woman. Her connection with animals is amazing.  Each of my animals improved every time MaryRose worked with them.  Her skills are unique, she loves what she does & she grows more connected with the animals as she gently works with them.

MaryRose has spent most of her life seeking ways in which to enrich the care, health, and lives of animals.  She continuously strives to increase her knowledge, wisdom, and therapeutic care with animals and shares her knowledge with pet owners so they may continue to make the best choices for their animals once they are home.

MaryRose is passionate about her work.  While she provides Reiki, massage, or other forms of healing she maintains a calm tone, gentle touch and a healing heart to build their trust. In addition, she shares her knowledge with each animal’s owner in order to acquaint them with other options for caring for their animals & additional ways to enhance the relationship & understanding between them.  She has the gift of patience and creative awareness, and provides comfort and peace for animals and their owners to help create a strong and lasting bond between families and their pets.

She has a gentle touch, and provides calming interactions with the animals she works with.  When observing her work on your pets, it is amazing to note how the animals interact with her in different ways.  They are trusting and show their gratitude as only animals can, by connecting through their soft blinking eyes, their gentle demeanor, or put their head in her lap.  Otis loves to give her kisses!  She has a calming grace about her that affects the animals she works with because she can feel and understand their fear, pain, and challenges.

What a gift it is to find such a unique individual who has a natural gift that meets your animals’ needs and who’s wisdom is beyond what you hoped for.   MaryRose is passionate when it comes to helping the animals, and she has a deep awareness and softness of spirit which captures their attention and gains their trust like few others can.

She is gentle and caring with each animal she works with, taking the time to get know and understand  them , their behavior, their fears, quirks, & unique personalities.  Because of her gentle manner, she is often able to heal areas in which animals hold their stress and anxiety.

MaryRose has helped me with all of my animals through Reiki, massage, intuitive awareness, wisdom, and a great deal of love.  She spends an abundance of time researching information regarding animal hazards, dietary issues, supplements, allergies, behavioral issues and more.  If she doesn’t have the most current information to assist you when you are unable to find the answers to questions about your pets, she will take the time to research it & provide you with an answer if she’s able to.

If you are as connected to your animals as I am, and you wish to reduce their anxiety, fear, pain, or behavioral problems you won’t be disappointed, you have indeed found a true and charming Gem!!