Therapy Dog Program Manager

Involvement in community service has always played an important role in Barbara McKown’s life.  Her mother was very involved in the community and shared many lessons about giving back in positive and meaningful ways.

Barbara’s association with Pawsitive Teams began in the late 1990’s shortly after meeting its co-founders, Carol & Charli, at an information booth.

At the time her knowledge of service dogs was quite limited and she had no idea of the skills they learned and their importance in changing lives. Carol and Charli invited her to learn more about Pawsitive Teams and service dogs, and also provided an introduction to therapy dogs.

A short time later, Barbara and two of her kids signed up for the Therapy Dog Prep School with two of their dogs. It did not take long to become certified with both of their dogs. Doing therapy work with canine partners is rewarding and satisfying.  Barbara’s world opened up in ways that she never expected!

Through the years she has worn many hats at Pawsitive Teams.

Barbara became a Prep School instructor and work with so many amazing and dedicated people. Her passion is to help people learn about their dog and provide skills and information that will assist in their quest to become a great therapy team.

Barbara’s role in Pawsitive Teams has grown and her responsibilities are diverse and welcome. She became the Volunteer Coordinator and part of the photography team. New opportunities arose that included being on the Therapy Dog Steering committee and event planning committees, assisting with Therapy Dog evaluations, and helping at events. She is now the Therapy Dog Program Manager.

After 41 years of service Barbara retired as a scheduling coordinator at Kaiser Permanente, an organization that also values community involvement. These shared values provided a natural transition to working with people and dogs.

To her, dogs bring a world of joy and comfort to people and Barbara is happy to share in that journey.