Robin's Nest from American Humane - Penny, the Showstopping Hero Dog

Episode Date: June 2, 2025

In this inspiring episode, Dr. Robin Ganzert welcomes Lindsey Peetz, a passionate animal advocate and high school teacher, and her remarkable rescue dog Penny. Once a shelter pup with an uncertain future, Penny is now a national hero — honored at the Hero Dog Awards® and celebrated for her incredible transformation.Lindsey and Penny’s story is one of resilience, love, and second chances. Together, they’re raising awareness about adoption and showing the world just how extraordinary shelter dogs can be.Don’t miss this heartfelt conversation about hope, healing, and the power of the human-animal bond.

Welcome to Robin's Nest. Many of us feel a deep bond with animals, from the pets we cherish at home to the endangered species in nature. Join us for lively, informative conversations where together we will build a more humane world. Today's episode is hosted by Georgia Boyer, my communications colleague at American Humane, who is a longtime animal lover. Let's listen to our conversation with Georgia.

Today, we have an extraordinary story to share, one that will touch your heart and inspire you to see shelter animals in a whole new light. Joining us is Lindsay Peets, a passionate advocate for animal rescue and adoption. Her remarkable companion Penny, a spirited shelter dog, has gone from uncertain beginnings to a life filled with love and purpose. Together

Lindsay and Penny embody the magic that happens when we open our hearts to animals in need. Their story is one of resilience and connection. Get ready to hear all about how this dynamic duo is making a difference and showing the world what shelter dogs are capable of. Welcome Lindsay. It's so exciting to have you on Robin's Nest. I have not seen you since January, I think. Right? Yeah.

It was the big hero dogs gala, which was so much fun and Penny was the biggest hit. She was dressed biggest hit. She was just so impressed. Yes, and I love how you have the cutout behind you, so everyone who watches Robin's Nest is able to see. That is our star Penny right there. And she is the cutest thing you've ever seen, and her eyes are truly captivating.

So I'm so happy you brought the cutout. Me too. Yeah. And so Lindsay was just telling us before we started recording that she is at school right now. So Lindsay, why don't you just let the listeners know all that you do as a nice introduction? Sure. So I am a teacher at Assumption High School in Louisville, Kentucky, and I have the opportunity to teach all freshmen and juniors and seniors in PE and fitness and nutrition. And it is such a rewarding job to be able to teach lifetime wellness to these students. But I also have the incredible opportunity to bring Penny to

our school as well as a therapy dog. So Penny gets to visit the guidance office and hang out with students throughout the day and come to special events and we also work with a lot of our students on advocacy as well. So Penny could not be here with me today on three legs, but she is here in cutout form because our guidance office always has Penny in their office even when she can't be here. Yes. She's truly a star. So for those listeners who did not follow the Hero Dog Awards this year, but we were on the Today Show. I shouldn't say we.

You were on the Today Show and then also the Kelly Clarkson Show. So Kelly Clarkson really loved Penny's story and wanted to share it with her audience. So it was so wonderful. You and Penny were both on her show. Now did your students get to watch? Did you get any feedback from your students? Yes, our students did get to watch. They had a school-wide assembly where they put Kelly Clarkson up on the jumbo screen and they all got to watch together. They just thought it was so amazing to have their penny on TV and to have

her story shared with more people than just outside of our community. So they were really excited, they wanted to know all about the experience, if Kelly was as nice as she seems, and they they were just so glad to be a part of the process here at school in Kentucky. Yeah. It's so great. I feel like one of the things that Penny really does is she is able to connect with that younger generation that is oftentimes so hard to do. Can you speak to that and just how she helps you at your job and with the work that you do? Yes. So one of the things we've started to say to people is that Penny, she chooses to see the good and be the good in this world. Her story is one of heartbreak, but it's also resilience. And that really connects to a

lot of people. We all have challenges that we face throughout the days and the years. And a lot of times our students come into guidance and they might be sad or upset or they just may feel a little down. And the moment that they see Penny, their eyes light up and she just goes to them. She lets them pet her. And then they see this big smile that's always on her face and those bright eyes and they know her story and they see how she is now.

And they think, if Penny can do it, I can do it. She just brings this sense of peace even though she can't talk to them. Just her presence makes them feel better. Again, we've started using that tag of if she chooses to see the good then and be the good, we can too and we can make a difference in this world. Yeah. I love that. I think it's a message that like we should scream from the mountaintops because we need that message but it's so true and even you know on a set she's on set at Kelly Clarkson the crowd's cheering everyone's saying oh and she just jumped up on there and went to sleep. Everyone's saying, oh, and she just jumped up on there and went to sleep. She's like, I know what I'm doing.

I've been here before. She's just so comfortable in so many scenarios and settings. I think that brings a lot of people peace as well. When they see her relax, they tend to take a deep breath and relax as well. I think that is just a power of Penny in that she has to give people. Yeah. I completely agree. I completely agree. So, all right. So you're a teacher by day, but then you also have a fur family at home of special needs dogs. And can you just let us know, like, how did that happen? And, you know,

like, what drew you to be that kind of pet owner? Honestly, our animals have always just found us. I don't think we've ever been in a situation where we've been truly, truly looking. For Penny, we saw her picture on her rescue social media site and we just felt very connected to her, very drawn to her that we were supposed to be her people. Our one-year-old dog Violet, she is deaf and blind. And again, we saw her picture,

we weren't looking for another dog. And we just kind of felt connected and that there was a bigger purpose for us. My husband and I don't have children and so our family, they really are our kids. And for us, we felt it was so important to rescue shelter animals and rescue animals because they are often can be overlooked and especially animals that have different abilities like Penny being a tripod and Violet being deaf and blind, they may not be seen as the perfect pet

and people may overlook them. And we've kind of seen beyond the label and seen them for their abilities that they have. They are the most normal, capable dogs that are out there. We just had to learn how to navigate this world in a different way, and that's their way of navigating. Yeah. Yeah. And so let's just talk about Penny's beginnings and how she got to where she is today because it truly is a remarkable story of survival. So just in case some of the listeners haven't heard the whole story. Yes. Penny was found in December of 2020. She was thrown

out of a car in a plastic bag. Luckily, people saw this happen and were able to bring individuals to help. And when they found her, she had broken legs, three of her four legs had been broken, and they took her to the vet and multiple vets said that her injuries were so incredibly extensive. They were actually over two weeks old from being thrown out of that car, and so her legs were deteriorated and multiple vets recommended euthanasia because they just didn't see how she could have a quality of life and survive. But her rescue and the people who first found her said she just had this spirit that was like, I'm not going to give up and I'm going to be here and I'm going to fight and I'm going to do amazing things. So she wasn't going to give up and they weren't going to give up on her. So

her rescue took her in. They did everything that they could. They had to amputate one of her legs, but they saved the others and she took about a year to recover from her injuries, but now she is absolutely unstoppable. She does amazing on three legs and she has a resilient personality that we just all learn so much from and she makes the most of every single moment and I think that is truly amazing. Yeah. Yeah. It's true. Her spirit is contagious. It's like every time I see her, even the cutout, I can't stop smiling. I'm like, oh. But every time I see her, she just brings a smile.

And even at the Hero Dog Awards gala, I felt like every single person that she met, they walked away with a huge smile. It's like she knows how to pose for photos. She just is a star. Yeah. She does pose a lot. She has lots of fun outfits that she wears, which they are fun and they're beautiful, but they do serve a purpose. She has severe nerve damage where she is always cold. She burns quite a bit from her scars from her abuse. So they serve a very good purpose, but she's awfully cute

in them too. Yeah, but they're also so cute. But yeah, that is true. I forgot about that piece that she does need to wear the clothing, but it also looks great. She's a fashionista. She truly is. So we have Penny and she's this star and when you took her in, did you even know that you would be taking her to the school or that it would expand to the advocacy work that you do? No, honestly, I had no idea this would be our path. I can't even remember how honestly it all started and what led to this. I knew I wanted to continue to help her rescue the Aero Fund. I feel so grateful for what they did to just give her a chance at survival.

And I wanted to be a part of that rescue and sharing their mission and advocating for severely abused animals in our state. And then with Penny, her trauma was in the past and she has no residual PTSD and there's nothing that can be done to change her past. But I really felt compelled that we needed to continue to share her story because it can help change the narrative for other animals that are like her and bring awareness to the issue of abuse,

especially in our state because we are one of the very worst states uh for animal abuse laws and I think sometimes and what state are you again what state is it it's Kentucky yeah okay and some people just they read her story and they're like well it's just a statistic it's just a story but then when they truly hear it and they see her and how far she's come, it becomes real. And it's hard to not pay attention. It's hard to ignore that when she is a living, breathing thing that's smiling in front of you and is still so trusting. So that brought along this advocacy path. And then I brought her

into school one day because she had a news interview and I couldn't go home and get her. So I asked if I could bring her in and the students just absolutely fell in love with her. She was just so good in the environment. She would really catch on to what they were needing. She was like an impact to their feelings and she just became a part of a really exciting part in their day. And so we had her certified as a therapy dog and and now she's just she's just assumptions dog and and the students have rallied around her like I never could have imagined. And they advocate with her rescue with me, with others in the state for stricter animal abuse laws, and the youth voice matters. They're the one that's

going to change things in this world. It's not me, and it's not necessarily our older generation, but they're the ones that are going to demand change, and they're the ones that are going to demand change and they're the ones that are going to be a part of that. And so seeing 14 to 18 year olds going to our state Capitol and advocating with her standing next to them and speaking in front of legislators is just so incredibly powerful and I'm so proud to have been able to be a part of this. Yeah, absolutely. And coming from, I'm a stepmom with a 15-year-old stepson, and he's a boy of few words.

And I find that it's just so remarkable that you are able to really get teenagers out of their shell during that time when they don't really want to come out of their shell. So what a gift. And find the things that they're passionate about. And a lot of them really are passionate about animals and animal welfare, but they're so incredibly passionate about Penny too. Exactly. And they want to be able to be her voice.

Yeah. Now, what would you say to people who are thinking about adoption and are coming across those special needs dogs? What is some advice that you have for people as they're going through the process? I think it's important to do a little bit of research. Of course, it has to be the right fit. There's always going to be a transition time. That's natural with any new animal, but an animal that's been in a shelter may have some different adjustments in terms of day-to-day life. There could be some trust issues depending on what

led them to the shelter. So I think finding and doing some research is important. So it's the right fit. We don't want animals to be returned to shelters because it was an impulse. And so going and doing a meet and greet, seeing how you connect and interact is so incredibly important. As far as animals that might be differently abled, I think it's important to keep our minds open. It's incredible because people sometimes look at Penny and Violet and they're like, aww, and I'm like, no, like they're thriving and they don't know any different and this is just their world. So Penny on three legs can do anything a dog on four can. She is fast, she can jump, she can go on walks.

We just got done taking a camping trip and we went hiking. I mean, she's absolutely incredible. She's just missing a limb. And of course, we've done a lot of research and how can we support her overall joint mobility. We got her a prosthetic leg just to help support her. As she ages, we feed her a prosthetic leg just to help support her as she ages. We feed her a lot of omega rich foods that are going to help support her joint health

as she gets older because we know a tripod is going to eventually deteriorate with that one remaining leg. Plus, she has had all the other trauma to her others. We never had a deaf or a blind dog before. And then we got Violet and she was born with both. And I was like, well, Violet doesn't know any different. This has always been her world. So we honestly just had to keep our perceptions at the back burner and kind of watch her navigate life and then learn how to support her in that. So having her map the house in a very safe way and kind of watching her do that.

She mapped the house in less than 24 hours and now doesn't bump into anything and knows where everything is. We've also given her opportunities to be a dog and haven't just secluded or sheltered her world. We've allowed those opportunities so she's not afraid of anyone. She goes on walks and she does it by herself. She doesn't need Penny. You know, she's okay with other people coming. Her world is her nose and the sense of feel. And if we allow her to explore it with those things, she can do anything that any other dog. So I think keep an open mind. Of course, not every animal is gonna be the right fit and that's okay.

But I also sometimes think they are looked over because of those challenges when in reality, they're just minor limitations in certain parts of our world, but they're so capable. Right. It's almost like the human needs to change the mindset, and they're actually very capable. Yes. So much of it is about our own perceptions of what they might be going through or our

own worries. They're over here running in the yard doing zoomies and just making loops. They don't know any different and they're happy. Right. Right. Now, are there any talks in your household of another dog or another pet? That's a really great question. We lost our 16 year old dog in January very unexpectedly, even though he was 16, it was unexpected. And honestly, it's like I said at the beginning, they find us, we don't really look for them. And when they do find us, it's just that connection that I don't, I don't think I can describe. It's like, we're meant to be, we're meant to be their people, they're meant to be ours.

So that hasn't happened yet, I'm not saying it won't at some point, but that hasn't happened. So with Penny, right? It was, you were, what was the story about you and your husband like connecting and finding her? Cause I think that's a good one. Yeah, we had lost our three-year-old dog to cancer and it was very sudden unexpected and

we weren't looking for another animal at all and excuse me, both of us were just looking on social media one day and her picture popped up and we really hadn't followed her rescue much her picture popped up and we really hadn't followed her rescue much. It wasn't something that we were connected to every day and her picture popped up and it was her intake photo. It had just happened and of course they were looking for donations because she was gonna be very expensive and they were looking for fosters and we saw her picture and my husband and I literally just looked at each other. Didn't have to say a word. We just knew that this was supposed to happen. And I immediately got the computer out and applied to be a foster

of a severely abused medical case without thinking. And both of us didn't talk about it at all. We just knew that this was meant to happen. Yeah. I love that. I just love that. I get goosebumps every time. It's such a good story. Yeah. Okay. So we always ask the question, but what is Penny's superpower? What is Penny's superpower? Wow. I really, I think it's her just ability to connect to people and to make people feel better no matter what they are going through. She just has a way about her that finds every individual's needs in that moment,

in that day. And it could be that she's excited with you in her tail's wagon, she's super happy, or it could be that she's gonna come and just rest her head on your legs and just be there for you. You're crying, lick your tears. I just think she has an incredible way of connecting

to people of all ages and no words are needed. It's just her and her presence. And I think it's also her story, her story of resilience and overcoming what she went through. It really does connect to people to say, I might be going through some challenges, but there is another side. And I can make it to that other side

with love and support and encouragement. I just have to get through the darkness now. I think that's something that she does for a lot of people, kids to adults. Yeah. Yeah, because it's like not only did she get through a difficult time, but she got through it and she kind of put it behind her and continued forward with positivity. A lot of times people and animals, they kind of just get through it and then it really affects them for the rest of their life. And for her, she was like, nope, I'm going to be a star.

Exactly. I know. And that's unfortunately, it can't always be the case. Sometimes there's too much trauma. But for Penny, and I think that's what makes her so incredibly amazing and special is she has had that ability and why not share that with the world? And that's why we bring her to school and that's why we're on this journey and spreading her mission throughout our city and the country is she can just make everyone feel a little

bit better. Yeah. Now, do you want to share anything in particular that, you know, what's going on with you guys or any of your advocacy work or even her Instagram handle if you want? Sure. Well, we, about a month and a half ago, I guess, went to our state capital in Frankfort, Kentucky, and we took 33 high school students with us to speak on behalf of animals in our state and to advocate for stricter laws. They did get to speak to legislators, and that was amazing. So continue to be proud of that work and what our students are doing. She is going to our Center for Women and Families and

serving as a therapy dog there as well and connecting to women and children that are going through a tough time and I think that's a really special bond that she started to make with them. And we are just continuing to try to spread her message any way we can in the city and outside of it. So her Instagram is try TRI and then underscore like underscore Penny. And we just try to be inspirational in showing her adventures and Violet's adventures and just what all that they can do in this world is differently abled dogs. Right. I love that.

Let's talk about just the whole Hero Dog Awards. What was your experience like? Would you recommend it to anyone else? And what did you get out of it? It was absolutely incredible. And I'm not saying that just because I'm talking to you, but it really was an adventure that is once in a lifetime. And I tried to enjoy every single moment of that process.

I honestly didn't even know that it was a thing until I was told about it. And then I think I actually sent an application very much at the end because I had been told about it so late. And I was like, this is a really awesome thing to highlight animals across the country and what they're doing to help humans and just how amazing they are. So I was like, why not? Let's be a part of this and let's promote it. So the experience was really great. I got to meet a lot of people that were in Penny's category and just building community.

You know, I know at the end there was one final winner, but you know, it really was about something bigger and that's bringing awareness, but also the amazing community that we have in terms of people who just love animals and want to support them. So I thought that was really a very special experience. And American Humane kind of made everything super easy and they also I think made it a very special experience for us I think made it a very special experience for us and the hometown visit and the video and that whole process and getting our community to be on set, it was so exciting to have that experience with her and to be able to see her in a different environment and see her make people smile in the airport in stressful

scenarios. And I was like, I've never seen someone smile on the streets of New York till they walk by Penny and then everyone has this big smile on their face and their world like moves from the cell phone up to her eyes. So I thought that was really a very special thing that I wouldn't have gotten, you know, in our everyday life. And then being able to share her story on a larger scale is something that I'm incredibly grateful for because again, the whole purpose of what I started out with her rescue is to help change the narrative for other animals.

So maybe there isn't another penny in the future. And for others to realize rescue animal shelter animals are just as deserving of homes as any other animal. So I think that I'm beyond grateful for. And then the gala, that was incredible as well, getting her all dressed up in her little gown on the red carpet. It was just a great experience and I highly recommend it to anyone that might be interested in getting their story out and their message out and wanting to support animals, I think it's a great experience.

Even if you don't win, the community that you can build and the messages that you can still send through the platform is a phenomenal experience. Yeah. I know. I will say, Penny, when I asked the superpower question, I'm like, Penny's superpowers, she's meant to be a movie star. Because when we walked down the streets, it was so funny. Everyone stopped. Everyone. It's like, she's a showstopper. I know. I know. It was incredible to see that because again, I mean, she does it here all the time, but it's really on the- Right.

And she's like on the streets of New York in a brand new setting and she still just kind of like had a swag to her. Yeah. She's like, I own this city. It's mine now. She's like, oh yeah, I'm here everyone. Exactly. It really is so funny.

Well, thank you, Lindsay. This has been great chatting with you. And I love Penny and I love sharing her story. And I love the cutout. Yes. Don't we all wish we could have a Penny cutout in our office? No, but thank you for having us and making time for us. We appreciate it. And for everything you did to help us spread her story. Oh my gosh, of course. Yeah, we love you. Thank you for tuning into Robin's Nest. We wanna hear what you think.

Please make sure to review the podcast on your podcast platform. Watch for upcoming episodes that'll include new and exciting discussions. If you love animals, you'll love this season of Robin's Nest.