Our team of Navigators and Navigator Buddies continues to grow, and today we’d like to introduce to you Daniel and Elizabeth Peters and their Buddy, Rook! The 230-pound eight-year-old English Mastiff, Rook loves trekking along every part of Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport if there are people to greet.

The Peters moved to Arizona in 2017, from Denver, Colorado. They were excited to move away from the Denver winters and into their beautiful Gold Canyon home. They always wanted Rook to become a certified therapy dog, so when he passed all the certification tests, they began to visit Rehab and Nursing homes. They were off to a great start but then COVID derailed their momentum and there weren’t any places open to therapy dogs. However, when everything started opening up again, an email invitation from the Phoenix Sky Harbor Navigator Buddies arrived just in time!

The Peters family was delighted to hear that they were invited to one of the Navigator Buddy classes to see if they would like to join. Daniel tells us that, “When we went there everyone was so kind and just lovely people. They all showed much excitement about Navigator Buddies, and we really wanted to be a part of the team.”

Daniel and Elizabeth knew that Rook’s calm and loving personality was perfect, so they joined. We’re glad they did, too, because we often hear travelers say that Rook is beautiful and a great therapy animal. People are amazed at his size and often ask Daniel what breed is he and how much does he weigh? Of course, they always want to take a picture with Rook. You’ve just got to! Daniel tells us that, “Rook probably gets his picture taken 120 times during his shift.”

Travelers also state that they are so happy that Phoenix Sky Harbor has therapy dogs to pet. “We see smiles everywhere Rook goes.”

Learn more about the Navigator Buddy Teams at PHX.