Ashley Bemis's six-pound chihuahua-papillon mix Maddy is shown with her just-awarded certificate as a therapy dog, in April of 2010.

Ashley and her husband Ryan live in Bay City, Wisconsin. She had never previously been enamored of chihuahuas, but the instant she saw Maddy she was in love.

Friends noting what a good natured animal she was suggested she'd make a great therapy dog visiting hospitals. When you walk into a ward of sick children, says Ashley, "It makes your day when their eyes light up." [April 2010]