Roux is CHS’s therapy dog who comes about once a month with his owner, Erika Hamilton. During lunch hour, they sit in front of the counseling office, bringing warm smiles to whomever walks by. Roux loves this, his inviting personality drawing people towards him, brightening everyone’s days.
Roux has a big job for such a little dog. Erika says, “Sometimes we’ll stop by the schools, other days we will stop by different law enforcement offices.” Roux is a hard-working dog; he brings smiles to everyone’s faces.
Roux and Erika go to many different schools and places in their daily lives. Some of the schools they go to include Cashmere and Leavenworth. The two of them go to many different law enforcement offices, since Roux is considered a part of the police department.
During the job, Roux makes sure to see at least one person per day, someone who might need help or just comfort from him. Erika also works with Roux, not only guiding Roux around but serving as a therapist for people in need on the job.
One surprising case Roux and Erika worked on was the Decker case. Roux comforted the Decker family and others affected by the case. Erika and Roux were on site when law enforcement stayed close to the case. Having a dog around the site helped people develop their emotions and make them feel calmer.
Dogs have a special effect on humans. Erika shares more. “When you have an animal, your brain releases serotonin, which makes your body feel calm, so that’s the whole idea behind therapy dogs, they have a pretty high level of obedience that you work with.”
Many students feel happier with Roux around, saying they feel happier going to class after lunch because they love dogs. Erika says, “He is essentially just here to be loved, be a pet, and make others happy. I don’t know about you, but I am much happier when dogs are around me.”
Most of Roux’s life has been spent with Erika, living at home with her and the rest of her family. Roux is a normal dog when not wearing his vest. When Roux is wearing his working vest, he knows that it is time to be serious and that he is on the job.
Erika trained Roux to be as obedient as he is today. She shares, “I did his training. Wenatchee Kennel Club in Wenatchee donated all of his classes, as many classes as he needed to take to pass his therapy dog in training test.”
Roux took lots of different classes, most of which centered around obedience. Erika says, “He did a lot of rally classes, which is him walking in a position around me, where he can walk really well through crowds. Lots of exposure to lots of sounds, lots of people, and surfaces make him a better therapy dog.”
Erika has always dreamed of a job like this, knowing where her mark stood when she was a young child.
“This is kinda a dream job for me. I’ve always had a passion for helping people and really understanding human behavior. When I was 7 or 8, I got a psychology book, and that’s how it all started. I’ve always been interested in human behavior and how people operate, the things that make us who we are, and how we interact with people. That’s how I ended up getting my degree in psychology,” says Erika.
Erika and Roux are excited to continue with schools, looking forward to making people happy with Roux.
Jonathan • Oct 24, 2025 at 1:39 pm
Roux is a good boy