Profile: Lee, Chloe and Copper

September 2025

Lee Padden considers her job to be “dog chauffeur.” A spot-on description. She’s often zipping to one location or another for a Prescription Pets Therapy Dogs visit with either Chloe or Copper in the back of her car. 

“We’re super active,” Lee says.

They regularly visit Mercy Hospital, Oakmont Senior Living’s memory care, Quartz Hill nursing home, and Veterans Home of California — Redding. They also join special visits that pop up, such as meeting firefighters at the Green Fire camp in the city of Shasta Lake and visiting a children’s summer camp at Anderson River Park. Chloe and Copper are READ dogs as well. Their assignments with the reading program for children have included Redding Library and Redding STEM Academy.

The busy schedule would be too much for one dog, Lee notes. With lots of people, sights, sounds and scents, each visit is a tiring experience for a dog. Having two dogs allows Lee to alternate dogs so neither becomes overwhelmed.

Having an extra dog also was a plus when Pam Ward, a friend from Prescription Pets, was without a dog after her longtime therapy dog Britton passed away. Lee offered Pam the use of Copper as a temporary therapy-dog partner until Pam’s new puppy was old enough to take the test and join Prescription Pets. 

In addition to the many visits, Lee’s Prescription Pets involvement includes being president of the group. In her leadership role she conducts evaluation tests and mentors new teams.

She’s into therapy dog service in a big way, and that’s fitting because her therapy dogs are quite large. Chloe weighs in at 84 pounds; Copper at 102 pounds. Both are Goldendoodles. They also are siblings (same mother, different father), but you wouldn’t guess it by looking at them. Each is unique in appearance and personality.

Chloe, age 8, is cream colored with a thick, curly poodle coat. Copper, 7, has silky, bronze hair and looks more golden retriever-ish.

“Chloe doesn’t shed but she has to be groomed,” Lee says. “Copper is real low-maintenance but he leaves a trail of fluff wherever he goes.”

Both of the dogs passed their tests to become therapy dogs on their first attempts when they were a year old. Each looks forward to visits, becoming excited when Lee’s Prescription Pets shirt and the dog bandana come out — although neither knows who will be the chosen one that particular day.

Chloe takes visits seriously. She has a stoic nature, Lee notes. “She’s very calm, cool and collected.”

Copper is more of an extrovert, she notes. “He would be the first one to come up and say, ‘Hey, are you going to pet me?!’”

Seeing how people respond to the dogs is rewarding, Lee says. Dogs make young and old feel good. Residents at the retirement and care facilities often want to share a story about a dog that was important in their lives.

“We have so many heartwarming moments,” Lee says.

At the READ sessions, most children are eager to pair up with a dog and read. But not every child feels that way. Lee recalls one little boy who was afraid of getting too close to the dogs. He attended regularly and over time gained confidence. Eventually he began to pet the dogs and read to them.

“Copper was his favorite. Their hair was about the same color,” Lee says.

Lee has had a long parade of dogs in her life, beginning with Taffy, her childhood cocker spaniel. For 16 years she raised American Kennel Club-registered miniature dachshunds. In addition to Chloe and Copper, her household includes Sammy, a 6-month-old Shih tzu-Maltese cross.