Top Dog

Therapy dog Trumpet arrives in style to spread a little cheer.

Ralph Orlando has spent more time in hospitals than most people his age—but not for the reasons you might expect. At a spry 84 years old, he’s in excellent health. He regularly visits hospitals, nursing homes, and veterans’ facilities with Trumpet, his faithful therapy dog, bringing cheer and comfort to the residents. Even better, he travels there on his 2003 Harley-Davidson Electra Glide Classic with Trumpet riding shotgun in the sidecar, secured with a harness and Doggles eye protection.

Ralph has been a motorcyclist since 1959 and is a longtime member of the New Smyrna Beach, H.O.G. Chapter in Florida. He’s a retired commercial airline pilot and military veteran, and flew Army helicopters for four years during the Vietnam war.

Since retirement, he has devoted his time to brightening the lives of the infirm, the elderly, military veterans, and anyone in need of a little good cheer. “It just keeps people smiling, makes them feel good—dogs do that,” Ralph explains. “It’s rewarding, and the dogs love it. They’re gonna get petted, no matter what.”

Nine-year-old Trumpet—full name Trumpet’s Call to Victory—is an Australian Koolie, a breed known for its intelligence, calm temperament, and livestock herding skills. She was trained for obedience competitions, and Ralph originally acquired her for that purpose. But when his longtime therapy dog Smokey, a Golden Retriever, passed away in late 2023 at age 13, he knew Trumpet was ready for duty. “The day after Smokey passed, we still had two scheduled visits. I didn’t want to miss them, so I said, ‘Trumpet, let’s go to work!’ I was confident she’d be okay because she’s a high-level obedience competition dog, and I knew she was well-mannered.”

Since then, Trumpet has been officially certified as a therapy dog by the American Kennel Club (AKC), and as of late 2024, she had made more than 170 visits, averaging around 15 per month. She also makes special appearances, visiting community events, local police agencies, and even colleges, and a major insurance company to help students and employees de-stress.

Ralph has been a tester for the Alliance of Therapy Dogs since 2014, where Smokey accompanied him as a “neutral dog” – the Golden Retriever’s laid-back personality had a calming effect on the dogs (and owners) being tested. In fact, over his career, Smokey achieved the AKC’s highest honors. “It’s called Therapy Dog Supreme,” Ralph explains. “They have awards for 10, 50, 100, 200, 400, and 600 visits. And I had 603!”

Trumpet’s paws have big boots to fill, and she has stepped into them admirably. As for Ralph, he sees no end in sight to his work. “I’m healthy enough that I can continue doing it. They have elevators in the buildings I go into, so I don’t have to walk up a lot of stairs.” And Trumpet seems to enjoy riding in the sidecar as much as Smokey did.

Although Ralph’s selfless service hasn’t gone unnoticed, he won’t take full credit for it. When a local hospital awarded him their Volunteer of the Year award, he brought the plaque back to the trophy shop to have a line added. “It didn’t have Smokey’s name on there,” he says. “So I took it to the shop and asked them to add ‘Therapy Dog Team Smokey and Ralph’ because Smokey is the star.”

Find out more about the Alliance of Therapy Dogs here and the AKC therapy dog program here.