
Patient Mildred Richards pets Jetta, a labradoodle therapy dog, in her hospital room Wednesday at UnityPoint Health -- St. Luke's in Sioux City. Jetta is owned by hospital volunteer John Street.
SIOUX CITY -- On a Wednesday afternoon, Jimi, a 7-year-old golden retriever, calmly sat upright on a padded table at UnityPoint Health -- St. Luke's wearing a costume lion's mane adorned with colorful hair clips. Across from him, a female patient in a wheelchair slowly picked the clips from his fake mane.
Of the therapy dogs that visit the hospital on a weekly basis, Jimi is the only one assisting in patients' rehabilitation.
"The patients choose to work with a dog in rehab. He's used as part of their equipment to make them feel good and to motivate them," said Jane Berger, Jimi's owner.
Five years ago, Jimi, who is Berger's fourth therapy dog, began working with patients. Jimi participates in competitive obedience and is an expert at impulse control.
"At an obedience competition, I might throw a dumbbell and he has to wait until he's sent to get it. Here, they might kick a ball to him and the ball might go someplace where I don't want it to, so then I release him. He has to pick up things. He picks up rings," Berger, of Sioux City, said. "A lot of it transfers from what he already knows."

Therapy dog handlers John Street with Jetta, left, and Ran Newberg with Gracie, wait to enter patient rooms Nov. 6, 2019, at UnityPoint Health -- St. Luke's in Sioux City.
On another floor of the hospital, Gracie, a 10-year-old border collie and golden retriever mix, and Jetta, a 5-year-old labradoodle, patiently waited in a hallway with their owners. They were dressed in red vests stitched with the words "I am a therapy dog."
When Gracie walks through the hospital's doors, Ran Newberg, of Sioux City, said she knows that she has to be "cool, calm and collected."
"They learn that it's a job; and their job is to make people happy," said Newberg, who has been bringing Gracie to the hospital since she was 2.
Bob Clem, of Sioux City, remarked, "You're a nice dog," from a chair in his room at St. Luke's as he petted Gracie's shiny black coat. Clem said he requested a visit from a therapy dog because it seemed to really cheer up his late wife when she was hospitalized.
"Most people love dogs," Clem said. "It's a good program. It's fun."

Patient Bob Clem, of Sioux City, pets Gracie, a therapy dog owned by Ran Newberg, on Wednesday at UnityPoint Health -- St. Luke's in Sioux City.
Gracie loves to play Frisbee and participate in agility when she's not comforting patients, but after a trip to the hospital, Newberg said his pooch is worn out.
"You would not imagine how much energy she's burning by being this calm. When we leave here today, she'll curl up in the front seat and go sound asleep," he said. "That's how I know she's had a good day at the hospital."
John Street, of Ponca, Nebraska, thought he needed something to keep him busy when he retired from teaching. Street took a job in Ponca's school library and got Jetta, a happy-go-lucky pooch with a silky-soft gray coat.
Street found Jetta by placing an ad seeking a labradoodle or goldendoodle puppy to train as a therapy dog. A Brookings, South Dakota, breeder contacted Street about a puppy he had that was "really laid-back."
"I always said she was born to be a therapy dog," Street said.
Jetta wagged her tail as she trotted into Mildred Richards' room and sat down at her side. Jetta looked as if she was smiling with her wide open mouth as she soaked up the attention from Richards, who cooed, "You're a nice puppy, aren't you?"
"Her trademark is, probably, she offers her paw," Street said of Jetta. "It just makes me feel so good. It's really an emotional experience to be here and see how we can brighten the day of these people."
Aalfs Manufacturing historic

An assembly line at the Aalfs Manufacturing Co. plant in Sioux City is shown in a 1940s-era photo.
Capital Theater 1940-1959

The Capital Theater was locatedon Nebraska Street in downtown Sioux City.
Badgerow Building

Early 1940s photo of the Badgerow Building in Sioux City.
Salvation Army

People donate money in a Salvation Army kettle in the 1940s.
Chesterfield

Chesterfield
Morningside Avenue

A view of Morningside Avenue.
Pierce Street 1941

Pierce Street is shown in 1941. Streetcars were once the main mode of transportation in Sioux City.
Bishop Cafeteria

Bishop Cafeteria, also known as Bishop's, was located on the first floor of the Commerce Building at the southeast corner of Sixth and Nebraska streets until the 1980s when the business moved to the Southern Hills Mall. This photo was taken in the late 1940s.
Blizzard: 1940

Wind blows snow along Fourth Street in Sioux City on Nov. 11, 1940. Temperatures fell as much as 30 degrees in two hours that day.Â
Sioux City's Memorial Drive

Sioux City officials dedicate the widened Memorial Drive in 1940. Nicknamed "The Memorial Mile," the road had 140 elm trees planted on either side in honor of Woodbury County residents who died in World War I. The trees and the markers that stood by them have long since disappeared.
Jennings street house

A home in the 2800 block of Jennings Street in Sioux City is shown in the 1940s. Residents on the block in 1914 wanted the City Council to approve measures to narrow the street.
Reservoir Park

Reservoir Park at 37th and Virginia streets in Sioux City is shown in the 1940s. The park was renamed Sutherland Park in 1963.
Battery Building

Workers are shown outside the Battery Building, which housed Sioux City Battery Co. starting in the 1940s.
Savoy Supper Club/Historic Fourth

Historic Fourth Street as it appeared in the 1940s. At the time this photo was taken, there were about as many people living in Sioux City as there are now.Â
Sadoff's Men's Clothing store

In this photo provided by the Sioux City Public Museum, Nathan Sadoff is shown at his downtown Sioux City men's clothing store in the late 1940s or early 1950s.
Sioux City circa 1940-1959

A view of Riverside can be seen in this photo taken from the bluffs between 1940-1959.
Leif Erikson Pool

The Leif Erikson pool was built in 1941. A new version opened in 1979.
Sioux City Journal history

Sioux City Tribune.
Morningside drama department

Morningside College student performers prepare to go on stage in 1942.
Elevated railway piers

Supports for an elevated railroad are shown at Second and Fowler streets in Sioux City on July 19, 1942. Talk began of building the elevated railway in July 1888.
First World War Cannon

This photo from the July 25, 1954, Journal shows a cannon used in World War I in France that was awarded to the Sioux City chapter of the Military Order of the Purple Heart by the U.S. War Department and dedicated in the veterans' plot at Memorial Park Cemetery.
Louise Sammons Freese

Louise Sammons Freese, longtime columnist for the Sioux City Journal and a member of the Perkins family, is shown reading the Journal in October 1947.
City Hall 1948

This structure, shown in this Dec 22, 1948 photo, served as the city hall for 31 years before its interior was severely damaged by a fire that swept through it in 1944.
Judas goats

In this photo, taken circa 1945, a Judas goat leads a group of sheep up a ramp to their deaths at the Cudahy meatpacking plant in Sioux City.Â
Judas goats

In this photo, taken circa 1945, a Judas goat leads a group of sheep up a ramp to their deaths at the Cudahy meatpacking plant in Sioux City.Â
Labor Day Parade

Labor Day Parade near 6th and Pierce streets in 1945.
Labor Day Parade

Labor Day Parade near 4th and Pierce streets, 1945.
Sioux City Air Base

Transport planes sit at the Sioux City Air Base in 1945. Agencies are still disputing who should pay to clean up fuel spills that may be from the era.Â
Condon Motor Co.

Charles Harrison "C.W." Condon, Sr. started a full service heavy-duty truck dealership in 1945 at 623 Pearl St. in Sioux City. His son, Chuck, joined the business in 1959.
Combination bridge, 1945

The Combination bridge spanning the Missouri River between Sioux City and South Sioux City is swung open to let larger vessels pass through in this April 13, 1945 photo.
1945 Christmas

Thousands gather outside the Younkers-Davidson store in downtown Sioux City during the holidays in 1945. Organizers say this year's Santa in the Window at the Warrior Hotel is reminiscent of long-past times when Younkers-Davidson and other downtown department stores set up elaborate Christmas displays in their windows.
Sioux City Sue

In 1946, Gayle Jean Hofstad was designated the official "Sioux City Sue," in a pageant judged by the song's composer, Dick Thomas. She was whisked away to Hollywood to see about a possible movie career -- which apparently never materialized.Â
Labor Day Parade

Labor Day Parade at 4th and Douglas streets, 1946.
Labor Day Parade

Labor Day Parade at 4th and Douglas streets, 1946.
Baber's Vis-Vita Sales

The home of Baber's Vis-Vita Sales Co. at Sixth Street and Floyd Boulevard. Founded in 1946 as a one-man operation selling feed to Siouxland livestock producers by the late philanthropist, Alva Baber, Vis-Vita has marked steady expansion since its inception.
International Milling Co., 1947

A fire destroyed the International Milling Co.'s plant in Leeds the morning of April 19, 1947.
Vigen Motor Company

Vigen Motor Co., 200 W. 7th St., circa 1947.
Carlin Motor Company

Carlin Motor Company, dealer for Lincoln and Mercury automobiles, moved to 655 Water St. in 1947. It was formerly at 310 W. 7th St. Latest garage equipment and facilities were incorporated to make one of the most modern garages in the area.
Community House City Champions

This photo features Community House City Champions, Bottoms area, Sioux City, 1947. John Palmolea is pictured second row on the left.Â
Kresge building

The new Kresge building, shown in this Sept. 21, 1947 photo. The building fronts on Pierce street between Fourth and Fifth streets. The completed structure at 423 Fourth St., will give the store a depth of 150 feet on Pierce street.
H&H Building in downtown Sioux City

The American Legion Parade is shown in front of the H&H Building, right, in the 500 block of Fourth Street in Sioux City.Â
Blizzard: 1947

Branches on bushes around the Grandview Park Rose Garden bend under the weight of snowfall in 1947.
185th Birthday

"The Raggity Ann Militia" was the nickname given to the air guard in 1947, just after its organization in Sioux City. An inspection photo of that time shows the variety of World War II uniforms that the men wore then.
Unitarian Church fire

The fire at the Unitarian Church, located at the corner of 10th and Douglas streets, took place July 29, 1948.
Heelan High School groundbreaking

Father Francis Staber, Father Richard Sweeney, Bishop Joseph Mueller, Father Frank Greteman behind the Bishop, Monsignor Kevane, Mayor Dan J. Conley, Father C. Hayes, Father Francis Friedel behind Father Hayes and Father Regis at the groundbreaking ceremony Oct. 12, 1948 on the corner of 11th and Douglas streets.
Heelan High School construction 1948

Construction at Heelan High School Oct. 25, 1948.
Heelan High School construction

Construction at Heelan High School on Dec. 1, 1948.
Streetcars out to pasture

Streetcars that were retired after the inauguration of bus service are shown June 20, 1948, on the edge of a cornfield near Memorial Drive.
Heelan High School

Heelan High School opened its doors to the first class in 1949.
Dividend Oil Co.

The Dividend Oil Co. recently opened a new type of self-serve filling station at Seventh and Douglas streets in downtown Sioux City, shown in this photo from May 29, 1949. The firm employs 10 Sioux City girls who act as cashiers and will acquaint customers with the new type of service. The station has 12 new type pumps which means service can be readily rendered without spillage. The firm is managed by Julius J. Arkin.
Blizzard: 1949

This unidentified man stands on top of a snow drift in which a tunnel has been dug in this 1949 photo.
Halloween in 1949

A child in costume marches in a Halloween parade in 1949.