Meet Jasmine, the furry fashionista and therapist lost for 3 days in a storm

Jasmine's career as a therapy dog started when she was in need of some therapy herself.

"She went missing last year during a thunderstorm - she was away for three nights and four days - and when she came back she was super clingy and scared of everything," said Melanie Trapman, Jasmine's owner and owner of Pilates Exclusive in Dubbo.

"She walked about 40km through the rain, we were so worried. She ended up walking down the driveway of a property and the farmhand found her - he tried to catch her and she went under a car. It took the farmer, his wife and his son and the farmhand to catch her."

Returning home after the storm, the 13-year-old Maltese Shih Tzu cross was suffering from separation anxiety and was wary of strangers so Melanie started bringing her to work with her. Now, Jasmine's using her new found confidence to help others.

"It ended up that people enjoyed having her around. She would go to the clients, walking around, asking for pats. Now she's at the point of greeting people at the door, but a lot of the time she just sleeps and just is around," she said.

"There are quite a few clients who - if they've had a tough day and just need a moment on the mat - she'll come over and hang out with them. She's now a permanent fixture."

Melanie adopted Jasmine when she was around six months old.

"She was a stray and she just kept wandering into our yard. One day we were able to grab her and we took her to the vets. She was malnourished so we cared for her and tried to find her owner. A month went past and no one claimed her and the pound didn't know anything about her," she said.

As well as greeting clients and keeping them company, Jasmine's fashionable outfits have been bringing locals joy on social media.

"She developed a hot spot - that's when dogs get hot and start licking areas of their body. I originally bought the clothes so she wouldn't lick and cause a sore - now she kind of likes wearing them," she said.

Melanie's business, Pilates Exclusive, has been helping clients who have chronic pain or injuries to get moving since 2006. She says the focus is on helping people to age gracefully - something Jasmine can relate to.

"People say she's still got a lot of movement for her age - she'll still jump up on the equipment if we call her and she just loves to hang out with us."

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