She ran a homeless shelter in Scituate for more than two decades using pet therapy as a method of helping her residents, many of whom were recovering addicts or recently released from jail, through depression. And in her free time, Sherry Jacobs visited nursing homes with her dogs, bringing smiles to those residents, too.

But two years ago after an incident of identity theft, Jacobs said she found herself broke and in the same situation as those who lived at her shelter.

"I was the one finding homes for people, and then I was homeless myself," Jacobs said.

Jacobs lost her home and had to close the 23-room shelter. Making a difficult situation worse, her beloved papillon puppy, a rescue, had been hit by a car and killed just two months before she became homeless, and she was forced to sell the dogs she used in therapy.

She bounced between various living situations, always wishing she could resume providing the pet therapy she enjoyed so much.

And then her luck started to turn.

She found a breeder from Missouri who specialized in papillons, which are known for their large ears reminiscent of butterflies (papillon is French for butterfly), small size, intelligence and friendliness, while browsing the Internet. After explaining her situation, he agreed to send her several dogs so that she could provide therapy again.

In exchange, Jacobs helps find homes for the dogs, which cost $600 or $700, depending on their age. Jacobs currently has four 6-week-old puppies and three 7-month-old sisters. She will eventually earn one of the sisters, named Smidgey, for herself.

"We just kind of became good friends," said Issiah Harsche, whose family has been raising papillons for several years. "We helped her out and made [the animals] available ... so she can do what she enjoys doing."

Jacobs visits Plymouth Crossings, an assisted living facility in Plymouth and volunteers at the Bourne Senior Center.

"Now I see smiles on people's faces, and it's basically more therapy for me than anyone else," said Jacobs, who moved to Onset three months ago.

Jacobs said she was inspired by the movie "Pay it Forward," in which a young boy decides to repay good deeds not by returning the favor, but by doing nice things for three additional people, who in-turn do the same for three more people, creating a chain reaction.

"Through my work with these puppies, basically, they saved my life," Jacobs said. "That's why I do the pet therapy."

On nice days, you might catch Jacobs pushing the pups around town in a doggie stroller, delighting every stranger she meets.

She even has a regular stream of neighbors, especially children, who visit the dogs at her home.

"The mothers now [say], 'If you don't eat your dinner, you can't see the puppies,'" Jacobs said with a laugh.

Jacobs is hoping to find more locations to visit and provide therapy with the pups, she said. "Nothing puts a smile on someone's face more than a basket full of puppies, I'll tell ya."

For more information about the papillons or to suggest a new location for pet therapy, call Sherry Jacobs at 508-273-0271 or e-mail jacobssherry@ymail.com.