Dogs are social creatures at no time in my life has that simple fact struck home like it has with my Turtle man lately. We tend to think along the lines of how much good can a therapy dog do for people but I have discovered just how much good a therapy person can do for a dog. My aussie was a very busy boy. He went to work with me for an 8 hour shift demonstrating good behavior to my students. He also helped with the rescue puppies I took in, training them in such things as mouth control, proper interaction and greeting and generally puppysitting for me. On his days off he patrolled the yard, napped on the couch and played with my other dogs. Then tragedy struck. A freak accident playing in the yard with his buddies and he shattered his front leg. A 2 week stay at the university to install a pin and plate running the length of the bone and he came home with a staph infection. That combined with his thyroid condition inhibited bone healing. The poor guy was in a crate or small room for months with no interaction with anyone but me. What I didnt know was how much the isolation and resulting depression might affect healing. His longtime friend, a little girl named Chloe who helped him to overcome his fear of little girls, came to sit with him one day and has returned weekly. Since then he has reduced his limp, he is standing up straighter and the light has returned to his eyes! He no longer hangs his head on a practice walk and has even begun barking at stray cats once again! I know that therapy dogs help people and Im here to tell you that sometimes a dog just needs a person too!
Posted on: Sat, 29 Mar 2014 02:09:57 +0000
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