Hi All, Teddy’s 11 months old and has turned into a great big goofball! Here he is playing “salamander dog.”
Von Marc’s Essential Cat Scratch Fever
“Teddy” born 3/31/08
On his more serious side, he’s becoming a wonderful therapy dog in my clinic. When he first came to me at 8 weeks, he met a 13 year old who had just disclosed that she’d been sexually assaulted by her stepfather. This young lady had shut down and was not communicating well with anyone. When she held Teddy, she began to sob and tell her mother and me about her feelings. Over the next few months she came to the office for various complaints (sore throat, cough, etc.) and spent as much time with Ted as possible. That was last spring & summer. At Christmas time, my clinic holds a charity photo shoot to raise money for one of our needy families, and this year we raised $300.00 for this family to help the gal and her 3 sisters and mom as they were on their own and living with grandma. Because of the weather, we mailed the check inside a Christmas card signed by the office staff. And Teddy put a paw-print in the card too.
I hadn’t seen the family in a few months, but they came to the office yesterday. Ted immediately ran to the girl and she sat on the ground so he could sit in her lap (his other thing he loves to do). During the entire visit, he remained in her lap, periodically turning his head to give Ted kisses. She was so delighted and said, “he remembers me!” And her mother said “he knows how much you needed him!” She’s doing much better in school now, and her mom reports that her demeanor has changed from sullen and angry to that of a normal adolescent girl. She’s in counseling (as is her mom) and the family is still living with grandma, but will soon be in a home of their own again. There is a court battle going on about the step-dad, of course, but they say it doesn’t interfere with their daily lives and the recovery process.
Teddy starts an introduction to rally class next week. And as soon as I can hunt down a therapy dog test & CGC test for him, I believe he’s ready. He’s got a dentist appointment next week to see if he really has to have the lower canines eventually capped or removed. My hope is that the dentist will have ideas that will help him keep his teeth, since he does have the cutest doggy smile despite the overbite. His health is great and I am so in love with him that it’s nearly embarrassing! Thanks to Sharon, his breeder, again and again for allowing this amazing dog into my life!
