Meet Lucy - Our Very Own Therapy Dog!

Always ready to give comfort and a tender look . . .

When my 18 year old feline Chelsea died in 2010, followed by her sister Katie in October 2012, I was lost....  They were all I had known for several decades and with them, they took a very large piece of my heart. I knew I would welcome another into my life, but I never expected a little scruffy looking, doe-eyed and gentle ragga-muffin dog to steal what was left of my grieving heart.

They called her 'Peggy' - she was timid, hiding behind her foster mom - and as she ventured forward to put her little wet nose up against my hand, I was in love!! As I stared at her beautiful little face, and all the fluffy and wayward red fur pointing in every direction, I knew I had found my new little companion.

The first 2 years of her life were rough - found in a high kill shelter in Southern California, she was saved by good samaritans from Vancouver BC. She had recently given birth - who knows if this was her first. Regardless, her spirit was unaffected by her journey... her sweet disposition is what caught the attention of the shelter staff and she was given a second chance.

In January of 2013 I saw her on Pet Finder - and by the end of February she was ready to come to her new home! I renamed her Lucy - and within a few days, she had totally settled in. I think she may have been loved and cared for at one point in her young life - she follows me off leash very closely, she is at my heels as we go down stairs, she waits at the door to wipe her wet paws - so well behaved!

She would come to work with me everyday, and then one day, a family came to say goodbye to their family pet. I wasn't sure how Lucy would be so I kept her close to me. Well, she surprised me! She approached the family, put her head on the person's lap, and she breathed a big sigh... and since then, she has been close to any family coming to the center.

So I took her to PATS (Pacific Animal Therapy Society) and she has officially been certified as a Pet Therapy Dog. We will soon be seen along the halls of the BC Cancer Ward at the Royal Jubilee Hospital.

She is a constant sight on Dallas Road - not only her ears, but have you seen her dust mop called a tail?  She says hello to everyone and sits pretty whenever she recognizes those with treats in their pockets!

Oh, and did I tell you she doesn't bark? Bonus!

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