In December 2001 I ran away from my abusive home to a nice neighbors house. Later that same day this nice man and lady came to see me. They had lost their beloved Golden Retriever and needed a great dog to fill their lonely days. The lady said I was not what she was looking for as she would like a full-blooded Golden and I was a Golden/Cocker Spaniel mix. The man looked like a soft touch so I ran and jumped in his arms. I just could not go back to the "mean man's house". They decided to take me home with them for the weekend and see how things went.
No one yelled at me in this house. They fed me good food twice a day. Played with me, held me and just loved me. This was very new to me but I certainly liked it. I knew I had found my forever home. My new parents went to the pet store and bought me all kinds of toys, treats, and a nice doggy pillow to lay on.
Mom said I had a great personality and thought I might be able to become a therapy dog. We trained at a local dog school and I passed my Canine Good Citizen test in August 2004. In October 2004 I my made my debut visiting patients. I loved my work and the next year we started visiting teenagers at a local drug and alcohol treatment center. We now visit four different places a week.
Because I was helped and rescued I have a lot of love that I can give to "hurting" or "discouraged" people. My goal as a rescued girl, is to "bring joy, smiles and hope" to everyone we visit.
Signed,
Holly-Pup
A Special Therapy Dog!
Fortville, IN
