Last fall I adopted a beautiful Husky/Malamute from you.  I just thought I'd let you know how she's doing.  She's now a working dog for the St. John's Ambulance Therapy Dog Program.  She graduated today, following 3 months of evaluations and probationary visits.  Here are some pictures of her.

Thanks for letting me adopt such a great dog.  She's been a pleasure to have.

Cathie

Update October '10 ...

Hope came into my life at a difficult time and adopted me from the first time I saw her.  Having recently been in an accident which left me in
pain if I walked, I asked my oldest son to come with me to the shelter, so I could take a large Husky/Malamute (about 120 pounds) for a walk.  My reasoning was that if the dog was too strong, he could get her back to the shelter without me being in agony for the day.  Hope, as the shelter had named her, proved to be a lovely, gentle girl.  Following that short walk, she went over to my car and sat at the rear door of my car waiting for me to let her in.  My son smiled and said "I think she wants to go home with you."

Hope was the perfect name for her.  She proved to be a gentle soul.  At the time I was a HCA at a nursing home and doing modified duties in the office.  My co-workers knew I had just got her and asked me to bring her with me.  It turned out to be the perfect arrangement.  She loved everyone she met and the residents of the home loved her.  Within a year she was a Therapy dog.  She worked at another nursing home in the community where the residents loved her.  Many would buy her dog treats for when she came to visit.  It was the perfect profession for such a wonderful, loving girl.  Other days she would join me at work where everyone looked forward to her visits, staff and residents alike.

She got along great with all animals and thankfully my two cats quickly became good friends with her.  The three of them would often sleep together.  At the dog park, she would play nicely with any dog who came along, and
made allowances for older dogs and puppies.  Two years later, she was diagnosed as a border-line diabetic.  I began to watch her diet more closely and discouraged the residents from sharing their food with Hope.  This worked for awhile and she seemed to be doing better.  Then one day she decided she wasn't going to work as a Therapy dog.  Normally excited to go, she refused.  Hope began doing this more frequently so eventually we resigned from the program.  As the months went by, I noticed her energy dropping and she would occasionally let out a soft growl if one of the cats decided to lay on top of her or walk over her.

Hope was contented to lay around on one of her beds, either inside or outside.  I never had to worry about her wandering off, she was happy where she was.  She still loved attention and would greet everyone who came around.  Then just before Christmas, I noticed she wasn't eating as much as normal.  By New Years Eve, she had developed sores on the top of her paws.  I booked her in to see the vet.  She was diagnosed with pancreatitis.  For several weeks we wondered if she would pull through.  She just seemed to get worse, sleeping most of the day and refusing to move, unwilling to eat or if she did, she couldn't keep it down.  Our youngest cat began staying next to her for hours, refusing to leave her side.  Then we started her on insulin and home-cooked meals.  Hope did well on this combination, recovering quickly.  Hope seemed to have more energy and looked forward to her walks again.  She would even play with the cats once more, her grumpiness forgiven.  Then one day she was wandering around outside while I did gardening.  We were in the front yard where it's pretty level ground and she suddenly let out a yelp.  Hope had torn a ligament in her back leg.  Unfortunately she never recovered from this and we had to let her go. 

Hope touched numerous lives during her brief time with us.  I'm grateful for her coming into my life.  I have been blessed by her presence and cherish the memories I have of her.  Hope is, and always will be, greatly missed.

Hope has been added to our Rainbow Bridge webpage, and our thoughts and prayers are with her family at this time.

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