Both my live Berners are certified Delta Pet Partners, but I learned that my huge stuffed Costco Berner is a therapy dog as well. One of my co-workers had an elderly mixed-breed dog that was her daughter's best buddy. Daughter Amy was 14 and the dog must have been 13 1/2 because Amy had always had this dog in her life. Every day when she came home from school Amy would go to look for Shelby. The family knew Shelby's days were numbered because of her bad heart. One day when Amy came home she found Shelby's body on the kitchen floor, apparently dead from a heart attack some time that day. Amy was devastated. She went to sleep every night with her arms around her dog Shelby. When her mom told us at work, I offered to bring in this large stuffed dog that looked just like Raven (every one knows Raven because I bring her to work every Tuesday). She took the borrowed Costco Berner home to her daughter, and she said Amy carried it everywhere and took it to bed with her at night. In fact, her mom said a few nights she woke up with this huge dog on top of her so she knew Amy had crawled into her bed in the middle of the night. After about a week Amy returned the Berner with a nice thank-you note. The stuffed Berner helped her get through the pain of losing a beloved pet that had always been a part of her life. So it does seem that I really have 3 therapy Berners in the house and not just two.
Pat--do I have to pay for bragging up the good works of my stuffed Berner? <VBG> Vicky Hall in Utah, with Raven, Wylie and Costco-dog
