GOTCHA DAY

by Rosemary Thomas

April 26, 2012 GOTCHA DAY for Sophie.  As a puppy Sophie had been thrown out of a car window at an animal shelter.  A volunteer from Last Day Dog Rescue was at the shelter, witnessed the incident and grabbed Sophie before she ran out in the street after the car.  She was fostered by April Malak for 3 months and her LDDR name was Sienna/Anna.  When Mike and I saw her picture and read her bio on the website, we decided that she needed to be part of our family.  We were amazed by how quickly she immediately enriched our lives. Sophie

Sophie and I started Beginner Obedience Class when she was about a year old and continued through the Intermediate and Advanced classes.  Sophie excelled at all three levels.   She passed both the AKC Canine Good Citizen test and the test for Therapy Dogs International on the first try.  In April of 2013 she was awarded her TDI certification.

Our Pit mix has accomplished so much in her career as a therapy dog that it would be too time consuming to list all of her achievements but here are the ones that have made the greatest impressions on me:

  • On the last day of a three day Bereavement Camp for Kids sponsored by a Hospice group a little boy who had played with Sophie during all of his “free” periods, hugged her good-bye and told her, “Sophie I will probably never see you again but I will always remember you.”
  • Sophie hates being held tightly but she let an autistic young adult give her the hardest “bear hug” I have ever seen—I was actually waiting for her eyes to pop out of her head.
  • Sophie did her tricks and got laughs from a hospice patient who had been non-responsive to everyone else.
  • By just snuggling up to a student, Sophie took the pressure off a “reluctant reader” and made the experience less stressful and even enjoyable for him.
  • At an assisted living facility, Sophie gave comfort to the family of an Alzheimer’s patient because they were having trouble accepting the changes in their dad’s behavior.Rosemay

At almost every place we visit for pet therapy or when we do fund raising events for LDDR, people comment on how well-behaved, calm, intelligent and lovable Sophie is and most of them admit that she has totally changed their perception of Pit Bulls. After meeting Sophie, lots of people want her and I ended up coming up with my famous line—“you have a better chance of getting my husband than you do of getting my dog.”  So far, no takers on the husband even though he’s a Master Gardener and a good cook.

Sophie is an incredible ambassador for her breed and she enjoys showing the world that “rescue dogs” have so much potential.  Mike and I are truly grateful to Last Day Dog Rescue for saving this remarkable dog and then granting us the privilege of being her forever parents.

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