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Grouchy Puppy Sweet Inspiration

 

 

Senior dogs are smart adding stretches during play

Senior dogs sneak stretches during playtime. My dog is a clever girl. During a burst of play with her squeaky crab toy, she slid a quick shoulder stretch in at the end.

Smart dog!

‘You can see the magic happening:’ Reading to therapy dog helps shy boy

Via Montreal Gazette

MONTREAL - Asked whether he is shy, Youssef Elakkad can only nod his head. The 7-year-old, a Grade 2 student at École de la Mosaique in Côte-Saint-Luc, has only lived in Montreal since June, when he and his family moved from Cairo.

Elakkad’s first language is Arabic, though he studied French at the international school he attended in Egypt. Because Elakkad’s French is not as strong as that of his classmates, he dreads reading out loud at school.

When Elakkad’s mother, Yasmine Abdelmagid, learned the Eleanor London Côte-Saint-Luc Public Library was offering a program called Paws to Read, in which children who struggle with reading out loud get the opportunity to read to a therapy dog, she signed her son up.

“Youssef loves animals. He really wants a dog at home. I told him: ‘We’ll get a dog when we move to a bigger house,’ ” said Abdelmagid.

This week, Elakkad’s voice was strong and clear as he read to Brandy, a Shetland sheepdog. Brandy seemed to enjoy herself, too. Wanting to get a little closer to Elakkad, Brandy turned on her side and rolled toward him.

Read the full sweet story

Comedian Steve Hofstetter Gives Fearlessly for a Dog Called George Carlin

 

This is a bittersweet story with an ending that I'm going to spoil for you, in order to hopefully motivate you. The little dog in this photo isn't with us anymore, except in spirit. And I feel his spirit is strong. Strong enough to positively influence you now. I never met George Carlin but thanks to Sara Tenenbein, this little dog's story will be shared. Sara's husband, Steve Hofstetter did the right thing when no one was looking except for his wife and dog Bea Arthur.

Sara is proud of what her husband did and what he wrote, and forwarded his writing to me here at GrouchyPuppy. She hoped that my readers would be inspired to take action and help. She said, 

Two days ago, my husband and I found an abandoned dog in a gas station parking lot. My husband, who was not a dog person before I met him, caught the dog, fed it, and cared for it.

He wrote a piece for his Facebook about it because, in his words, "I wanted to create something beautiful for him."

The Day Everything Changed is powerful and moving, it's a story that speaks to our GrouchyPuppy motto loudly and emotionally. I cried while reading but can tell you this was one of those times when it was more important to finish reading and not let sadness win. I hope you agree. Please read The Day Everything Changed, by Steve Hofstetter ..

For years therapy dogs make difference at New Hampshire Hospital

“This dog was the only thing that made me smile”

Via Sentinel Source

Today is Charlie’s first time.

And he can’t walk down a hallway or get into an elevator without people oohing and aahing over him, patting him on the head and saying how cute he is.

Charlie, a 3-year-old black poodle, has come to work at Cheshire Medical Center/Dartmouth-Hitchcock Keene as a therapy dog. His owner, Stephanie Baute, has brought dogs into the hospital since 2003 to help patients with their therapy or just to get them to smile.

Read the full inspiring story

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UCLA's Hospital Therapy Dogs Showcased in New PBS Documentary

Via Newswise

Newswise — Several four-legged volunteers with the People-Animal Connection (PAC) program at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center and their human counterparts will star in an upcoming episode of the PBS television show, “Shelter Me: Let’s Go Home,” premiering in April.

The docu-series celebrates shelter pets with positive and uplifting stories about people's lives being improved when they adopt a shelter pet. The show followed a handful of human/dog teams with UCLA’s animal-assisted therapy PAC program as they volunteered at the hospital. All of the dogs featured were adopted from shelters and now help people by bringing comfort to patients and their families, as well as joy to the doctors and nurses.

Read the full story

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Animal assistance therapy dog, at your service. No really, I can hear kids reading inside.

via grouchypuppy.com

Even after her human gets clear biopsy results Daisy still detects breast cancer

Via Mamas Latinas

Sometimes animals are way more perceptive than humans. That was the case when it came to Dr. Claire Guest and her Labrador, Daisy. After the usually calm dog began acting anxious and restless one day, Guest made a shocking discovery that changed her life.

The doctor had reportedly been in the process of training Daisy to detect cancer in patients when Guest says the dog suddenly began jumping on her. "One day she bumped into my chest with her nose," she said. "It was unusually sore, and there seemed to be a lump there." What Guest found after this incident shocked her...

Read the full amazing story

Since 2009 therapy dogs motivate kids at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta

Via Northside Neighbor

It was Christmas Eve 2009 and 3-year-old Emmy Mims had just had emergency surgery to remove an abdominal cyst and two more inches of her intestine.

Her doctor told her she must walk before leaving Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Scottish Rite in Sandy Springs, but she refused … until Casper helped her.

“We got her to stand up,” said mother Gillian Mims, of Woodstock. “We talked her into holding Casper’s leash. … We gave him the lead and she walked all around the hall, with Casper leading her.”

Casper, one of the four golden retrievers of the Children’s pet therapy programs, helped Emmy and the rest of the Mims family through a tough time, in and out of the hospital.

“That’s all she wanted to do, be with Casper,” Gillian said. “Unfortunately, in February 2010, we had to go back because of complications from the surgery. Immediately, Emmy wanted to see Casper.”

In 2009, Casper was the first therapy dog on staff.

Read the full story

Big dog saves Virginia woman from mobile home fire

Via Huffington Post

Sherry Spangler, who lives about two hours southwest of the nation's capital in Verona, Va., says Sassy the dog saved her life.

Spangler, whose possessions were not insured, lost most of what she owned -- only some pictures and a family Bible were saved, she told the News Leader on Tuesday; see the ravaged home for yourself in this News Leader video.

"And I’ve got my life,” she said.

The Red Cross furnished a motel room for three nights to Spangler and her 16-year-old son, who wasn't home at the time of the fire.

 

Read the full story

Abused Rescue Beagle-Pug Blend Enjoys Therapy Dog Career

Via Inter-Mountain

Robin Mams of Elkins brought Lulu, a 5-year-old therapy dog with Therapy Dogs International, to visit the Buckhannon Rotary Club Tuesday.

Lulu has spent many hours visiting the elderly, handicapped children and students in elementary school reading programs. She is a beagle and pug mixed-breed dog.

To be recertified as a therapy dog each year, she has to make at least 25 visits, Mams said. Lulu was a rescue dog after she had been abused. Lulu was a stray that a neighbor had picked up. Mams adopted Lulu in 2008 because Lulu was in need of a good home, and Mams was looking for something to do after retiring.

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New York nonprofit offers free monthly home delivery of pet food & supplies

Via Indian Country Today Media Network

Millions of people across the U.S. are struggling to make ends meet. Often lost in the shuffle when families scrimp to keep food on the table and a roof over their heads are the beloved household pets. Now, help may be available through an innovative new program offered by a nonprofit based in New York state.

The new program called “Pet Food Stamps” aims to provide free monthly home delivery of pet food and other necessary pet supplies to owners receiving food stamps or who are living below the poverty line. In just a two-week period at the end of February, more than 45,000 pets were signed into the donation-based program, according to Pet Food Stamps's founder and executive director Marc Okon.

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To learn more about Pet Food Stamps, including information on how to apply, visit their website at PetFoodStamps.org.

German Shepherd Knocks Rifle Aside Saves 63-year-old Woman

Via Telegraph.co.uk

The 63-year-old woman had walked into her garden in the southern French town of Sorgues in the Vaucluse region, fired several test shots of a 22-calibre rifle and then turned the gun on her chest.

"At the moment she pulled the trigger, her dog jumped on her and diverted the shot," a local police officer said, adding that the dog "probably sensed things and knocked into her to save her."

Read the full story

15 Reasons Why America Loves Dogs So Much

Why do we love dogs so much? Is it the stories of their heroic tales? Is it the adorable puppy faces? Their incredible loyalty? I suspect we dog lovers all have some personal, and very touching reasons why a dog occupies our hearts and homes.

 

Popular neighborhood girl

I personally can't get enough of their expressions, and behavior. Sometimes I feel like Dr. Jane Goodall with the way I observe my dog, and the joy I get from it. Hours and hours of notes and photos have been taken of Cleo. 

Below are some of the reasons that came to me that seemed like they could apply to all dogs, not just mine. Like people, I'm sure there are exceptions to the rule but I bet you've experienced some of what I'm talking about. Take a look at these and let me know what you think..