Our Family

 
  Thought it was time to have photos of us with the dogs. Until we get a good "family photo" taken, this will have to do.
Leonard is with Pat. Leonard is approximately 12 years old but we don't know his exact age. We adopted him when he was a young adult. He was picked up by animal control in a small Iowa town. That county had a standing order to euthanize any Rottweiler, Pit Bull, or Chow. The veterinarian who was also the animal control officer noticed immediately that this dog had a wonderful temperament. His assistant knew us, and knew that we had Rottweilers, so she called us and asked if we could come right away and "sneak" this dog out to avoid putting him down. Of course we said yes, so the vet went ahead and neutered the dog. We had intentions of keeping Leonard just until we found the right home for him. Yeah, right! He quickly became part of the family, and went on to become a wonderful therapy dog. He loves all people and is a registered Pet Partner with Delta Society (www.deltasociety.org) Leonard has worked with cancer support groups, and was the founding dog for a "PAWS FOR BOOKS" program at Keene Memorial Library in Fremont Nebraska. This is part of a nationwide READ program that uses animals to encourage young children to read. Before we moved away, Leonard would lay on his rug at the library and a child would sit beside him and read to him. It was hard to tell who enjoyed it more, Leonard or the kids. Now that he is older and has some arthritis, he uses a ramp to get in and out of the RV and truck. Leonard continues to make new friends at campgrounds everywhere.

Piper and Chester are sitting on Doug's lap. Piper is the Jack Russell Terrier and Chester is the Chihuahua. Both were adopted from the Nebraska Humane Society in Omaha. Chester is about 6 or 7 years old, weighs 6 pounds and like most Chihuahuas, thinks he is "ten feet tall and bulletproof". He is very loving at home but is not good with small kids. Chester has Doug wrapped around his paw. Piper is about 9 years old and very mellow for a JRT. We adopted her three years ago. I was doing some volunteer training at NHS and had finished working with the big dogs. This little terrier looked so cute and forlorn so I took her out for some extra attention. I noticed her kennel card said that she was not housetrained and had been returned several times to the shelter. We already had four dogs at the time, and sure didn't need another one. So I waited three days but kept thinking of her. I was hoping someone else would adopt her, but knew that with her history, her chances were not good. When NHS said she was still there, Doug and I went to get her. She just loved to be held. It took us the better part of a year and a lot of consistency, but she is now housetrained and is such a good sweet little dog. At first she was very shy so I never pursued making her a therapy dog, but now she loves people. Piper is my shadow.