Dog is Love
by Trish Frazer, Lake Mary, Florida Companion
In July of 2016 my husband John and I decided to
get a puppy. It had been 5 years since our dog passed
away and John spoke of retirement. This was my way
of getting a puppy for Christmas, because I wouldn’t
have to do any of the training since John was retiring!
Famous last words.
Our puppy was born September 11, 2016 and on
October 15, 2016 we picked out our baby girl. From
that moment, I knew I was in trouble. She licked and
played with John, bouncing between his feet, but when
it was my turn to hold her, she looked into my eyes
and decided it was time to go potty—in my lap.
On November 5, 2016, we brought home our
beautiful baby girl and named her Sylvie vi. And
John didn’t retire. Sylvie and I had a rough couple of
months. She scratched and nibbled me every chance
she got. Each day I would go home during my lunch
hour and let her out—returning to work bloody with
new “war wounds.”
When Sylvie turned 12 weeks it was time to begin
structured puppy classes. I just knew this would
calm her down and save my arms and face from
future scars. We learned the basics and many tricks.
Sylvie excelled so quickly that we decided to join
an obedience and agility class. That’s when our life
began to change.
Before class we would gather in a large, fenced-in
area to wait our turn before entering the larger training
area. Owners with their dogs of all ages would congre-
gate and the dogs would greet one another excitedly.
Like all the other humans, we would talk to the excited
dogs saying, “What’s your name?” and “Good dog.”
As time went on, John and I would talk to other
owners about our dogs, the weather, and the class. We
would arrive early just to be able to catch up and share
the progress of training. We spent time laughing and
sharing stories of our latest adventure or the challenges
of raising an energetic puppy. Our circle was widening.
I once read that hospitality means to "reach to
strangers." I suppose that John and I have always done
that by opening our home to anyone who needed
a place to stay or wanted a hearty meal or a cup of
coffee. Surprisingly, our puppy was about to teach us
to reach out in a very different way.
After class one day, we were approached by one
of the trainers who saw something in our puppy and
perhaps in us. We were asked if we would be inter-
ested in teaching Sylvie to become a therapy dog. We
discovered that a therapy dog is often confused with
a service or emotional support dog. A therapy dog’s
“job” is to visit nursing homes, children’s homes,
retirement homes, hospitals, hospices, schools, pris-
ons, and any other place where their love is needed.
Therapy dogs partner with their owners to share their
unconditional love and support with seniors, sick
people, the disabled, and others who can benefit from
the special spirit-lifting attention of a dog. John and
I didn’t hesitate, and with our resounding “yes” we
began our six-month training.
As Companions, St. Gaspar challenges us to include
those who are on the fringes of what we call commu-
nity and to do so with compassion. I often forget that
seeing through the lens of Precious Blood Spirituality
is omni-directional. I can see the homeless on the
street but miss seeing the lonely person in the nursing
home. I gather food for the food pantry but don’t see
the child in the children’s home starving for attention.
As Companions, we are all called to bring the
presence of Christ to those who may feel forgotten.
continued on page 16
January 2018 • The New Wine Press • 15