Garrett
| May, 2005 Update from Garret's Mom... Garrett passed his Delta Pet Partners test in March. He received a perfect score on every single exercise, which does not happen too often. He is now classified by Delta Society as "Complex" (the highest level). Our once homeless puppy that barely escaped a death due to suspected heartworm desease is now a star in pet therapy and has put smiles on many faces. We are always so very grateful to Roncy Roehm of Labrador Retriever Rescue of Cincinnati and the staff at the Clermont County Animal Shelter for saving the life of this incredible furry angel. Garrett tries to pay back Roncy and we always tell everybody that he came from the rescue. We have seen many surprised faces! |
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Garrett... Hello friends!
My name is Garrett and I am a Black Lab about 3 years old. I am currently preparing to take my Delta Society test in a few weeks and become a certified 'dogtor' (which to me is just a license to get petted!). In the meantime my mom, her friend, my Labby girlfriend, and I are visiting the residents of a local nursing home. I love my job as I get petted a lot and bring smiles to people's faces. I guess I bring back a lot of memories about dogs they used to have.
I was saved from the Clermont County Animal Shelter by Roncy Roehm from Labrador Retriever Rescue of Cincinnati. Roncy came to the shelter to look at another dog and a staff member encouraged her to check me out. Roncy wanted to see if I was cage aggressive and went into my kennel. When I saw Roncy I immediately went "belly up" and asked for a belly rub. Needless to say, I left with her that day. When Roncy was completing the paperwork to transfer me to the rescue she found out that I was heartworm positive. See, if you do not give a prevention pill to your dogs they can get very sick and possibly die. Also, the treatment of heartworm is very difficult and traumatic to the dog. However, I already stole Roncy's heart and she took me anyway. After I got to the rescue the vets sent my blood samples to another laboratory and they came back negative. I turned out to be heartworm free! Roncy definitely saved my life the day she picked me from the shelter. I am sure I would have been euthanized due to my, non-existing, condition. A few days later I went to a foster home with two Labby friends. I was very scared at first and afraid to be left alone. I cried and barked a lot when my foster mom and dad were out of sight, but they were very patient with me because they liked me. Eventually, I overcame my separation anxiety and also stole my foster parents' hearts (I'm highly skilled at this). One day, I overheard mom and dad talking, and they said they had decided to keep me. I guess I am a very lucky dog, I escaped an almost certain death in the shelter, came to live with two Lab siblings, and even got a job! Mom's friend says that I was saved for a reason: to become a therapy dog and help people. I agree, but I don't think that I am exceptional. I think there are many wonderful dogs in rescues and shelters. Will you please give them a chance? They may well surprise you with their love, gratitude, and devotion.
Sincerely,
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