Lesson Learned: Sometimes a dog is all you need

My parents promised they would get me a dog when I was ten years old. So when I turned eight I asked for a puppy every single night at the dinner table, I got that dog when I turned nine. Her name was Harpo and she was a beautiful white Labrador. I remember the first night Harpo came home with me, she was crying the entire time and so was I, I even slept in her kennel with her that night.

Most dog owners think they’ve got the best pet in the world and that’s exactly how I felt, you couldn’t get better than Harpo.

At the age of 13, Harpo had developed several medical conditions including diabetes and my family was forced to put her down, we haven’t recovered since. One day I’ll get another dog, yes it will be a Lab and yes I’ll probably name it after her. So, when I met Lalla Sidbury at the Marion Shepard Cancer Center and she introduced me to her chocolate Lab Kasey I instantly knew I was going to enjoy getting to know the two of them.

Lalla was diagnosed with cancer in 2000, a couple of years later her doctor recommended she take an early retirement, that’s when her husband suggested she get a dog to help with the transition. Lalla brought Tobey into her family and says she can’t begin to explain how much he helped her during the chemotherapy process. Unfortunately a year and a half later a freak accident ruptured Tobey’s blater and Lalla was forced to put him down. However, she knew she needed a dog in her life because of the positive therapy it provided and picked Kasey to be her next pet.

Back in June Lalla and Kasey joined the animal-assisted therapy program at the Marion Shepard Cancer Center in Washington, North Carolina. At least once a week Lalla and Kasey visit with patients and cheer them up after their chemotherapy treatments. Kasey licks their hands, paws at their feet, even jumps up on their beds to say hello while Lalla talks to the patients about everything from the weather to her success with battling cancer. It's an interesting sight to see, a patient wrapped in tubes and a chocolate lab wagging it's tail bedside patiently waiting for his next treat.

Lalla says Kasey gets to love on them and they get to love on him back because sometimes a dog is all you need…lesson learned.

For more on the pet therapy program at Marion Shepard Cancer Center head to: http://www.marionlshepardcancercenter.org/pettherapy.htm