Every Dog Has a Gift by Rachel McPherson

Author:Rachel McPherson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Published: 2010-09-15T00:00:00+00:00

Chet

Elizabeth Zimels

When I first saw Chet at the Humane Society in Michigan, he was about four months old and too young to walk on a leash. I fell in love with the spaniel-dachshund mix immediately and would have brought him home on the spot had I not had to “sleep on it” because I needed the landlord’s permission for a dog in the house where I was living. I was so afraid someone else would take Chet overnight, and as soon as the landlord gave his okay, I rushed down to the Humane Society and was grateful he was still there.

I was in veterinary school at the time, between my first and second years. I practiced a few of the techniques I was learning in school on Chet, although at no time did I hurt the little guy. If he could have talked he probably would have said I hurt his pride. I practiced palpations, measured him for angular limb deformities, and made him stand still so I could figure out where all the internal organs were from the outside. He took all of my positionings and gentle proddings with wary patience, and I’m sure the treats I carried in my pocket for such occasions helped motivate him to cooperate.

Throughout my years in veterinary school, Chet was my helpmate and my inspiration. He got along great with my boyfriend, who became my fiancé during my fourth and final year of school, and I envisioned the three of us moving in together and me going into practice after graduation.

Immediately after graduation, however, plans changed. My fiancé and I called off the wedding, and so I packed up Chet and a few belongings and moved to the East Coast. I was fortunate to quickly find a job in a thriving practice, but I was still in a funk because of my breakup. I believe I probably would not have been able to get up every day if it had not been for Chet, who needed to be walked every morning. Maybe I thought I was doing him a favor, but in reality he was helping me get through those first few months—new job, new city, no fiancé—by always being there for me at the beginning and the end of each day.

At first I was overwhelmed by the demands of my new job. It took months to get used to the diverse personalities and behaviors of the steady stream of dogs, cats, and their owners who came into the office. Chet was the one steady thing in my life—he was easygoing and undemanding, and his devotion was unconditional.

I eventually reached a stage in my life when I wanted to give back to the community, so I enrolled Chet as a therapy dog with The Good Dog Foundation in New York. Chet was eleven years old by that time, and although I had never trained him for obedience, he did well during the training sessions.

Chet’s build did not make him a great candidate for

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