Chelsea, CGC, TT, R.E.A.D., Delta Society Pet Partner,
2006 Honorable Mention Delta Beyond Limits Award,
H.O.P.E. Crisis Response Dog
. . . my love and soul mate

Shannon, my red Dobe (from one of the Ch. Sherlucks Castle Rock litters), had just died and my head was spinning. Although she had been mine for only four  short years, she left a huge collar to fill. She was the founding therapy dog of our Hudson Valley Humane Society Visiting Pet Program as well as my best friend.

I was still trying to comprehend her passing three days later when our shelter manager called to say, “Someone just dropped off three Dobe puppies. You have to come see.”

In a daze I drove to the shelter and sure enough, there they were – four natural-eared pups with docked tails, one of whom had a deformed front foot. I knew she was mine right away, and I knew Shannon had sent her.

I named her Chelsea, and she quickly became the love of my life. She earned her CGC at eight months and passed her Delta Society Pet Partners evaluation at one year. As quickly as she could, Chelsea took over where Shannon left off. She visited hospitals, schools, nursing homes, adult day programs, assisted living homes, libraries, group homes, prisons, and psychiatric facilities. Wherever she went, she made special connections, leaning into people for petting or gazing at them with her compassionate brown eyes. She worked for nine years as the neutral dog in all of the Delta evaluations that our group hosted, and she served as a demo dog in our training workshops.

After the attacks on the World Trade Center in September 2001, Chelsea was part of a 10-team group from our program that visited the Family Assistance Center at Pier 94 in New York City. She was also scheduled to make the ferry trip to Ground Zero with victims’ family members, but on the day she was schedule to go, the number of trips were being scaled down. Instead, she and another dog from our program visited 9/11 rescue workers. Later that day, both Chelsea and a fellow team mate, a Rottweiler, were positioned by the door where the ferry returned with the grieving families. Both dogs instinctively placed themselves out in front for the families to touch and be comforted. Both dogs knew just what to do in this emotionally solemn setting.

Soon after that, our Visiting Pet Program organized and coordinated the first-ever training workshop on the east coast for Crisis Response Dogs. After four days of intense training, Chelsea emerged a H.O.P.E. Crisis Response dog. This made her eligible to enter disaster and crisis environments through the Red Cross and FEMA as an emotional support dog. I was so proud of her.

As time went on, Chelsea continued to make visits to various types of facilities to cheer people up. On September 25, 2005, she had to have a rear leg removed due to an unsuccessful anterior cruciate ligament surgery. She was a real trooper and did quite well after the amputation. I’m the one who had to rehab after the experience. The intensity of the event and the financial overload prompted an article in the our local newspaper, The Journal News, under the headline, “Therapy dog that has helped thousands over the years, now needs help herself.” The resulting donations, accompanied by well-wishes and prayers, created our program’s Chelsea Medical Fund, which has financially assisted therapy pets from our program in time of need.

A few months after her surgery, Chelsea returned to work on three legs and was an incredible inspiration to everyone she came in contact with. She maneuvered so well that most people never noticed that she had three legs! Those who did notice, especially patients who had themselves lost a leg or suffered a serious injury, were both moved and motivated.

In 2006, I felt that Chelsea was an excellent candidate for the Delta Society Beyond Limits Award. I submitted her story and out of thousands of deserving candidates, she was one of the chosen few that received an Honorable Mention. Again, I was VERY proud of my girl!

In 2007, our Visiting Pet Program became an affiliate of the nationwide Reading Education Assistance Dogs (R.E.A.D.) program. This is where children in schools and libraries have individual appointments to read out loud to therapy animals, an activity that improves their reading comprehension, enthusiasm for books, school attendance, and library use. Becoming a R.E.A.D. dog was a wonderful opportunity for Chelsea. She was always great with kids and displayed tremendous patience. Now she could lie down next to them, be read to, and get petted as well.

Although semi-retired, Chelsea continued to make guest appearances at senior centers, women’s clubs, and community organizations. One of our members taught a series of energy healing workshops as fund-raisers for our program, and Chelsea went to all of them. She thoroughly enjoyed all the attention she received, not to mention the massages, T-Touch, Reiki, flower essence treatments, and constant petting from those in attendance.

On Saturday, October 6th, 2007, Chelsea earned her final credential, the TT (Temperament Test) title from the American Temperament Test Society. This Dobergirl was an incredible ambassador and a credit to her breed in every way. She was the matriarch, the “Grand Dam” of our program, and she never had to prove to other dogs that she was indeed the Alpha girl. She was kind, stable, loving, and a real “lady.”

When I brought a Dobe puppy into our lives, Chelsea took immediate charge of Luna (Bell La’voro’s Primo Lunetta) and helped raise her. It was an absolute joy to watch her nurturing, teaching, and disciplining skills at work.

Chelsea was about to celebrate her eleventh birthday on October 25, 2007, when hemangiosarcoma took her life. It happened so suddenly that I barely understood what was happening, and my memory of her lying on the floor while Luna stood over Chelsea flipping her ears and nudging her, my frantic phone calls to the vet, our trip to the emergency clinic, and the devastating news about a large mass in her abdomen remain a blur. What I remember all too well and still feel to this day is the devastating pain of her loss.

I wasn’t alone, for Chelsea had hundreds of fans, people of every description, whose lives she had touched, inspired, and improved. The news of her passing affected many.

We love all of our dogs. But sometimes that special one comes along ... and Chelsea was that special one to me. She will always be the love of my life.