Angel on a Leash
Page 1
Advance Praise for Angel on a Leash
“David Frei’s heartwarming book Angel on a Leash shows the magic that our dogs bring to our own lives and to the lives of others when we share them as therapy dogs. That magic is called unconditional love, and it is what makes dogs so uniquely special and is how they make a difference in the lives of everyone they touch. You may see your own dog somewhere in this book, a wonderful celebration of dogs in our lives.”
—Dennis B. Sprung, President, American Kennel Club
“Smiles. That’s what therapy dogs are all about at the Ronald McDonald House New York. For our kids and their families who don’t always have a lot to smile about, that’s a big deal. In Angel on a Leash, David Frei beautifully captures what goes on at the House when the dogs are here. A great read.”
—Bill Sullivan, President/CEO, Ronald McDonald House New York
“Once you’ve finished reading this beautiful and heartwarming collection of stories, you will have a new understanding of the meaning of the bond between humans and their pets. It is a bond that heals the body and soul and is so lovingly portrayed in this book. If you have ever owned a pet or thought of owning one, you will enjoy every page of Angel on a Leash.”
—Kathryn W. Coyne, CEO, The Animal Medical Center
“I have seen firsthand how the Angel On A Leash therapy dog teams work with our pediatric patients, their families, and the staff at NewYork-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital. It is truly amazing! David Frei captures what many of us know intuitively and what science has verified—dogs have a healing effect on us!”
—Toni Millar, Director of Child Life, NewYork-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital
“David Frei gets it. Visiting with his own dogs in health care facilities, helping to create and run his Angel On A Leash therapy dog charity, or just interacting with people with his own informal street ministry, he knows how our dogs can change people’s lives. It is evident, in this book, that this work gives meaning to David’s life. I hope by reading Angel on a Leash that you, too, will be inspired to get you and your dog involved in animal-assisted interactions.”
—Christi Dudzik, President, Healing Paws, Inc.
“Of course, David Frei—the voice of the Westminster dog show—can rattle off breed standards and facts and figures about dogs. It’s one thing to know the stats, and another to understand the fundamental nature of dogs. But, going further, David feels it, and you will also. Anyone who has participated in animal-assisted therapy has seen angels on leashes performing real-life miracles. My heart was touched with both tears of sadness and tears of joy. When all was said and done, just two more words: Angel on a Leash is powerful and inspirational.”
—Steve Dale, nationally syndicated radio host, syndicated newspaper columnist (Tribune Media Services), contributing editor USA Weekend, American Humane Association board member and national ambassador
“Therapy dogs rock! Thanks to Teigh, Belle, Angel, and Grace for visiting me at the Ronald McDonald House, and thanks to David for bringing them!”
—Dylan Hartung, ten-year-old resident, Ronald McDonald House New York
Lead Editor: Amy Deputato
Senior Editor: Jarelle S. Stein
Design Manager: Véronique Bos
Art Director: Cindy Kassebaum
Production Supervisor: Jessica Jaensch
Assistant Production Manager: Tracy Vogtman
Book Project Specialist: Karen Julian
Vice President, Chief Content Officer: June Kikuchi
Vice President, Kennel Club Books: Andrew DePrisco
BowTie Press: Jennifer Calvert, Amy Deputato, Lindsay Hanks, Karen Julian, Jarelle S. Stein
Front cover photos: Children and Teigh: Ronald McDonald House New York/Neville Bean; Marine Lance Cpl. Joshua Bleill and Uno: Mary Bloom; Heather Kingsbury and Angel: Mike Kingsbury; the author and Angel: Danny Kim/New York Magazine. Back cover photo: The author and Grace from the author’s collection.
Copyright © 2011 BowTie Press®
BOWTIE PRESS®
A DIVISION OF BOWTIE, INC.
3 Burroughs, Irvine, CA 92618
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of BowTie Press®, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in an acknowledged review.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Frei, David.
Angel on a leash : therapy dogs and the lives they touch / David Frei.
p. cm.
ISBN 978-1-935484-63-9 (pbk.)
eISBN 978-1-937049-23-2
1. Dogs--Therapeutic use--Anecdotes. 2. Working dogs--Anecdotes. I. Title.
RM931.D63F74 2011
615.8’5158--dc23
2011023964
Printed and bound in Canada
17 16 15 14 13 12 11 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Dedication
To Teigh, Belle, Angel, and Grace,
for letting me be the guy on the other end of the leash.
To Jessie,
for her courage and her full-speed approach to life.
To Andrea,
for her quiet dignity and her ever-present smile.
And to Mom.
Just because.
Contents
Foreword by John O’Hurley
Acknowledgments
Introduction: You Have Me
Chapter 1 Wisdom
Chapter 2 I Get It
Chapter 3 Stay Out of Their Way
Chapter 4 Just Whistle if You Need Me
Chapter 5 This Is Why
Chapter 6 Angels for Everyone
Chapter 7 Therapy on the Street
Chapter 8 In the Moment
Chapter 9 Champion Champions
Chapter 10 Making Rounds
Chapter 11 Elizabeth Taylor and Me
Chapter 12 My Character-Rich World
Chapter 13 Calling All Angels
Chapter 14 My Angels Have Four Legs
Chapter 15 The Angel by My Side
Chapter 16 Yorkie Doodle Dandy
Chapter 17 My Father, My Dogs
Chapter 18 The End
Foreword
by John O’Hurley
Dogs bring out the good in good people. No one told me that. It’s just an observation that I’ve made after wandering deeper into the canine world and witnessing the extraordinary impact that dogs have on the world around them. I have written before that I am a better person with a dog in my lap, and I believe that more today than when I first put that thought to paper.
But I probably would have missed that thought as well as the deeper meaning of how dogs enrich our lives had I not answered a phone call nearly ten years ago. The call was from one of the executives at NBC Sports who began the conversation with the words, “Woof, woof.” He went on to explain that they were taking a chance and developing a dog show to air on Thanksgiving Day called the National Dog Show presented by Purina. He asked if I would host the show along with a gentleman he described as “the most knowledgeable mind in the world of dogs.” That tag still applies to David Frei. I said yes to the offer to host and began a tremendous and enduring friendship with David and his wife Cheri. That friendship introduced me and my wife Lisa not only to a deeper understanding of the commitment and responsibility of dog ownership but also to a deeper and more spiritual purpose for dogs as companions in medical and emotional therapy.
Through his Angel On A Leash organization, I have seen firsthand the good that therapy dogs do—in the cancer wards and in pediatrics. A dog’s simple presence brings an irreplaceable moment of stillness and lev
ity to the ill and the elderly. I have watched the hollow look of a sick child turn to a twinkle and smile when a therapy dog leaps on the child’s bed.
When a dog wags his tail, it is connected to his heart. When David tells these stories of the dogs he has known and the good that they’ve done, they are connected to his.
I leave you in good hands.
Acknowledgments
This story isn’t about me. It’s about all of these great dogs and people who do good things for others every single day. They are the dogs and people of my world, and they have made this book come to life. I have so many of them to thank.
First, my wonderful wife, Cherilyn, on this road with me, the person who has taught me so much about life and about myself and my dogs and the great things that they can do and that we can do together.
My dogs, Teigh and Belle—God rest their orange-and-white souls—and Angel and Grace, who are carrying on for them.
The breeders who brought these four-legged angels into my life: Jeane White, Patty Kanan, Cindy Huggins, Linda McCartney-Roy, and Kristyn McCartney; the veterinarians who have cared for them: Dr. Jean Dodds, Dr. Meghan Myott, Dr. Jamie Warren, Dr. Nicole Buote, Dr. Janet Kovak, Dr. Cara Horowitz, and a bunch of others at the Animal Medical Center; and the people who help us care for them daily (dog walkers and dog sitters): Emily Key, Althea Alvarez, Maria Angeles, Doug Tighe, and my in-laws, Emily and Lyle Smith.
Christi Dudzik, my mentor in therapy dog work, my vice chairman of the Angel On A Leash board, and, more importantly, my friend; and my special friends Wayne Ferguson, Larry Leib, Tom Lasley, Ranny Green, and Chris Terrell, always there for me.
Those very special Westminster Best in Show dogs, Uno, James, and Rufus, and their owners, Caroline Dowell, Terry Patton, and Tom and Barbara Bishop; also, Ceil Ruggles, Scott Sommer, Eddie Dziuk, Dan Huebner, and Aaron Wilkerson.
My leaders and colleagues at the Westminster Kennel Club: Peter Van Brunt, Tom Bradley, Chet Collier, Florence Foti, Kelly Rounds, Billy Mott, Linda Duane, and Sharon Fremer.
All of the Angel On A Leash people: Greer Griffith, Christine DeAcetis, Nancy George-Michalson, Mary Ehrhart, Stephanie LaFarge, Chuck Bessant, Richard Dienst, Barbara Babikian, Caroline Loevner, Gay Cropper, and all of the teams that visit in our facilities; and great Angel supporters Karen LeFrak, Susan Stone, Ann Howie, Val Diker, Ruth Pereira, Joe Yanek, Ron Trotta and Elly McGuire, Kristina Newman, Eric Gural, Debra Vey Voda-Hamilton, Michele Siegel, Dr. Race Foster and Dr. Marty Smith, Gordon Magee, Mary Bloom, Toni Millar, Maggie Butterfield, Catherine DiPasquale, Peggy Schunk, Bill Sullivan, Jim Murray, Wendy Gallart, Frank Kelley, Jane Hedal-Siegel, Aimee Bench, Jeannie Schultz, Melissa Menta, Rana Komar, Steve Dale, and Bernard Clair.
Everyone at NBC Universal who is involved with the production of the Westminster and National Dog Shows: Jon Miller, Kevin Monaghan, Gordon Beck, Steve Griffith, Joe Garagiola, Mary Carillo, John O’Hurley; and Candy Caciolo and Ann Viklund of Purina.
Monsignor Thomas Modugno of St. Monica’s and Father Ray Nobiletti and Linda Woo of Transfiguration Church and School.
My Angel By My Side family: Mike and Nancy Lingenfelter, Dakota, and Ogilvie.
Delta Society, past and present: Mal Schwartz, Dr. Gregg Takashima and the board, Dr. Bill McCulloch, Maureen MacNamara, Lynnette Eastlake, Linda Hines, Jon Eastlake, Sophie Engelhard Craighead, Megan Wolfe, Carol Cullum, and all of the very special Pet Partner teams.
My friends Ben Walker, Gary and Larry Sever, Bob Clampett, Jeff High, Jeff Wohler, and Bob Main; and my sisters and brother Nancy McCormick, Susan Earley, Judy Kaplan, and Terry Frei.
Andrew DePrisco, Allan Reznik, and Amy Deputato at BowTie, and my agent, Steve Sadicario: thanks to all of you for believing in me and what I do and for making this book possible.
And last, but hardly least, the bravest kids in the world: Andrea, Anthony, Jessie, Laura, Dylan, Eden, George, Devin, Millie, Mitch, Uri, Raisa, Alyssa, Deyja, Fitzgerald, and more; their parents and families; Karen, Belinda, and Maria; and the nurses and staff everywhere we visit.
And of course, the Good Lord, for blessing me with all of these wonderful people and dogs in my life. Thank you.
Introduction:
You Have Me
In 2007, the great dog photographer Mary Bloom took a shot of Teigh and me at an outdoor dog show. It was a hot day, and he was sitting on my lap. I didn’t see the photo until it ran in Dog Fancy magazine a couple of months later. It’s a great shot—I love it—and I have named it the “you-really-do-start-to-look-like-your-dog-as-you-get-older” picture.
But the real impact of the picture is that we are both smiling. Yes, my dog is smiling.
My dogs do something to make me smile every day, and I try to reciprocate. Judging from this picture of the two of us, maybe I’m succeeding. People always say that they want to come back in another life as my dog, and I think that being my dog is a pretty good deal for both of us!
This little verse from the brilliant humorist Roy Blount Jr., written underneath a picture of a Standard Poodle reclining in an easy chair, is told from the perspective of the dog and tells you everything about the relationship between most people and their dogs.
You could say I have it pretty good
Here, you could.
But then too, you see,
You have me.
Roy Blount Jr.
I Am Puppy, Hear Me Yap:
The Ages of Dog (2000)
Do you call your dogs “the kids”? Have you ever bought a car because it was the right car for the family dog? Or rented or bought a house because you wanted the space or yard for your dog? Have you ever planned a vacation based on the idea that you wanted the dog to come along? Do you go to sidewalk cafes for dinner so you can take your dog along?
Guilty on all counts, your honor.
We have this great spiritual and emotional connection to our dogs today—they are members of our families, a part of everything that we do.
Gone are the days of getting a dog for functional reasons, to do jobs for us. Today, we have dogs for companionship, not to pull carts or hunt snow leopards or drive our cattle to market. Of course, there are some exceptions, but more Labrador Retrievers join us as family dogs than as hunters. I could go on and on, but why don’t you just tune in to the Westminster Kennel Club or the National Dog Show telecast to hear more from me about what the different breeds were originally bred to do?
Dog owners are special. Bringing a dog into your life creates a relationship with responsibilities and obligations. My wife and I coordinate our office hours based on the dogs’ schedules. Our lives depend on dog walkers, veterinarians, and pet-supply store hours and deliveries. Our response to every invitation that we receive always depends on the answer to the question “What about the dogs?”
Bringing a dog into your life is also a sign of sharing and self-giving. And I happen to believe that’s exactly why so many people and their dogs are getting involved in therapy dog work these days.
I have been truly blessed. I have a wonderful life, thanks to my family, thanks to some great jobs, and thanks to my life in dogs, which includes showing dogs, my work as the voice of the Westminster Kennel Club and the National Dog Show, and my involvement with our wonderful therapy dog charity, Angel On A Leash.
I have had a lot of fun along the way. Dogs have taken me to the White House, to visit with military heroes at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and Fort Sam Houston, for a ride on a float in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, and to a role on Sex and the City. I’ve been on the Food Network Challenge as a judge in a cake-baking contest and have appeared on the Martha Stewart Show, the Ellen DeGeneres Show, the Today Show, Good Morning America, and many more, usually accompanied by a dog or bringing a dog-related message.
I met a special man, Mike Lingenfelter, and his amazing service dog, Dakota, and together we wrote a book to tell his story, The Angel by My Side. The book won two awards from the Dog Writers Association of America in 2003.
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I’ve met a cardinal and an archbishop and many celebrities because of the dogs. But with apologies to all of them, the biggest celebrity that I’ve ever been around just may have been the inimitable Westminster Best in Show Beagle, Uno. The real stars in my world have four legs. Because of my own dogs—going to dog shows with them, walking the streets with them, and everything I do with them—I’ve met some of the most wonderful people, too.
My dogs are Angel On A Leash therapy dogs, and as we proudly say about all of our Angel On A Leash dogs, all therapy dogs are champions. My dogs have delivered me to special places such as Ronald McDonald House New York, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York, the NewYork-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital, and the Transfiguration Church and School of Manhattan’s Chinatown.
I’ve met lots of special people and courageous warriors of all ages. My dogs are changing people’s lives and taking me along, changing my life, too. The stories in this book that have come from our adventures are both heartwarming and heartbreaking, and I have learned so much from all of the experiences that I share. I am honored and humbled to tell these stories. I have been touched by the special people that I’ve met, thanks to my special dogs, Teigh, Belle, Angel, and Grace.
The Bible tells us that “A faithful friend is the medicine of life and immortality.” I thank my faithful friends every day for letting me be the guy on the other end of the leash. They are my heroes for what they teach me—unconditional love, patience, compassion, caring, how to be nonjudgmental, and more. We add to that list every day.
Before you dive into this book, stop right now and hug your dog. In fact, I hope that you will find many other stops along the way where you will be moved to put down this book for a moment and hug your dog again. And again. And again.
“Scout has taught me that you don’t need to go through life in a hurry. You see so much more when you go slow.”