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Other Voices
But I couldn't convince anyone around here of its importance. In case you missed it, an English springer spaniel named James won the 131st Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in New York. I asked our assistant features editor if she'd include the dog show on the Life pages. She said she would if I wanted her to bump news about a Gainesville High School play. Next, I tried our sports editor. "You're kidding, right?" he said. Then I turned to our copy desk, the folks who put together the front section of the newspaper each night. They completely ignored me. They were glued to a basketball game on TV. OK, so maybe it wasn't the biggest news in the world, but for dog lovers like me - and I suspect a great many of you - the Westminster Dog Show is a chance to see some of the most beautiful dogs in the world all gathered in one place. And James' win was particularly satisfying for me because of Glory, the black and white springer spaniel who lives at my house. Glory and I have been together for nine years and this is the second time in those years that a springer spaniel has won Best of Show at Westminster. To be completely honest, though, Glory was a little indifferent to James' win. She was stretched out next to me on the sofa during the show. But she slept through most of it, at least until I let out a loud "Yes" when the judge said James was the winner. I often wondered about show dogs. What kind of life to do they lead? Do they get to go outside and play? Do they ever get dirty? Do they ever go swimming in the lake? We usually only see show dogs while they are at a show. They're clean, brushed and ready to perform. Their fur has the perfect cut, unless, of course, we're talking about the poodles. Now I probably shouldn't talk about anyone's hair cut, even a dog's. I'm folically challenged myself. I don't really consider myself bald, though. I prefer to say I have a really wide part. I'd be embarrassed if someone cut my hair like they cut a dog-show poodle and took me out in public. I'm happy to report that James, at least, does lead a fairly normal life when he's not competing. According to an article in USA Today, James sleeps in the bed with his owner. He loves chicken-and-garlicflavored treats, and I can only imagine how they affect a dog's already, um, unique breath. He spends a lot of time outside running and playing. And his favorite toy is a stuffed frog that squeaks when it's chewed. The best thing I learned about James, though, is that he is retiring from dog shows following his win last week to spend the rest of life as a certified therapy dog, specifically for Alzheimer's patients. Glory is a certified therapy dog, and I can tell you without question that it is one of the most rewarding things I've ever been involved in.We haven't been as active in Gainesville yet as I would like, but when we lived in Milledgeville, we went to one of the local nursing homes every other Sunday to visit with patients. A colleague at Georgia College recruited me and Glory. The first time we went for training, I was very nervous. They don't call them springers for nothing. But as soon as we walked through the doors, she became very calm. Before long, she learned our route through the building. She knew which rooms had patients who wanted to see the dogs and which ones didn't. She knew she had to just stand by the bed for some, put her paws on the edge of the bed for others and jump into bed with one woman, who wanted Glory to lie next to her while we visited. Glory especially knew the room of Mrs. Neil, who saved half of her banana from Sunday lunch to share with her. After we'd been going to the nursing home for several months, we had to miss a couple of Sunday because I was traveling for work. A nurse called to make sure we were coming back. When I assured her we were, she said something to me that made me realize how important our visits were. "Your visits mean so much to our residents," she said. "We have some residents who don't respond to us, who don't recognize their families, and it's very sad. Sometimes the only response we'll ever see from them is when the dogs are here."
I think James will agree that's better than any Best of Show trophy.
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