Coco's First Time As A Therapy Dog

 I received the most wonderful email yesterday telling me about Coco's (Ch Braebrook's Coco Chanel Holmrun) first day as a therapy dog. Coco is from my Dirk x London breeding and will be seven (!!) in April...time flies. Coco is also the dam of an all champion litter when bred to Freddy (Ch Holmrun's Fred Astaire) which includes Bravo, Remy and Cooper, and the dam of multi best puppy in group winners and loving companions when bred to Mick (BISS Ch Holmrun's Play for Keeps)..which include Jax, Riley, Owen and Soter (who she currently lives with).

Here is the email I received from owner Sherri:

Hi Mariah,

I think I has mentioned yesterday that my Grandma was in the hospital because she had broke her hip again.  Well,  her hip is healed but she spent so long in bed that she's not able to walk now and her dementia now is so bad that some days she can hardly speak.  She's been very unhappy and depressed and because of this, not making any progress, which of course makes her more depressed and on it goes.  

The one thing that could always bring a smile to her face was my dogs so I went and spoke with the floor supervisor yesterday and asked if I could bring one of my dogs in to see Grandma.  She was understandably hesitant as Coco isn't a therapy dog and of course the whole Doberman thing but they're so worried about Grandma that she said we could give it a try.

It was amazing!  Her face just lit up, she smiled more than she has in months.  She was even able to speak, she was chatting away, calling Coco's name and telling her what a good and pretty girl she was!  She was even trying to push herself in the wheelchair to keep up with Coco. 
You just wouldn't believe the change in her.

Coco was simply amazing.  The big front doors swoosh open when you push the button, she trotted right through, not scared or nervous in the least.  She went past walkers, wheelchairs, canes, all sorts of carts, there were alarms and bells going off, nothing phased her.  She just walked on past cool as can be.  

The nurses were so impressed that they asked if I would bring her around to see some of the other patients.  Coco would very calmly and gently approach them and then either stand or sit and let them do whatever to her.  Some of the patients have very poor motor control skills and were slamming on her little head trying to pet her but she just stood like a rock through it.  There was this one old man who's mostly deaf so he yells, really loud, he was so excited to meet Coco he kept yelling "Hey Coco, come here Coco".  I thought for sure she would be skittish, but no, she walked right up to him and put her head in his lap.  

We stayed for about an hour and the whole time she was rock solid.  No sign of being nervous or skittish at all.  She didn't once make a single sound, not a whine, not a bark or a growl.  She was so good and the other patients were so thrilled with her that they've ask us to come back again.  I can't even say how proud we are of her! What do you think, service dog in the making?

I can't even tell you how proud I am of these two, and yes..I DO think that we have a service dog in the making. Well done Coco and Sherri! Thank you for being such amazing ambassadors for this wonderful breed, and showing others what we already know....Dobermans rule. ;)