Protector of the Heart

This weekend my family and I went on a ski vacation to Vermont. Never having skied before I gave it a whirl. Quickly I found out that I am neither a ski bunny nor a ski dog. Oh well!

I wound up spending my time at doggie day camp and romping around the snow banks instead of the ski slopes.

The experience made me think about dogs and their jobs. Clearly I’ll never be a ski instructor or one of those cool avalanche dogs.

Last week I was watching a special on the television regarding the evolution of dogs. The show started out discussing the role of the dog as “protector of the herd.”

As I was watching, I was thinking of my job as a pet therapy dog. A lot of what I do deals with comforting people and providing an outlet to share in some friendship. Some might say my role is that of “protector of the heart.” It is the love and compassion in our hearts that keeps us going and I am privileged to hold the post as its guardian.