AT YOUR SERVICE
By Elizabeth Neff & Sandy LaFlamme
O
ne of the most endear- ing traits of the Eng- lish Cocker Spaniel is not how much we love them but how much they love us.
Th is breed does love to be worshiped but it is their love, loyalty and total devotion to their human that makes them so irresist- ible. Th is is why I tell people who are con- sidering adding an English Cocker to their family that they are like potato chips—it is very di ffi cult to just own one. Th ey move in, take over, and we could never live with- out them again. English Cockers do enjoy having a job, although they are not obsessed with it like other breeds. Some love to do agility, some love obedience, others have a great apti- tude for tracking or hunting and even the best show dogs often exhibit a great apti- tude for hunting and have a natural birdi- ness. Th e pet parakeet is never safe when an ECS shares their home. One of the greatest jobs and most rewarding for dog and owner is Th erapy work. Th e English Cocker is a naturally empathetic creature and there are count- less cases of ECS Th erapy dogs being able to bring the people they visit to a much happier place. Megan Belle, a beautiful blue Eng- lish Cocker owned by Stanley and Gerry Pajkos, is a big hit at Nursing Homes. She always appears in costume and the resi- dents can’t wait to see what her latest attire will be when she and her owner arrive for a visit. She brings great joy to the residents as a Certified Th erapy Dog, a job she has been doing since she was just 18 months old. One lovely black girl named Daphne specialized in Alzheimer’s and Dementia patients. She was on the floor of a nursing home visiting the Dementia unit and the nurses asked her human to stop by to see a gentleman with MS who had slipped in to such a depression that he had not commu- nicated for months. Th ey lifted Daphne on
Courtesy of the Family Resource Center, Macdonough Elementary School, Middletown, CT.
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