Throwback Thursday: Mercedes the Amazing Service Animal

Adrian, Mercedes was multi-talented.  She was called to the Pentagon as a search and rescue animal during 9-11.  Mercedes also located a gentleman with dementia who wandered away from a nursing home during the middle of the night, and possibly saved him from freezing to death.

Debbie, Mercedes and her successor, Tyr, assisted my husband in so many ways.  Mercedes saved my husband's life, alerting me after he took a terrible fall in the bathroom.

Endre, Mercedes was most certainly one of a kind, although we loved all our dogs equally. 

Pat, Thank you for the compliment.  Before she became a service dog, she was a show dog and did quite well.  Once she went into service training a requirement was she had to be spayed, which made her ineligible to participate in sanctioned UKC shows.

Nancy, thank you for the compliments.  It feels good to talk about her, she gave my husband so much freedom.

Hannah, We will always have animals in this household.  My former broker made a negative comment about the dog on our business card, stating "what about the people who don't like dogs."  I said "if they dislike dogs, I don't care to work with them."

Bob, Mercedes was a blessing to have around, not just for Joe, but for the others she helped.

Sheila, We think of her often.  For Joe's birthday a few years ago, I had a painting done of her, which hangs in the foyer of our home, it's quite a piece.

Kristin, It's amazing some of the things dogs can detect, health issues, weather . . . 

Kathy, Thank you, she was beautiful, a very dark Leonberger, our others have been lighter.