After the passing of our precious Indy, our home was excessively quiet. How I missed the patter of paws and Indy’s head on my lap when he realized I needed a “hug.” Because Indy had been an informal therapy dog, I realized my next “child” would be a therapy dog. Not only would he or she bring us joy as a couple, but also many smiles and joys to others.

In addition to my desire for a therapy dog, Charles, my then-husband request’s was a non-shedding dog, which eliminated some of my choices. The decision was made. Our new child would be a Bichon Frise. As with our search for Indy, rescue Bichon’s were aged, ill, abused, etc. It was recommended that seeking a therapy dog would require a puppy to train for such service. As we awaited the birth of our little one, we didn’t know if we would have a boy or girl, as the breeders noted the girls had homes, if there were more males in the litter than female.  I realized God would bring us the little one He chose for us.

Our little boy was born on February 9, 2009 and what a beautiful, snowball of white, fluffy, fur. His breeder parents named him “Green” until he was adopted, and a special name chosen for him. We had purchased a pet booster seat for our baby’s safe delivery back to OK from KS. I still recall those moments with fondness. He was such a quiet little boy on his journey to his new home and so tiny, he was almost invisible in his seat.

Selecting the proper name was also a task, but Charles’ desire to name him overshadowed my choice. Boomer Woods was now our newest family addition. At a few weeks of age, I enrolled him in puppy class to begin his pathway of becoming a certified therapy dog. Boomer not only excelled in his puppy training, AKC good citizen training and certified pet therapy training, but he became a certified therapy dog days before his first birthday. He was ready to serve others and our therapy work touched hundreds of lives in hospitals, hospices, libraries, long-term care and national disasters.

When Boomer was three years of age, Charles left us to begin a new life with another. The bond between Boomer and I over the next seven years was impenetrable. When Boomer was unable to accommodate me on trips, Charles was frequently his pet sitter. Even with Boomer’s great love for Charles, he was always eager to return home to his favorite “hiding places”, “nests” and friends; pet and human during our therapy work.

I was devastated when Boomer became ill and passed quickly. As with humans that pass too early, so too did Boomer. He was aging, but not aged. God took Boomer from us on July 30, 2019. Now his paw prints have scarred my heart with Mo’s and Indy’s. I miss him every day and will forever. I know without a doubt God brings these furry children into our lives to bring “sonshine” to cloudy days and blue skies during storms, but above all, they will love us unconditionally without judgement. Ecclesiastes 3: 3 KJV “to everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:”