In 2014, when I first joined Wonder Dogs, Rita Givens, our founder, was already in the company of her third self-trained Service Dog.

Hooker, a three-year-old Great Pyrenees  had been rescued from the local shelter. He turned out to be one of the most affectionate and affable dogs I have ever known. He was in the habit of looking one straight in the eye, and with a sparkle in HIS eye, and a smile on his face seemed to be  saying (and I quote) "you are the most wonderful being I have ever met; I love you, and only you, and I am yours forever" (end quote). And with absolutely no shame, he would do the exact same thing to the next person he met!

 

Over the course of the years, Rita and Hooker led and participated in Wonder Dogs activities to the best of their abilities. Rita's health was deteriorating from nearly a life time of Muscualr Dystrophy, so that, as she found herself to be less and less able to get out and about as once she had, Hooker and she, together, attended fewer and fewer meetings. Finally, to keep up with Hooker's service skills, he sometimes attended without Rita, even gaining his Canine Good Citizen Certification in 2016. (I had the honor of being his "partner" on that day). 

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As the years have gone by we've all gotten a bit older. Rita, now bedbound and on Hospice Care at home is no longer getting out at all. Her husband, Jay (yes, he IS a rocket scientist), and Hooker have been her full time companions and care takers. Hooker's hips have given out, his hair is in a chronic state of "bedhead", and he suffers with arthritis, various aches and pains, and tummy troubles. Still, he welcomes caregivers, strangers, and friends alike, with his same starry-eyed, enthusiastic, I-love-you-more- than-anybody- greeting, asking little more than an ear rub in return.

 

Today, June 1st, 2023, Hooker took his final car ride. He is always in our hearts.