animal lover's profile
The Healing Power of Puppies By Nancy Dewar
When a precious little Aussiedoodle puppy (Australian Shepherd & Standard Poodle mix) came into the Verbeck family’s life 2 ½ years ago, none of them ever imagined the love, joy and healing that this little bundle of fluff would bring to so many. Emily Verbeck is tall, vivacious and beautiful with a bright infectious smile and displays a genuine warmth the minute one meets her. She is the mother of three handsome young sons; Nash, 9; Colt, 7 and Clark, 5. She is also an enormous dog lover and had promised to get her oldest son a puppy for his birthday. One day, while scrolling Facebook, a litter of therapy puppies from a reputable Colorado breeder caught her eye. “I decided to call the breeder and explain our situation,” she told me. Emily had found this litter while passing endless time at Dana Farber Cancer Institute where her middle son Colt was being treated for lymphoblastic lymphoma. That was the difficult situation, and Emily thought a therapy dog might be good for the whole family. Five-year-old Colt was in pre-school at Exeter Day School when they discovered a lump on his neck. “The next thing we know, we are at Children’s Hospital where Colt spent a month of testing and initial treatments.” Their lives were turned upside down, and it was the beginning of a long journey of fear, hope, faith and juggling of lives for Colt, Emily, his Dad Chad, siblings, grandparents and friends.
Colt & Lenni
When Emily spoke to the breeder, the wonderful woman said, “I know one of these dogs will be perfect for you.” Via Facetime, they met the first pup Juno, and thought she was precious. The breeder then said, “But you really should meet Lenni too.” A little black ball of fur appeared on the screen, and Emily immediately knew “She is it!” A week later they met their puppy at Logan, never imagining the heartwarming journey their little Lenni would take them on. And never imagining the number of lives that would be touched because of this precious pup.
6 seacoastbarkmagazine.com
