A Brinkley Story

     Brinkley (yes...named after the dog in "You Got Mail") is a Golden Retriever that I raised for Leader Dogs For The Blind.  Brinks was pretty lazy.  He didn't make it.  Toward the end of his 5 months of professional training they "career changed" him for inconsistent work.  If I were blind, I sure wouldn't want a dog that decided to work one day but the next day was pretty sure he was tired. :-)

Bailey and Brinkley

       He is now one of the most pampered pets ever.  He lives at a garden center and is their "mascot".  Pretty much he positions himself at the door in order to receive the most pets.  (On hot days he sprawls on the cement floor and you must step over him :-).  His owner is partially disabled and would not be able to raise a puppy very easily.  A dog about 18 months old, socialized and obedience trained was perfect for her.  About a year after she had Brinkley she told me this story.

     She was talking to a customer about flowers.  The customers' little boy, about 3 years old, was playing with Brinkley.  When their discussion ended, they couldn't find the little boy or Brinkley.  Panic ensued as they frantically looked all over for him.  Not finding him in the greenhouse, the search went outside.  There was a pond out back.  Brinkley liked to go swimming in it.  To this day they don't know if it was Brinkley that led the little boy to the pond, or if the little boy just wondered toward the pond, but, what they saw brought tears to every one's eyes.

     Brinkley had positioned himself between the little boy and the pond and would not let him go near it.  We know that Brinkley was using his Leader Dog training.  A Leader Dog will not let his blind master walk into danger.  All that training....no one would have guessed that in his career changed life he would be a hero!

Hero Brinkley....Good Dog Brinks!

 .....dr momi

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