They Mean the World to Us

Pets.

They are all special. Family. We love them.

Our little guy, Kugle came to us about 12.5 years ago the result of much begging on my part with Arlene.

She had three rules to agree to his coming home with us:

She owned the front half;

He would stay on the main level of the house;

He would only sleep on his bed.

I agreed and shortly after his arrival, I suggested we go to a puppy class to learn how to train him. Neither of us had a dog before.

We not only attended that beginner’s class but went through a series of classes with Arlene taking as much charge as myself.

In less than a year we had a remarkably well-mannered and behaved dog and we were well-trained dog-handlers.

With that we applied to the St. John Ambulance Therapy Dog Program.

Because we both sought to be handlers of Kugle in the program, both Arlene and I had to be tested with Kugle to see how we managed him and how he handled various situations we could encounter. If Kugle failed with either of us, neither of us could belong to the program with him.

He passed twice and was the youngest dog at the time to become a member of the St. John Ambulance Therapy Program at just over a year old. Their rules today require a dog to be two years old before testing for certification.

Over the course of 7 years as a Certified Therapy Dog, Kugle has made some 350 visits to senior’s residences, colleges and universities and a few hospitals.

Averaging at least 10 greets per visit, we estimate he has made at least 3,500 greets in his career, but more realistically, likely over 5,000. Indeed, he has even been invited to be with families mourning the immediate passing of their loved one in the seniors residence.

At home, Kugle has been a source of comfort to folks during counseling sessions. He just knew when to sit by someone’s lap or jump between two persons in conflict to bring peace.

He has comforted and brought joy to many.

Arlene shared him with me in full.

Kugle will however no longer be running upstairs nor sleeping on our bed as he has for 12 and a half years.

Today Kugle has passed peacefully at home.

We mourn.

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I am Gary Direnfeld and I am a social worker. Check out all my services and then call me if you need help with a personal issue, mental health concern, child behavior or relationship, divorce or separation issue or even help growing your practice. I am available in person and by video conferencing.

Gary Direnfeld, MSW, RSW

gary@yoursocialworker.com
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Gary Direnfeld is a social worker. Courts in Ontario, Canada, consider him an expert in social work, marital and family therapy, child development, parent-child relations and custody and access matters. Gary is the host of the TV reality show, Newlywed, Nearly Dead, former parenting columnist for the Hamilton Spectator and author of Marriage Rescue: Overcoming the ten deadly sins in failing relationships. Gary maintains a private practice in Georgina Ontario, providing a range of services for people in distress. He speaks at conferences and workshops throughout North America. He consults to mental health professionals as well as to mediators and collaborative law professionals about good practice as well as building their practice.