Akron Children's Hospital has a real Mother's Day tail to tell about dogs and patience
This is a story about Faith.
Patience.
And patients.
This Mother's Day weekend, Akron Children's Hospital is recognizing a different sort of mother.
This mother hen, err, dog has looked over and calmed countless patients over the years at the hospital as part of its Doggie Brigade.
And this particular story comes full circle as Faith is a mother herself and the hospital has just posted a video about this special canine.
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She is a three-time dog mom and has given birth to 23 puppies.
One of her puppies who is not so much of a pup anymore, Memphis, is 5 years old and has completed the necessary training to participate in the Brigade and join his mom in visiting patients and making their day a bit brighter.
But this faith journey started with handler Jeannie Bussey.
A real tail
Bussey, a dog breeder from Uniontown, said she saw firsthand the joy the visits by the specially trained dogs brought to patients when her own grandson was a patient there some 15 years ago.
"I saw what it did for him on days when he really needed those type of things," she said.
She looked into the program that is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year and volunteered to make rounds with her Bernese Mountain dogs.
Bussey said she's witnessed some pretty incredible moments over the years and the gentleness shown by such big and loving dogs.
"The dogs do all of the work," she said. "Faith is really good at knowing a patient's needs and sometimes just being a quiet listener."
It was a love of the breed and Faith that caught the eye and heart of Wendy Sawyer, a Cuyahoga Falls resident who works in Volunteer Services at the hospital.
A new generation
Sawyer decided to take her own leap of faith and become dog mom to Memphis — one of Faith's pups.
Memphis is Sawyer's second Bernese Mountain dog.
Payton was part of the Doggie Brigade and had died about a year before she met Memphis.
"I fell in love the second I saw him," she said.
Five years later, Memphis is about to join the ranks of the Doggie Brigade having completed his training.
Sawyer said she just has some training to complete as a handler.
"Memphis has done his part — now it's up to mom."
Craig Webb, whose yellow lab Bailey could join the floor licking brigade, can be reached at cwebb@thebeaconjournal.com.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Akron Children's Hospital celebrates one of its four-legged moms
