About a month ago, sweet Tonks did her last visit as an official therapy dog. We visited for two years at UNC Hospital and before that for two years at Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital. Through it all, Tonks has been a master therapy dog. She tunes into what people need, expertly goes from person to person in groups, and seems to take pride in her work. I am so proud of the training that she and I did together to be able to work as a therapy team for four years.

We’re hanging up our therapy badge, based on a few minor aging-related issues that Tonks is experiencing—cataracts and stiff joints—and due to the difficulty of being re-evaluated, which you have to do every two years. But she continues to give out therapy to people we meet on the street or sitting on the lawn at the bar, and I know that won’t ever stop. No one can resist the fur!

Enjoying retirement on the couch