Sherman came into his humans’ lives at just the right time. With recently battling medical difficulties and the loss of a pet, they were emotionally drained. That is, until they met Sherman.
In 2012, Joy and Billy Carr learned that Billy had a brain tumor that needed to be surgically removed. While processing this horrifying news, their 17 year old dog, Bubba, passed away. Dealing with two major crises at once, they were beginning to feel defeated.
Soon after Billy had his operation, the couple decided to stop by a local animal rescue event. Billy was still exhausted from his surgery, so he picked a spot in the back of the room to wait while Joy took a look around.
Unable to find a dog that fit their match, Joy ventured back to her husband. What she then found, was the start of a beautiful friendship.
While Joy was looking for the perfect pup, Billy had already found him. Billy saw Sherman sitting politely in his kennel with his little pink tongue sticking out, and immediately fell in love. Once Billy asked to hold Sherman, Joy knew they would be taking him home.
Billy had several weeks of recovery ahead of him, so he needed a pal to spend his days with. Sherman was happy to help his new dad!
“Seeing Sherman discover his new environment, watching him learn to trust us, and just observing how he interacts with the world reminded us of the happy memories we have of Bubba. Sherman brought life back into our home again, and kept us from feeling too sorry for ourselves.” –Joy
The Carr family was amazed by just how much joy Sherman brought into their lives, that they began to wonder if Sherman could spread this joy to others as well. Joy soon learned of a program that was in search of therapy dogs to visit local nursing homes. With Sherman’s calm and loving demeanor, she knew he would be perfect for the role.
After Sherman passed the Canine Good Citizen test, they applied to enter the therapy dog program. Before they knew it, Sherman was an official nursing home visitor!
“He’d walk from room to room, stopping in to say hello to those who wanted a furry visitor. Sherman loves the attention, and the residents enjoy the visits. Many have pets at home that they miss, so it’s a special treat for them to get to see dogs like Sherman.”- Joy
Sherman fulfilled his therapy dog duties for quite some time before he went into retirement. Now he spends his days lounging around with his favorite humans, and greeting his neighbors in the Tulsa community.
Joy and Billy are so proud of Sherman’s transformation from rescue pup to therapy dog. Who knew that this little dog had the power to not only transform the Carr’s lives, but to bring light to so many other lives as well.
Thank you for your impressive work in your community Sherman. We hope you enjoy your retirement!
H/T: akc.org
All photos: Facebook
Toledo, United States.
