Good Dog

Blair desperately wants a dog. He had a wonderful dog growing up and I know that once I cave Blair will become one of those people who talks to our dog, asking it what it thinks we should watch on T.V., eat for dinner, etc. Ultimately I know that Blair and our future dog will be very happily married and I feel very lucky that they will let me share their home with them. I just hope we get a "Rosie".

Today I read this article about a dog named Rosie, trained as a service dog. Rosie responds to signs of human stress with a nudge of the nose or a lean on the side or leg and recently sat at the feet of a young girl who testified that her father raped her (her father was convicted and his attorney is filing an appeal). These dogs are trained to comfort children or other vulnerable witness during times of stress as they testify in court. Dogs likes Rosie are causing quite a stir in the court system as defense attorneys are worried that the dogs may sway jurors based on the natural attraction that people feel for dogs; as well as the idea that the witness may be under stress if they are providing false testimony in which case the dog is responding to signals as trained but not necessarily because the witness finds it difficult to testify. Regardless of the legal debate that these dogs raise, I really think this story emphasizes the bond between man and his best friend. It is well worth the read, especially if you are a proud dog owner.

Go Rosie!

So, if for whatever reason you are not a dog lover I hope that it is stories like this that may change your mind; even the defense attorneys in Rosie's case said Rosie is "a lovely creature and by all standards a 'good dog'". Thanks for reading and I hope you all are having a good week!

Mary