Deaf therapy dog helps sick kids, Wins Hero Pet Prize

I am sure all the dogs are winners. Jay is a great example of the wonderful nature of dogs :)

The winner in the Pet Hero category, French bulldog Jay, is a therapy dog at B.C. Children's Hospital, where he provides comfort and companionship to kids like seven-year-old Jayden Palmer.
Photograph by: Arlen Redekop
Deaf therapy dog helps sick kids
Stuart Derdeyn, The Province
Sunday, November 02, 2008

Personal pain pushed Julie Marzolf to get her French bulldog, Jay, involved in the St. John's Ambulance pet therapy program.

The winner of the $1,000 First Prize courtesy of Bosley's Pet Food Plus in the Province Pet Superstars Pet Hero contest category is a fixture on the wards at B.C. Children's Hospital.

The kids know that, if it's Sunday, Jay's on his way.
The affable animal even has an additional connection with those he cheers up. Jay is completely deaf, so touch contact is as important to him as it is a positive experience for those he visits.

"When I found out about this program was when my father was terminally ill with cancer that had spread to his brain," says Marzolf. "We had just been given that news when a pair of these therapy dogs were coming down the hall and I asked if I could pet one.

"I realized right then and there that having that familiar furry friend around at a difficult time can provide that dog-away-from-home experience to people who are somewhere they really don't want to be."
Read his whole story here :)