VIRGINIA BEACH
Almost seven years ago, Deborah Lankford came to the aid of one Australian shepherd puppy at Virginia Beach Animal Control.
Bonnie, who was adopted by Lankford and trained as an agility and therapy dog, has recently returned the favor to her human.
Lankford took a fall in August 2008, breaking a hip. She endured complications and eventually underwent a full hip replacement.
During the past nine months, the Little Neck resident has either been bedridden or wheelchair-bound.
"I was so useless in the house," said Lankford, 63.
Lankford plans to bring Bonnie to this year's K-9 Karnival, which is from 10 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Saturday at Red Wing Park.
Bonnie will likely compete in the Hyperflite Skyhoundz Local Championship, a Frisbee contest.
During Lankford's recovery, Bonnie was able to lend a paw - or a mouth, as the case might be.
"She became my service dog," Lankford said.
In addition to fetching remote controls, Bonnie would bring the laundry, piece by piece, from the drier for Lankford to fold.
She'd also help her canine housemates, a Pembroke Welsh Corgi that belongs to Lankford's son and a Papillon that belongs to Lankford's husband, Paul.
Bonnie would let them inside the house and close the door. When Lankford could sit in a wheelchair, "She'd pull me so I could take the other two dogs on a walk," said Lankford.
"I was so lucky to get her," Lankford said.
Bonnie, a former rescue dog, won the 2008 Dog-Gonest Dog Contest at the annual K-9 Karnival, which is hosted by Virginia Beach Parks & Recreation.
"She's a therapy dog, so we have worked out a whole routine," said Lankford.
Called "A Day In The Life of Bonnie," the routine involves Bonnie finding Lankford's keys, bringing her breakfast bowl to Lankford, putting her toys away and saying her prayers before bed.
Lankford, who is one of the original members of the Friends of Virginia Beach Animal Control, encourages others to enter their dogs.
"You can enter at the last minute," she said. "Usually, this is just fun-loving people with their puppies. A lot of children take their dogs in and that's wonderful."
This is the 18th year of the K-9 Karnival, said Caroline Ansel of Parks & Recreation. She added that 15 commercial exhibitors and 15 nonprofit canine organizations are scheduled to take part.
"Some are breed-specific rescue organizations, others are general canine rescue," said Ansel. "They will have some adoptable animals on site, as well as interactive activities and educational material."
The Virginia Beach SPCA will bring their mobile pet clinic called the "Neuter Scooter" and offer low-cost rabies shots for dogs.
"We expect to have over 4000 people and over 200 dogs come out," said Ansel. "This is a wonderful, fun, interactive event for the whole family, including the dogs."
Cyndi Kight, kightcw@yahoo.com
Delicious
Digg
Reddit
Facebook
Google
Yahoo
"The story about the dog is
"The story about the dog is delightful, but it's a disgrace the the so-called "reporter" is so ignorant she spells dryer "drier". "
Before you post a comment criticizing someone elses grammar/spelling, maybe you should check your own.
Ignorant is way too harsh,
Ignorant is way too harsh, but in general, even on blogs, what has happened to proof reading? It is not only the reporter's responsibility to edit their articles, but ultimately that of the editorial staff. They are the ones who have been absent from the job now for years, and I would question their educational institutions' track records, as well as the quality of the work these editors achieved while working toward degrees. It's a shame Leno is leaving - the material he gets from newsprint is not dwindling!!!
Is Cougar serious?
You called the reporter "ignorant" because she spelled a word incorrectly? You questioned where she earned her degree? So should I understand that people who graduate from, say, Harvard, never spell a word incorrectly?
I understand that readers of a newspaper have the right to fairly high standards, but perfection is asking a bit much. Do you know how quickly most of these news stories must be turned in? Isn't the substance more important than one misspelled word?
She might not have perfect spelling, but at least she probably isn't saddled with a superiority complex and the need to point out the smallest mistakes of others.
I'd rathur missspell wurds and uze dubble negatives (see above) neday.
Nice story however.......
The story about the dog is delightful, but it's a disgrace the the so-called "reporter" is so ignorant she spells dryer "drier". Where are these people getting their degrees these days?