Debbie LaChusa

Dogs

Stories about my dogs, the pet therapy work they do, and anything else dog-related that inspires me to write

I Decided Against Surgery for My Dog’s Torn CCL

My golden retriever Faith, sporting her pretty purple custom Posh Dog Knee Brace for her torn CCL

Why I didn’t follow the “gold standard of treatment”–TPLO surgery–for my dog’s torn CCL, and how she’s doing despite going against the vet’s recommendations. “Uh-oh,” my husband said, as Faith came in from her morning potty break. “What?” I replied. “She’s limping, again,” he said. We’d only been home one week from a trip to …

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What a Little Rescue Pup Taught Me About Pet Parenting, Life, and Love

My daughter at eight months old, with our rescue pup Sundance

What I learned from a dog who was a whole lot smarter than me. I got my first dog as an adult in the summer of 1988. I was twenty-six years old and my husband and I had just purchased our first house. It was a tiny, 700-square-foot bungalow on an oversized lot — a lot so …

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I Found Hope on the Internet. She’s been my refuge ever since.

Hope, my golden retriever, at nine months old

I walk downstairs and into the kitchen. My husband is sitting at the table with his laptop open and a big smile on his face. As I enter the room, he swings the computer around. A cherubic golden face fills the screen. “Oh my God,” I say. “It’s Hope!” My husband looks at me, puzzled. …

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My Therapy Dog Faith Brings Light to Death’s Door

Faith, my eight-year-old golden retriever and certified therapy dog

A heartwarming story about my therapy dog Faith, and her visits with Hospice patients. I’ve been a pet therapy volunteer for eight years. I actually have two certified therapy dogs, both golden retrievers. Hope is ten years old, Faith is eight.  Hope has always been my steady, reliable, zen therapy dog. With a perpetual smile …

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