Richard, Maddock and Dawson

Richard and his two Lend A Paw dogs, Dawson and Maddock.

When Richard Stone retired, he was looking for an opportunity to "give back". So in 2004, he became a New Leash On Life Volunteer. "I have a knack with animals", says Richard. "But I never dreamed I would be working with therapy dogs!"

Maddock was the first dog to become a member of the Lend A Paw program.

In January 2005, NLOL rescued Maddock, a two year old collie mix. "Maddock had been run over by a vehicle and underwent major surgery", states Richard. "North Central Animal Shelter put a lot of money into his surgery and he needed a place to recuperate."He spent many months at NLOL facilities to rebuild his strength and get back on his feet." That's when Richard fell in love with Maddock! "I don't know who was adopted,"he said. "Was it Maddock or me?"

Dawson now enjoys visiting children with autism.

Richard took Maddock into his home and fostered him for a while. They went through the Lend A Paw training together and took the test together. "It's very important that one keeps up with the training on a daily basis," states Richard. Maddock and Richard were the very first Lend A Paw team. But it took them two attempts to pass the test; one of the items on the test consists of leaving your dog with another person for a few minutes and Maddock just couldn't bear to be separated from Richard! Finally, Richard decided to adopt Maddock and on December 21st, 2007, he made it official. They have been visiting people ever since and continue to enjoy it. But Richard didn't stop there. Richard soon began fostering another Lend A Paw dog named Dawson, a Shepherd mix. After falling in love, Richard soon adopted Dawson as well. Richard is proud of his two Lend A Paw dogs! You can see it in his face and hear it in his voice when he talks about them. He has many stories and anecdotes from his numerous visits. At a visit to Kayne Eras School a few weeks ago, a teacher told him that one of the teenagers who was visiting with the dogs was "much more talkative than usual". Richard says he sees people "come out of their shells" all the time. And that is the most rewarding part of this whole experience.

Story and Photos by Nathalie Seguin