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About Dr. Larry / Reprints
Mister, You Made My Day!
by Kerri Reid, Bronx, NY
Reprinted from The World of Professional Pet Sitting
"Mister, you made my day!" are
the words Larry Sterne hears when he and his Golden Retriever, Pico,
venture out. "Pico deserves all the credit," says the robust
ex-Marine. "If my best friend could talk, he'd say 'I love
you' to everyone he meets."
Sterne, known to his neighbors as "Dr. Larry," has been
walking dogs since his teens. In 1992, he took up dog
walking in earnest, along with boarding and pet sitting.
Dr. Larry, a former psychotherapist, and Pico visit nursing
homes and children's institutions. Pico's caring
presence often brings seniors and children out of depression.
"Pico's love and gentleness creates a healing glow wherever he
goes," says Larry. |
Dr. Larry with his therapy dog, Pico
(Click to enlarge) |
The gentle doctor, as one client addresses him, treasures house
calls to cats and allows dogs to run free in his own home. "Each one
is utterly unique," he states.
Dr. Larry is no stranger to other species. At home, Larry and
Pico are surrounded by a menagerie of furry and feathered relatives.
Pico, Sabu (a cat), two parakeets and a canary rule the roost.
When asked how all of these animals cohabitated, Larry simply
states, "I expected all of these creatures to get along from the
beginning, and they did."
Amidst this activity, Dr. Larry still schedules time for work as a
volunteer mediator, arbitrator and psychotherapist. He is also
an avid cyclist, hiker, and runner - with two marathons to his
credit. When Dr. Larry remains in "fast forward" for too long,
Pico's soulful presence prevails.
Pico, a Bringer of Joy
by Laurence Sterne, Ph.D.
©
2002
The 90-year old ex-Marine slumped in his wheelchair and sobbed.
Warehoused in a veterans administration nursing home, he had just
learned of the death of his daughter. My 87-pound Golden Retriever,
Pico, rushed to him, profusely licking his face and hands. The man
lifted his head for a moment and smiled; he cradled my dog’s head
next to his own and rocked back and forth. Pico, my therapy dog,
brought joy wherever he ventured.
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Pico looks in on a veteran at
a V.A. nursing home.
(Click to enlarge) |
On a weekly visit to the nursing home, I discovered a new occupant,
an emaciated, dark-skinned African-American in his 50’s; he lay on
his back staring vacantly at the ceiling. The man did not recognize
the deeply creased face of the old woman, his mother, who wiped the
sweat from his brow and saliva from his lips. She had “pilgrimed,”
as she put it, from the South to visit her son. |
From the doorway, I asked the woman, in her 80’s, if she’d welcome a
visit. Pico waved his feathery tail, which then thumped against the
hollow door, signaling his eagerness. The woman took in Pico’s silky
coat radiating deep gold, his expressive eyes and face, his lips
stretched back in an irrepressible smile. Quietly she said, “My son
always loved animals.” I learned the patient had suffered severe
brain damage in an automobile accident.
With the permission of the veteran’s mother, I motioned for Pico to
hop onto the bed and to lie alongside her son. Instinctively, Pico
rested his great head and warm neck across the man’s heart and
chest; the patient’s once-rigid body relaxed; he breathed more
easily.
Without a word, I placed a puppy biscuit between my lips and leaned
my face close to Pico’s. He lifted his head and, in a graceful
motion, kissed me while removing the biscuit. |
Pico's kisses delight a
nursing home resident.
(Click to enlarge) |
I asked the woman if I could, likewise, place a biscuit between her
son’s lips. She consented. Pico wiggled his way alongside the
veteran’s face; deftly, my companion animal extracted the treat and
flicked a kiss. A subtle smile crept across the ex-G.I.’s face.
Following my retirement as a psychotherapist and caseworker with
abused inner city children, I adopted Pico, then five years old,
from a golden retriever rescue society. Throughout this country,
volunteers, according to breed partiality, provide foster homes for
animals that are homeless for a variety of reasons.
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Pico, a bringer of joy
wherever he ventured
(Click to enlarge) |
The volunteers take the animals into their own living rooms until
carefully screened permanent homes can be found. Not long after Pico
came into my life, together we enrolled in a rigorous ten-week
program to certify Pico as a therapy dog, which required Pico’s
disciplined behavior: one must always prepare for the unpredictable
with children or seniors. A therapy dog remains unflappable when his
tail is pulled, when his private parts are poked, when a metal cane
falls and clatters behind him, when a demented resident screams. |
Adolescent boys in prison came to know joy through Pico’s presence.
On a first visit to the Rikers Island Penitentiary, the street-smart
teenagers were distrustful of us volunteers; the boys only wanted to
know if our dogs could win in brawls against muscular fighting dogs
from the streets. In our second visit we softened the boys’ defenses
by placing all of the boys in a line parallel to their dog
teammates, who were given the commands, “sit,” “stay.”
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The goal was
to see which boy could toss the greatest number of treats without
his dog missing the catch; with each round we increased the distance
between the boys and their animal buddies. In contrast to other
dogs, Pico never missed a toss. I must confess that when I devised
the game, I had rigged it in Pico’s favor: I knew that the accuracy
of his eyes and scent, joined with his love of food, would triumph
over all contenders. |
Pico flashes a smile during
a nursing home visit.
(Click to enlarge) |
Pico brought joy, too, to the lives of other animals. One day I
received a call from a couple who had discovered a shepherd mix on
their doorstep; the dog had been badly wounded in a fight with
another dog or dogs. The local veterinarian they visited, who was
also my vet, recommended convalescence for the stray in my home with
Pico, a natural nurturer.
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Shep never forgot Pico's
kindness..
(Click to enlarge) |
Soon, the couple decided to keep Shep as a pet and companion for
their infant daughter. In the years that followed, Shep frequently
would try to pick fights with other dogs, but never with Pico; it
appears he never forgot Pico’s kindness. From a distance of a block
or more, if Shep caught wind of Pico and me, he’d pull his owners
until he could leap on me and then lick Pico about the entire face.
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In a church I attended for a few years, Pico also brought joy.
It was customary there to bring one’s animal each week. Early
in every service, with Pico sitting on the cushioned pew
beside me, the minister would ask each congregant to shake
hands and greet persons on all sides. |
Beau, a new bringer of joy
in Dr.
Larry's life.
(Click to enlarge) |
One Sunday, Pico, having already extended his broad paw left, right,
forward, and back, leapt over the back of our own pew to the one
behind us to extend his paw to still another row of people. Truly,
he brought joy that Sunday by reaching out to everyone in our midst.
Of all those to whom Pico gave joy, there’s no doubt he gave the
most to me. And in the end I like to think I gave as much to him. |
