Louis
“In 2001, Louis, then called Loopy, was languishing in a back hospital ward at the New York City Center for Animal Care and Control (CACC). The puppy had various medical problems and was a prime candidate for euthanasia. In those days, less than 1% of dogs in similar circumstances at the CACC survived, but it was Louis’ lucky day …
Louis is a gentle giant, a wonderful, compassionate therapy dog. He works at St. Vincent’s Catholic Medical Center in Manhattan, the hospital that pioneered the first therapy-dog program in New York City … Some of Louis’ greatest successes have been with neurology and oncology patients. Despite his size, he has always specialized in bed visits. For six weeks, he visited a patient with ovarian cancer who missed her own large dog very much. Louis lay on a clean sheet on the bed; together they enjoyed cuddle sessions of an hour or more, enabling her to delay her pain medication.”From a new photo book that details the stories of dogs rescued from streets and shelters and how they learned to give something back.
To the Rescue: Found Dogs with a Mission by Elise Lufkin, with photographs by Diana Walker
