Buster

Ted Thomas and Buster

My first job out of college was working at a Humane Society. The very first dog surrendered to the shelter when we first opened our doors to the public was a stray collie and shepherd mixed who we named Buster. Unfortunately, the shelter quickly filled to capacity and the time came to have to euthanize some of the animals to make room for the big influx of animals. As staff, we could not bring ourselves to put Buster to sleep because he was the first dog, so we made him our mascot, and he had the run of the facility. He greeted every visitor and animal that came through our doors and even learned to let himself in and out of the shelter doors.
After months of watching his gentleness and intelligence, I started thinking of ways to be able to allow him to use his talents for others good. Buster was particularly gentle with the elderly and disabled. I started doing research and in 1978 developed the first "Pet Therapy" program at a division of the Harrisburg State Hospital in South Mountain PA. Buster and I would go onto the wards and just visit with people.
I have to admit I was a bit uneasy at first, but by following Buster's lead and his ease with people no matter who they were or what their disability was, we quickly became a team. People who had not spoken in 30 years while in the institution suddenly talked to Buster when he appeared on the ward. I spent many rides home for our sessions crying because of the miracles that I had just witnessed happening because of Buster and the other animals that accompanied us. I learned so much about the people/animal bond and how just having that unconditional love can change lives.
When I left the humane society, I negotiated to take Buster with me to be my pet for the rest of his life. We expanded our program to local nursing homes and Humane education in local schools. This paved the way for others to establish similar programs which are now in full effect.
Buster taught me that people are people who are loving, living members of our world and that accepting them for them and not our expectations of them is what we should do. I later went on to work with emotionally, physically and behaviorally challenged adults as my career, and then to raise and train Service dogs because of my experience that all started when a stray dog came into my life. I believe that angels appear in many forms. Maybe he wasn't a stray after all.