Diane is all about love, and so is Red. I took this short video to show the focus and impact a skilled therapy dog can have on a woman struggling to find herself in her turbulent and confusing world. Diana has a realistic baby doll now, who she loves dearly. In the afternoon, when her doll Sue is resting, Diane comes out to sit on the hallway sofas and sing to the two parakeets in their cages.

She loves Red, and loves to talk and sing to him. I’ve trained him to gently jump up on the sofa next to Diane – the only time he is permitted to jump up onto a sofa. He sits  contentedly and very still while Diane strokes him and sings to him and talks to him of love and safety. She talks in the third person, she refers to herself as “Diane” and she tells Red over and over again that she loves him and will treat him well. Come and see, it is a beautiful thing, what a dog can do for a person on the edge of life.

Red is unusual in many ways, one is that he tailors his work to the person he is seeking. He is vary careful with Diane, to get close to her, but no too close, she can be easily startled. He has earned her trust and focus.