I knew as far back as a year that Red was not going to live very long, Dr. Fariello was able to keep him comfortable longer than I thought – laser treatment, message, medication – but the pain in his spine was worsening and his movements were getting more difficult and painful.

I started looking for another dog then, I knew I wanted to continue, even expand the dog therapy work I am doing at the Mansion, at Bishop Maginn High School, and once again in hospice, work that is important to me.

What I most need in a therapy dog is a grounded dog, a dog that doesn’t rattle, spook or balk in different situations. I settled on a Lab because the better-bred Labs are among the most grounded dogs there are.

They have been bred for centuries to be calm and steady and trustworthy and to work with people. Then I had to find the right breeder. Labs, like many breeds and many rescue dogs, are being poorly bred, inbred and overbred.

People also wreck them by letting them tear up sofas and chairs, by overstimulating them with ball-throwing and toys, or leaving them in basements and back yards all day because they don’t have time to exercise them.

I spent a couple of months seeking out names of good breeders, and Lenore Severni of Stonewall Farm Labradors in Connecticut came up more than once, and with great enthusiasm.

I talked with Lenore, passed her tests,  and told her I was looking for an especially grounded puppy, a dog that was not the most excitable and was not the most lethargic.

A spirited, affectionate puppy who didn’t rattle and could be absolutely trusted around people if properly trained.

When I say grounded I mean poised, confident and steady. Lenore has been breeding her Labs for temperament and health for more than 30 years, she chose the dog I wanted and needed.

I take Zinnia to different places all the time, she doesn’t rattle.

Today I picked her up on the table above the barn cats resting space and told her to sit and stay. She did. She wasn’t the least bit fazed at sitting on a table for the first time five feet off the ground. I rewarded her with praise and a treat. Over the next few weeks, I will keep introducing her to new situations.

She loves these excursions.

I think I can do anything with this dog. I send the photo to Lenore and she wrote back, “what a gorgeous dog, I should have kept her (LOL),” I wrote back that it was too late.

I’m forever grateful to Lenore for all the work that went into getting me a dog I need and want.