NZ Kennel Club Canine Heroes Award
Madison came into my life when she was just eight weeks old. I was at the lowest point of my life and suddenly I had this little furry bundle to take care of. I had a reason to get up in the morning, a reason to come home at night. She became my life.
Not all the early days were plain sailing. Madison picked
up EVERYTHING that I dropped and ran around the property proudly showing off. She rearranged the garden; tested the hardness of the doorsteps (rimu) and the quality of the curtains.
When she was 12 weeks old a car reversed up onto the footpath as we walked by and she has since then been scared of cars while out walking (but loves riding in HER car that she allows me to drive). It took me six months to convince her to walk to the end of the street (5 minutes). She is still scared of loud noises.
Someone once told me that if I was prepared to put in the hard work then I had a good dog. They were wrong. I have a GREAT dog.
Eventually I enticed her to walk on the Camborne walkway and she would go up to complete strangers and snuggle up until they patted her. I realised that Madison was a dog who had enough love to share with others and I enrolled us both in Canine Friends Pet Therapy. After all I got to take her home at night and have extra cuddles.
We started volunteering in 2012 and have since increased to visit three facilities as well as recruiting other dogs. While Madison has her favourite residents, she will willingly visit all residents including those who are soon to pass on. She does this calmly and with empathy. Regarding one recent resident she visited just hours before he passed on, she sat by his bedside and started wagging her tail. This resulted in Morse code being beaten out against the wall, just so he knew she was there.
Madison is always ready to administer TLC if I have had a bad day. She will lean on me until I fall over and then sit on me and give me kisses. How can I not smile and laugh?
Madison is an intelligent dog who has one of the biggest hearts I have ever known in a dog. All she asks for in return is to be loved, fed and have her ball thrown, ENDLESSLY.
It is hard to ever be annoyed with Madison; she knows the boundaries, remembers her manners and knows that if I growl at her it is in the interest of her safety. Coming home to Madison just makes my day.
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Jean Barr & Madison were the recipients of a Certificate of Merit in the Pet Section which was awarded to them at the NZKC National Dog Show on 2 October, 2015 at Porirua.
