Runty’s first visit as a therapy dog would be the most important of her career, saying goodbye to her master. Before falling ill, David started training with Runty to become a therapy dog. He knew she would be the perfect dog for the job and wanted to see her bring joy to others in the community.
After being diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer, David expressed to his daughter Heidi his regret in not being able to complete Runty’s training to become a registered therapy dog. With her father in and out of the hospital, Heidi began to train with Runty to make her father’s dream come true. “Little did Runty and I know that October 4th would be our first and most important visit as a Pet Partners Therapy Team”, stated Heidi.
When they arrived, Runty gently hopped onto her dad’s bed and laid there with him holding her paw. Runty did not want to leave his side. In his last few days David was able to see his dream for Runty come to fruition. Days after that first visit Heidi’s father passed away with Runty by his side.