Leon

Some days there are more dogs needing a walk than volunteers. I was trying to make up my mind between dogs and I noticed that Leon had a whole pile of volunteer's notes on his kennel: "Good listener", Knows what I'm thinking", "Communicates with me" "Knows all commands", etc. Was this a dog or a therapist? Well, it has been a lousy spring in Sunriver, so perhaps a walk with a four legged therapist would be a good idea. Leon is a beautiful five year old yellow lab. He is great on the leash, sits, goes down, etc. immediately on command, however what really impressed me occurred as we were returning to the shelter from the open desert area. Al called on my phone and since I had put it in an inside pocket, I had to deal with removing my gloves, getting the phone, all while holding onto the leash. Leon must have sensed that I was struggling because with no command from me, he stopped his walk came around to my side sat down then laid down at my feet the entire time I was talking to Al. During this time several volunteers with dogs walked by us and Leon did not budge. Once I put the phone away and we resumed, everything returned to a normal walk. What an incredible dog!