David was referred to me by a neighbor of his. The hope was that I would/could wave a magic wand and make Cinder over into a model dog. Cinder was a tall, gangly, 10-month-old black Doberman bitch of less than impeccable breeding. She had a lot of energy and to top it off was both strong and willful. Cinder was the kind of young Doberman who frequently ends up in rescue or the animal shelter. Definitely not the type of dog you would pick for a first time dog owner or someone who was sick.

David was a tall, friendly, good looking young man. He and Cinder showed up for a behavioral consultation. Cinder was wild and would have tried the patience of anyone. She was definitely trying David's patience to the limit.

I have a number of standard questions I always ask at the beginning of a consultation. They are designed to help me get a feel for what the problems are and they allow enough time for me to watch and make the beginning of an assessment of the dog. David answered all my questions politely and apparently truthfully, but there was an undercurrent that at first I just could not put my finger on. That undercurrent plus the fact that neither David or Cinder seemed to be able to sit still for more than a couple of minutes had me really wondering what was really going on.

In going over the information sheet he had filled out I noticed he had put 'Sales" as his occupation. To make conversation, I casually ask what he sold. He changed the subject. Cinder became more restless. Ok, so he does not want to talk about his job.

Next, I ask about the times when Cinder had been very destructive and noisy. How often was that happening? Daily, weekly, monthly? It took some digging but what I found out next was that Cinder was a serious behavioral problem once a month. What was so different about that one 5-day period each month? Well, David was gone during that period and his wife was not home very much. Ok, so on the surface it looked as if Cinder just plain did not like being left alone so much. I made some recommendations for how to deal with that problem. However, something still was not right.

Did he travel in conjunction with his job? Bang! He changed the subject again. Now the entire thing was like a sore tooth to me. I just could not stay away from it but at the same time, I realized I was not supposed to be asking. Why, I did not have a clue.

What was it that is so different about this young man sitting there in front of me with his shaved head and baseball cap? He sure was no skinhead even if his head was shaved. As the session wound to a close, it dawned on me that not only did he not have any hair, he had no eyebrows or eyelashes. I let my gaze slide to his arm and sure enough he had no hair on his forearm and now that I was thinking in those terms, I noticed he did not have a beard.

He had started to head for the door since the session was totally over and a second session had been scheduled. 'Wait!' I called out and rushed up to him.

Brushing Cinder aside I stood on tiptoe and snatched his hat off. Ha! Now all the questions were answered and I totally understood the undercurrent I had been feeling.

'Ok David', I still have a little bit of free time. Lets you and I go back in, sit, and really talk for a few minutes. Let Cinder loose to run around on the training floor. She can't hurt anything and there isn't much that could get her in trouble.'

He glared at me for a minute, took his hat back and headed back the way he had just come. Once we were both seated I did not bother trying to pick my words carefully. Not me, a diplomat I will never be.

Now then, please tell me just what your prognosis is. Are you going to beat it? Where are you being treated? How long have you been sick? And just what form of cancer do you have?'

After he got over his shock, he wanted to know how I had figured out what was wrong. 'Well,' I said, 'it was pretty easy once I realized you didn't have any eyebrows or eyelashes.'

His eyes got big and he wanted to know what that had to do with his dog's problems.

Again, that was an easy question. 'Cinder is very sensitive to your every movement, right down to the smallest twitch of the corner of your mouth. I started watching you and realized you were missing more than just the hair on your head. Now that kind of hair loss is normally associated with chemotherapy and you only get chemotherapy if you have cancer. So you must have cancer. Moreover, I am willing to bet that Cinder misbehaves when you go to the hospital for your treatments. Am I right?'

I was right. With that knowledge, an entirely new plan of action started to form in my mind.

The Plan

David was an in/out patient at the National Institute of Health. His was a rare form of cancer and a cancer that normally only struck young children. At 27, he was now technically too old to remain in the research program. However, he was not only the oldest subject in the study he was also the longest living. Consequently, he was still being treated through the study.

At first, each time he went to the hospital for his treatments I kept Cinder and worked with her. My plan was to turn her into a super companion. One that would stay by David's side and give him what ever comfort it is possible for a Doberman to give.

When David was home and feeling able he and Cinder would come to my school and spend an hour or so training. As the months slid by Cinder's obedience got better and better. She continued to be very much in tune with David and seemed to know exactly how he was feeling. Finally, the time came when David could no longer walk without the aid of a cane. He hated having to use a cane. He said it made him look crippled and if he looked crippled, it meant he was losing his battle.

I had already taught Cinder to retrieve in anticipation of what I knew was coming. That retrieve paid off. Every single time David would throw the cane down in disgust, Cinder would cheerfully pick it up and hand it to him. He would mumble and grumble about it but at least he was using the cane and we did not have to worry about him falling.

Cinder was no longer a problem at home when David was in the hospital. Why? Do you think it was because of all her training? You are right if that is what you are thinking. However, wrong if you think she was being left at home or even with me the entire time. David's wife was allowed to bring Cinder to visit. How? Why?

The idea of using therapy dogs in hospital settings was just starting to come of age. At the National Institutes of Health, two dogs were the icebreakers. To be specific, two Dobergirls. David's Cinder and my Charity. After many meeting with the authorities, a program was developed to allow a small carefully picked group of dogs to visit the children's oncology ward twice per month. Two Dobergirls were responsible for bringing an entire therapy dog program to the prestigious National Institutes of Health. From the tiny beginning in the children's oncology ward the program grew and grew.

Sadly, as the therapy program got stronger, David got weaker. Finally, nothing more that could be done for him. He was released and sent home. They did continue to follow him and make sure he had all the pain relief he needed. In addition, what about Cinder?

Well, Cinder continued to stay very close. She seemed to understand when David needed her help to get up. She knew exactly were the cancer was and when David was in pain Cinder would come, stretch out beside him, and use her body to apply both pressure and warmth. This helped to ease the pain and it meant he did not have to take quite so much medicine.

David could finally fight no longer and in spite of the devotion of Cinder, a loving wife and the support of modern medicine the cancer won. When David died, Cinder howled for several hours. She had to be bodily removed from the room before the funeral home attendants could remove David's body. After the hearse pulled away and Cinder was allowed to return to the bedroom, she hopped up on the bed and would not move. She stayed there for a day and then during all the coming and going that happens in a household when someone dies, the front door was left open. Cinder shot out the door and straight into the street. Straight into the street and right under the wheels of a truck.She was dead before the truck had stopped rolling.

Where ever they are, I am sure that David and Cinder are still together and I am sure she was here just to be an escort for David. I do not have a name for the type of assistance Cinder provided, I just know it was a very important assistance.

Margot Woods is a longtime professional dog trainer and obedience instructor and a dedicated Doberman lover. Her facility, Applewoods Dog Training, is located in Laurel, Maryland. Margot has been a professional trainer since 1960 and has worked with everything from dogs for the military to assistance dogs for the disabled. Besides helping hundreds of dog owners succeed with their pets, Margot has also seen her share of success in the competitive obedience ring. Describing her admiration for the Doberman, Margot says "I was always meant to have this breed in my home and in my heart." She currently shares both with Wrap, a four year old red Dobe girl who also is her personal assistance dog. Wrap also know as The Alien is in formal terms Redenau Pizazz, C.D.X.