He could make us, or anyone who interacted with him, feel better no matter what the situation.”

Evelyn Hermes-DeSantis, author

Scruffy was just two hours away from being euthanized at an animal shelter when he was scooped up and eventually landed in the home of Evelyn Hermes-DeSantis and her husband, Dan.

And doggone it, Scruffy paid it forward for the rest of his life.

Hermes-DeSantis trained Scruffy to be a therapy dog who went on to soothe and bring joy to sick children and senior citizens alike.

Scruffy died in April and to deal with the grief, Hermes-DeSantis wrote, “Life Lessons by Scruffy,” which tells the therapy dog’s tale as well as what people learned from interacting with him.
Read more about Hermes-DeSantis and her new dog, Buddy.

Why did you get Scruffy and was he your first therapy dog? My husband and I adopted Scruffy because we were looking for a pet to share our home and love with. As we adopted Scruffy, we were hoping that he would become a therapy dog. We also believed in rescuing. We found Scruffy on Petfinders and called about him. Within 45 minutes the rescue called us back and set up a time the following week for a visit, which turned into a permanent placement. His story is that he was found in a ditch after being tossed from a truck. He was found and brought to a local shelter, unfortunately it was a kill shelter. Two hours before he was to be euthanized, the rescue that we were working with picked him up. He was with his foster mom for a couple of weeks before he came to us.

Describe the impact Scruffy made on your life and that of your family. This is a very difficult question. He became part of our family instantly. Everyone who met him fell in love with him. My parents were nearby in an assisted-living facility and they were smitten. Dan’s son and family, who met him while visiting us back East, were drawn to him. Scruffy had soulful eyes with a look that penetrated your soul. He could make us, or anyone who interacted with him, feel better no matter what the situation. He was calm and loving, and as a therapy did amazing things.

Besides Scruffy himself, what motivated you to write your book? Soon after Scruffy became a certified therapy dog, my husband and I started a diary of his interactions and visits with patients at the various hospitals he volunteered at. As we told friends about the interactions, they were in awe of what Scruffy accomplished from motivating children to walk in physical therapy to predicting seizures. We had started putting this together as a book choosing the most memorable and heartfelt stories, but once Scruffy passed it truly became a labor of love to honor him. In addition, we wanted to donate a portion of the profits to a charity in Scruffy’s name. We are glad that there is a new Phoenix Children’s Hospital East Valley Campus where we will be donating 50% of the profits.

How is the new puppy doing and what’s his/her name? Our new puppy, Buddy, is doing very well. He is a 12-pound mix-breed Fox Terrier, the perfect cuddle size. He is currently in advance training at Mak Pack Dog Training and should be finishing up his training soon. He is definitely a love bug, Once he completes his training we will be pursuing certification with Alliance of Therapy Dogs and plan on volunteering at Mercy Gilbert Hospital and Phoenix Children’s Hospital East Valley Campus when it opens.

How long does it take to fully train a therapy dog? It usually takes about a year.

Did you self-publish your book or do you have a publisher? The book is self-published on Amazon and is available as a hard-cover, paperback and Kindle.

We’d like to invite our readers to submit their civil comments, pro or con, on this issue. Email AZOpinions@iniusa.org. Janet Perez can be reached at jperez@iniusa.org.