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A Special Gift

1/16/2020

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For the last couple of weeks, many of my favorite humans have been saying, “Happy New Year” to each other; sort of like me and my friends barking.

My name is Stuart Shonk. I am a registered therapy dog and teamed with my human dad, Fred. I’ve written articles in the past until my special keyboard that allows me to type using my paws was broken at Ritter’s when my frozen custard arrived one day. I was so excited, and I knocked it to the floor. I ordered a new one online a couple of years ago, but it was stolen from our front porch by a couple of roaming dogs.

But now, I have a new keyboard, so I can bring you up to date on some of the things I do with humans.
I’m 15 years old and have been doing our therapy visits for over 11 years at Manor Care and Madison Health Care on Tuesdays and at Beech Grove Central Elementary and South Grove Intermediate schools on Thursdays.

I love going to the health care facilities because we have many friends there among residents, their families and friends and staff.

Students at the schools see us and they always bring books to sit and read to me. I am lucky to have such kind young friends. I just don’t like their fall and winter breaks because the schools are closed, and they can’t read to me.

I’ve also been busy helping and providing therapy for my human mom, Lyn. I’m sure lots of you readers know about her getting hurt last July. Her therapy has been a long process, but I’m happy to see her getting better. I’m able to comfort her because we sit together a lot.

A few days before Christmas, I had a big surprise. My human sister, Michelle, and her husband, Ben, stopped by. My sister handed my human dad a package. He unwrapped it, opened it, but then I heard my name mentioned a lot.

None of them were paying attention to me because they kept looking at a new book they took from the unwrapped package.

I soon learned that the hard cover book with illustrations was a fictitious story about a dog named Stuart and his human dad, Fred. The book is titled, “Stuart’s Adventures in Petlandia.”

I’ve had it read to me a few times and now I fully understand the word, fiction. In the book, Stuart jumps from an airplane while it is flying over Indianapolis on a return trip from California. I have never jumped from any moving vehicle, especially an airplane.

With the arrival of the New Year, my human dad, Fred, is setting up times when he can read the book to groups at the health care centers and schools that we visit.
We hope to visit you soon.
​
Happy New Year!!
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    Picture

    Fred Shonk

    Shonk is a 1960 graduate of Southport High School, a ’63 grad of Indiana Central College (now the University of Indianapolis) and a retired bus driver from Beech Grove Schools. 

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