By Don and Leslie Kezmoh
My name is Bentley and this is my story. It’s hard to remember what happened in the beginning, except that I always knew I was just different and things were never easy for me. It’s very hard when you don’t fit in and don’t really belong to anyone. I never knew if it was the color of my fur or the way my paws grew that made me so different.
It seems so long
ago, the cold day I was found under the school bus, my paws frozen and
sore. My paws always hurt, but that day, crawling around on the cold
ground, I couldn’t feel them. I was just trying to keep out of the way
of those big and little people and find some warmth under that bus.
There was no telling what they would do to me and people were never nice
to me. Then it happened: someone saw and then grabbed me. My heart
pounded, I couldn’t run, my feet wouldn’t carry me and I couldn’t crawl
away. When everything settled down a woman took me to a place that was
warm and gave me food. I wasn’t sure where I was or what kind of place I
was in.
The only thing I knew for sure was there were lots of dogs there worse off than me. Some had been starved, others beaten, and some couldn’t see or hear. But what we all had in common was most of our problems were the results of those people we wanted to trust. To make things worse there was that one dog that just seemed to want to eat me alive; he lived upstairs with the nice lady. I learned from the other dogs that I wasn’t going to be hurt, and I was warm, had food and was not abused. After awhile I heard that some of the dogs got adopted. They moved to homes and lived upstairs with nice humans like the black Doberman that belonged to the kind lady. I still didn’t trust people but I wanted to be like those other dogs and live upstairs.
I
wasn’t hungry any more and my feet weren’t cold but they still hurt and
it was hard to get around. Then the lady took me to a place were they
put me to sleep. When I woke up something had happened to my paws. It
hurt so much at first I couldn’t stand it and I could only put my head
in the kind ladies lap to feel better. Gradually I could walk and run
and I felt better and almost looked like the Doberman upstairs except
for the color of my fur, and my paws still looked a little different.
After that operation I got to visit up stairs, and the kind lady told me
someday if you’re good you’ll find some nice people to live upstairs
with. I watched other dogs come and go and people came to see me but no
one every picked me. I still didn’t know if it was the color of my fur
or the way my paws looked. My paws looked and felt better but I guess
they still didn’t look enough like the other dogs.
Then it happened,
people came, and they were looking at me! A couple with a dog and
another couple with a blonde girl were looking and me. I knew the couple
with the dog didn’t want me but the older couple might. The blonde girl
played with me and the man and lady petted me and were very kind. I
noticed the man was having a problem walking too. They were nice and
seemed like good people but it always ended up the same, they went away
without me.
Days passed and the older couple came back with an old black Doberman. I was surprised to see them and I was on my best behavior but I didn’t think that Doberman named Roxanne liked me. She was sad since she lost her best friend some months ago when he got something called cancer. She said he was very sick and went to the vets one day but her people didn’t bring him home. Since that day Roxanne, the old couple and the blonde girl were very, very sad. Like always the family left without me. I was surprised when the older couple came back and took me home with them for a day but I didn’t know how to act. I had to learn to go up and down stairs and how to behave in a house. I began to understand that it wasn’t easy to live upstairs with people even if they are very nice. I was thinking that maybe the kind lady was right and I had finally found some people of my own. At the end of the day they took me home and I didn’t see them again. I still didn’t know if it the color of my fur or the way my paws grew that made me different.
The kind lady kept telling me that I needed very special people. Weeks went by and no one else came to look at me and I couldn’t figure out what happened, I was good and I thought they liked me but it must have been the color of my furs or maybe the paw thing.
I remember it was a sunny day when the kind lady told me the older couple with the blonde girl and Roxanne had decided they wanted me. But the family was going away and I had to wait a few weeks before I could go home with them. I was happy, I jumped, I ran, I jumped and I jumped again, then I was very worried. What if they changed their mind, what if Roxanne changed her mind? Finally the day came, they really did come back and they took me home! I had my very own bed, a new collar, a new leash, my own Super Man name tag with a last name, new toys and a family, and I was finally living upstairs.
It was too good to be true! I was happy, but I didn’t really trust these people. I was afraid of everything, the clock, the sweeper and even the dark. I was afraid of Roxanne, especially when I made her mad. Roxanne has been patient and says I’ve got lots to learn but she gives me pointers. I learned to sit, stay and lay down. The hardest thing to learn was to trust people and give them my paw, but I can do that now and I always get a treat! Don’t get me wrong I get hollered at just like the blonde girl! I have a grandma and she spoils me just like she spoils her dogs. I really like to run in her yard and play.
I like to lie on the couch in the den with Roxie and my people at night and watch TV. I’m very happy now laying on the couch with my family under the family picture of the old couple the blonde girl and the two black Dobermans. I just heard my people talking; we are going on a trip soon to get another picture of the family to put on the wall. Roxanne said it’s a fun trip and we get lots of treats to look pretty and sit still. I finally understood what Roxanne told me, it wasn’t the color of my fur or the way my paws grew that made me different, it was my heart. When my people came to see me they only saw a lady with a good heart and dog with a good heart that needed a family with a big heart and a good home! I finally learned to trust and love them and I’m sure they love me. If you have a big heart, remember to think of the other dogs that could use your help. Thanks to every one of the good people who helped me.
Trying very hard to
be a good dog,
Bentley
Bailey, a true ambassador for the Doberman Breed. After being adopted in March of 2003 she led a very fulfilling life servicing an caring for many humans. Bailey passed on April 10, 2008 and will be missed by many.
From neglect and abandonment to working therapy dog
by Sandy Earnshaw, Proud mom of Bailey
Before Bailey reached her second birthday, she had already been passed from one irresponsible owner to another. Living outside with little human contact, her last owners simply packed up and moved out of the state of Virginia, leaving her and another dog penned up with winter rapidly approaching. After several weeks of cold temperatures and no food or water, existing on nothing but rainwater, the two severely emaciated dogs somehow managed to escape their prison. Literally one step from death, they brought down a goat in order to survive and were captured by Animal Control Officers. Unfortunately in this part of the country, the ultimate canine crime is killing livestock and although the courts were sympathetic, Bailey was sentenced to death for her part in this crime.
Literally a walking
skeleton, Bailey won the hearts of everyone at the local shelter with her
gentle nature and loving eyes. A heart of gold shone through all the
neglect, mistreatment and filth. Her rescuers not only bought extra canned
food out of their own pockets to help fatten her up, they literally pleaded
for her life in the court system. Documentation was provided explaining her
hideous condition and horrendous circumstances. Local Veterinarian, Kathy
Davieds provided evidence that the dog was tested and results indicted she
had a fully stable temperament. The judge finally ruled that the dog could
be spared provided she was removed from the Commonwealth of Virginia. 
After several failed attempts to place Bailey with rescue organizations, Kathy contacted Doberman Pinscher Rescue of PA, Inc. Although they were already fostering many in-state Dobermans, after hearing her tragic story, Bailey was accepted into their care in November 2002.
In December 2002, I had to say good bye to my female Doberman, Dutchess after she was diagnosed with bladder cancer in late September. I still had one of her offspring, a large male, named Yeager and together we grieved for our sweet Dutchess. I missed her so much and worried that Yeager, who didn’t know life without his mom, would suffer alone while I went off to work each day. I have been a member of the DPR of PA since 1993 and decided to apply for a female Doberman to keep Yeager company.
After completing the
application process, Tanya Martin called me about a Doberman in her care
from Virginia who met all the criteria I was looking for – gets along with
other dogs and likes children. Tanya told me about the dog’s unfortunate
past and about the goat. I admit I wasn’t so sure this was the dog I was
looking for, as I had a two-year-old granddaughter and bringing an animal
into my home that had attacked a goat – for survival or not - made me
nervous. I was not taking any chances with my granddaughter. Tanya continued
to call and convinced me to come and meet this female then named Baby by her
rescuers. So on March 8, 2003, Yeager and I made the 40+ mile trip to
Lancaster with my best friend, Joanne, not quite sure how the meeting would
turn out. 
Tanya introduced me to this shy but curious little girl with her natural ears and a tail. She was gentle and behaved properly despite her lack of training. Next came the test with Yeager, as I led him to the back yard where Tanya was waiting with Baby, I could only hope that he would be as impressed with her as I was. After the usual sniffing and once over, Yeager and Baby began playing and chasing each other as if they were old friends. It was love at first sight and Baby, who I later named Bailey, came home with us that very day.
After a few weeks of getting acquainted and settling in her new home, I signed us up for a basic obedience course which we completed in June of 2003. I realized very early that Bailey had no concept of “play” and stuffed toys, balls and bones were all very foreign to her. Later that year, Bailey successfully passed the Canine Good Citizen test.
Although Bailey loved to run and chase Yeager, she would stay contently by my side while Yeager & I played ball, never sure what she was to do or where she was to go but always happy to be a part of whatever it was we were doing. The three of us spent the next two years living happily together.
In
June 2005, I took Yeager to the vet for a routine dental cleaning and he
suddenly died during the procedure. I was devastated!! Yeager had been with
me from the moment he was born. My baby boy had died without any warning; my
heart was broken. I sat most nights, holding his favorite red ball or his
collar that I hung on my bedpost - on the same side of the bed where he laid
next to me every night for the past ten years. I was so overwhelmed with
grief that I hardly realized that Bailey was still always by my side, ever
so content to be near me. Never demanding attention, she just waited
patiently for the occasional pat on the head. I fed her and took her for
walks always missing and remembering how Yeager loved sniffing the grass and
attempted to scare off any “wild” bird or bunny we would happen upon.
Several weeks passed and I soon realized that every time I looked into Bailey’s big brown eyes, I saw unconditional love and a gentleness that touch my very soul. What I thought I was missing when Yeager died, was right here with me all along. It was then I knew I wanted to share the love and joy this beautiful animal brought to me with others. I went to a dog show in Allentown where I met and talked with one of the vendors, Laura Crossland, president of Pleasure of Your Company Therapy Dogs, Inc. (POYC). After talking at length, I was convinced Bailey would make a great therapy dog. I filled out the form and arranged to have her tested. Bailey passed the therapy dog test with POYC, based on the Therapy Dog International (TDI) test on the first try AND took the test again with my best friend, Joanne Schmidt and passed. Bailey started her career uplifting spirits and bringing love and lots of smiles to people in the fall of 2005.
Since
adopting Bailey in 2003, I’ve communicated her progress with notes and
pictures to DPR of PA and to Kathy Davieds, the vet who was very
instrumental in saving her life in VA and to whom I will forever be
grateful. Kathy would e-mail how happy and proud she was of Bailey. In one
of her e-mails, she asked my permission to nominate Bailey for an award
because of her accomplishments, never dreaming I would receive a phone call
one Sat. morning in November 2005 telling me that Bailey had won the
“Companion Animal of the Year” award presented by the Virginia Academy of
Small Animal Medicine. Every year at their annual banquet, the Academy
honors one animal who has provided a benefit to their human companions or
their community. I was somewhat embarrassed but very humbled and proud. I
didn’t get involved with therapy visits so Bailey would win awards; if
anything I wanted to prove to those who wanted to destroy her what a
terrible mistake they almost made and let those who fought to save her know
their efforts were not in vain. Little did I know this award was the first
of many honors for Bailey.
On Christmas
Day 2003 while delivering Meals on Wheels, Joanne, Norm and I met a special
lady named Annie and she told us it was also her birthday. She was 110
years, confirming what the coordinator at Meals on Wheels had already told
us. To our surprise, this lady was alert and as coherent as we were. We
enjoyed our visit so much we asked her if we could return when we had more
time to spend with her. That was the start of a beautiful friendship with
Annie. Soon after Bailey became certified, we asked her if she liked dogs,
and she informed us that as a child one of her favorite pastimes was playing
with the puppies on the plantation in Darlington, SC where her family had
worked as slaves. Since then, we have visited Annie regularly and on
holidays where Bailey has a place on Annie’s sofa that is reserved just for
her. If anyone tries to sit there, Annie will speak up and let you know
that’s Bailey’s spot. Confined to her wheelchair in a small apartment, Annie
was getting lonely as the years passed. She recently shared with us that
Bailey saved her life. Bailey’s visits have given Annie something to look
forward to and she now is considering moving to assisted living in order to
have more opportunities to enjoy life.
In
January 2006, Joanne set up a therapy dog reading program at the Reading
Public Library to encourage children to read in a non-threatening,
non-judgmental environment. Bailey currently visits four branches of the
library monthly and has gained such a following that the children take
numbers and wait in line to read a favorite book to her. The same year, The
Berks County Public Libraries presented us with the “Outstanding Program
Award” in recognition of the reading program.
Then Kathy nominated
Bailey for another award with the Doberman Pinscher Club of America. Kathy
called me at work so excited I could hardly understand what she was saying;
Bailey had won the Judith Fellton Memorial Award. Honestly I never heard or
knew what this award was but from the way Kathy sounded I knew it must be
pretty special. The award was to be presented at the annual banquet in of
all places – Denver, Colorado in September. I soon found out this award is
presented to a rescue Doberman who stands out as a great ambassador for the
Doberman breed. We decided to make the trip to Colorado to accept the award.
Joanne and her husband, Norm drove Bailey to Denver (because I wouldn’t put
her through the stress of flying) and I flew out the day before the banquet
because of my work schedule. What made the trip even more special was that
Kathy, despite her busy schedule, was able to join us. Once we arrived, we
saw Dobermans everywhere – hundreds of them, and it was then I realized what
an honor it was to win this award. Bailey was recognized along with
Dobermans who won Best in Show at major dog shows throughout the country and
beyond, including Mexico and Canada.
After reading an article on the Best Friends website (a no kill animal sanctuary in Utah) about breed bans, I was inspired to write to them about my Doberman, also considered by some as a dangerous breed. Within days they contacted me about doing a story on Bailey and on January 26, 2007, Bailey was the featured story at www.bestfriends.org, where her story still appears at http://network.bestfriends.org/pennsylvania/news/11702.html.
Bailey has a full schedule of day-time visits every month with Joanne (who is retired), and evening and Saturday visits with me. We visit nursing homes and assisted living facilities and have recently become involved with Compassionate Care Hospice from Middletown, PA, spending time with patients who request pet therapy visits. Bailey loves going on these visits but her interaction with children seems to be her favorite. Once a month, Bailey and one of her furry friends, therapy dog Jasmine, (a Shih-Tzu) visit the Children’s Home of Reading where troubled youths earn the privilege of spending time petting and brushing the dogs.
In
May of this year, Joanne and I organized a program for the entire
kindergarten class where my granddaughter, Gabrielle attended, 200 kids in
all. We called it “Dogs with Jobs.” Bailey and her friend Jasmine
represented therapy dogs and we spoke about what they do to make our world a
little nicer. We also had dogs and handlers from search & rescue, service
and guide dogs and a police dog. I feel if we can show the children how
important dogs can be in our lives, maybe they will grow up with more
respect and kindness towards all animals and people as well.
Bailey will continue to bring joy to others as long as she enjoys it. Sharing her lesson on forgiveness and love, once a neglected, throw-away Doberman rescued from death’s door, never knowing decent care or human kindness, she now devotes her life to sharing her own special brand of “healing magic” with all mankind.
