Dominic, a pit bull puppy, was rescued and taken in by a vet tech in Eaton, Colorado.
As Dominic spent more time at the clinic it became clear he had a special gift for comforting
the dogs who were recovering at the clinic.
Police found Dominic and his litter in a Denver home during a raid. Since Denver has a ban on
pit bulls animal shelters in the area had to work quickly to find Dominic and his littermates
a place outside of Denver.
Denkai Community Veterinary Clinic took the puppies in and vet tech Stephany Haswell
offered to foster a few of the puppies, including Dominic. She already had three dogs
and wasn’t planning on keeping any of the puppies, but her family fell in love with Dominic.
Dominic got along great with her other dogs, which normally don’t pay much attention
to dogs she fosters. Though he fit in great at home, Dominic had a lot of energy as a puppy
and Haswell started bringing him to work because her other dogs needed a break from
his constant attempts at playing.
One morning a dog that just got out of surgery was placed on Dominic’s huge red pillow
just outside the operating room. Dominic’s reaction was to immediately come
and cuddle with the dog. Haswell didn’t think much of it, Dominic loves cuddling with everyone.
Later that day though Dominic lay with some dogs that were recovering from surgery
and rested his head on their bodies whenever they would cry. The more a dog cried the more attention Dominic
would pay to it. It became clear that Dominic had a special gift for comforting others.
Dominic now helps comfort and calms the dogs, and even some of the cats, after surgery.
Dogs sometimes come out of surgery aggressively, occasionally biting, but with Dominic by their side
the dogs wake up calm and happy.
“I’ve never, ever seen anything like this,” said Floss Blackburn, founder of Denkai.
“He’s got such a sweet heart.”
Long live the Dominic!
