Dogs are man’s best friend, but companion dogs take the meaning of best friend to another level. Meet Taka, the therapy dog for burn victims.
Two years ago, Taka got badly burned during a house fire. The nine-year-old dog was sleeping on the porch in Georgia when the fire started. His owners had to run away from the house. Unfortunately, they weren’t able to get Taka with them.
When the senior dog woke up, he immediately ran off the porch. Sadly, he got severely burned while he was running away. He had burns on his eyes, mouth, ears, and belly. Also, he went blind.
A neighbor took the injured dog to the Care More Animal Hospital, where he received the needed treatment for his injuries. When Taka’s family came to the animal hospital, they decided to give him to the hospital. The family was worried they wouldn’t take care of Taka because of his bad injuries.
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The vets at the animal hospital immediately fell in love with Taka. One vet, Emily Martin, started taking the injured dog home with her almost every night.
After several long weeks of treatment, Taka was ready to go to a foster home.
Emily thought to take Taka herself, but she already had five dogs and a baby at home. Then, a vet tech named Chrystal Lesley decided to take him home.
When Chrystal took the dog home, he became aggressive toward her other dogs. Although she wanted to keep Taka, she wasn’t sure if she could. Then, she heard about the Canine Training Project, a training program that helps senior dogs as well.
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Taka did so well with his training, so Chrystal was able to keep him. Therefore, she decided to adopt him.
She also started training Taka to become a therapy dog for a burn center. Taka was so good with people, so Chrystal knew that he would be a great fit.
Taka passed the Canine Good Citizen test last year and now he can work with patients at the burn center!
Taka will make a great therapy dog for burn victims! We’re so happy that he finally found a great place to call home.
