Emma- one of the three dogs behind this blog name

Emma was a wolf mix rescued from a high-kill shelter.  It was pre-facebook- I'd gotten a chain e-mail asking for help for a 2-3yr old female GSD. It was a 2 hour drive, my car was in the shop, and we didn't pull dogs from that far away... My friend Kimberly came and got me, we piled all our dogs in her car, and off we went. I knew at first glance this was not a purebred GSD, but nothing was keeping me from bringing her home.  Figured out later that she was part wolf, which gave me an excuse to keep her.

I know this is a long post, but this story is the best one I have to try to share how deeply special Emma was.  I lost her on 4/5/2014. 6 years..The body is a post I wrote on a degenerative myeleopahy support group,on 7/22/08:

When I adopted Emma, it was with the knowledge that she was showing (at age three) some preliminary signs of DM, and she had bone issues in both front elbows(from what she went through before I got her) so I took her in knowing that she probably would end up in wheels(quad) down the road.

Emma was only with me 2 & 1/2 months when she and Starr passed their TDI(Therapy Dog International) certifications. On one of our school visits(a school with a large special needs population), we gave our talk in the cafeteria, where the kids and dogs could move around and visit. One of the things we were asked to discuss is what the rescue does, and the "backstory" on both my girls. Emma had been deemed "unadoptable" and was literally less than 24 hours from euthanasia when I pulled her from the shelter. Why? Because she limped some. I didn't tell the kids the why, just that she had been on death row...

One of the little boys(maybe 8 or 9) had a walker with 4 wheels on it. His legs were VERY crooked and his balance very wobbly. He had thick glasses that rode down on his nose( so he had to kind of tilt his head funny to look up at you), a mop of curly hair I just wanted to ruffle, and the world's sweetest smile. He stood silently watching Emma for a while during the free time, then said to me: "That dog, she walks kind of funny huh." I said, yes she does! He wanted to know why. I tried to put it in 8yr old terms. "The bones in her legs are a little crooked and chipped, so that makes her limp. But that doesn't make her any less wonderful, she is happy and likes to play, and I think she's pretty darn special and I love her very much!" He thought about that for a long moment, looking right into my eyes, then added very matter of factly "kinda like me, huh."... WOW. What do you say to that? I managed to choke out "Yep! Kind of like you!"

Emma chose that moment to come over and shove her head under this boy's armpit and give him kisses. He let go of his walker with one arm, and put it around Emma, and she supported him with his arm over her back while they visited. I think about how this kid would have responded to Joker, had I been able to get him certified...

Those of you who bring your dogs out into the world, who introduce them to people, you are all helping break down barriers- whether you realize it or not. When kids see our dogs in wheels, it opens a door for them to ask questions they may not think it is OK to ask about people. It opens eyes, not just for the kids, but in adults too. It's an incredible thing.