Lucy Will
Boone, a 4-year-old hound mix, was abused and abandoned from the beginning of his existence and is now in good hands. For people and special-needs pets alike, the therapy dog is a beacon of hope in the face of adversity.
Warning: This post may cause you to feel a strong emotional response. The maltreatment of animals is briefly described in the paragraph that follows. If you find this distressing, please skip to the next section.
Boone’s previous owners hacked off his back legs purposely when he was just a few weeks old, leaving him unable to walk. Then, the dog’s owners took him to a shelter where he was put to sleep. But when they saw Boone, the workers were so distressed that they forgot to fill out the paperwork for euthanasia.
As the founder of Joey’s P.A.W, an organization that has funded more than 700 dogs in need of prosthetics and wheelchairs, Tanya Diable saw Boone on Facebook and realized she had the skills and means to help him recover. Her goal was to find Boone a forever home, so she decided to foster him at home with her other six special needs canines. Her “foster failure” was obvious as soon as she met Boone.
“He had no plans to go. I had intended to adopt him, but I changed my mind “Diable explains to Daily Paws.
Boone was given unconditional affection and care for the first time in his life by Diable and her other dogs. However, after such a harrowing start in life, Boone would have much more to look forward to. For the two-legged dog, Diable also had a custom-made wheelchair built.
“Because of the wheelchair, the boy’s life changed forever. The first time he wiggled his tail, he entirely changed, and I cry every time I recount that story “Say what Diable thinks.
Even before Diable got to know Boone, she could tell his calm demeanor was something special. People flocked to Boone as he recovered, and Diable didn’t have to look far to realize the potential of Boone as a therapy dog.
Boone began helping at the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh and the Pittsburgh International Airport when he recovered and passed his therapy dog certification exam. Dog-phobic people, particularly children, can benefit from Boone’s calm demeanor, according to Diable.
Apart from his duties as a therapy dog, Boone’s Instagram feed is full of photographs of the happy pup in his trademark bowties, of which he has over 350 to choose from.
In addition to being the charming face of Joey’s P.A.W., Boone was the inspiration for the children’s book Bowtie Boone, written by Diable. All of the book’s proceeds will go to Joey’s P.A.W. to purchase more mobility aids for dogs in need. The book tells the tale of Boone to encourage children to follow their aspirations no matter what obstacles they face.
For many, “he has been an inspiration,” adds Diable. “He’s made people smile.”
As a result of more than one million votes and a VIP panel of canine specialists and celebrity judges, Boone has crowned the American Humane Hero Dog for 2021. It’s a well-earned victory for this courageous dog!
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