The Good Shepherd

The Good Shepherd is an amazing story of inspiration and hope like no other. It's about people guided back from the brink of despair by a very special dog.Grizzly and his owner, 15-year-old Jeremy, were inseparable until the day that bone cancer ultimately took the teenager's life. Even in the final stages when Jeremy was confined to bed, faithful Grizzly never left his side. He was a constant cheerleader and companion, with an uncanny ability to tell when his owner's spirits were low. Nearing death, Jeremy shared his final wish with his mother, I want you to have Grizzly. Maybe there'll be some way you and he can help other kids.After Jeremy passed away, his mother, Lana Davis, was crippled with grief, but Grizzly was determined to help her, too. The German shepherd would appear at the side of her bed with her running shoes is his mouth, and make hopeful sounds in his throat until Lana got up and followed him outside. With Grizzly's encouragement, she was able to walk a little farther each day. Realizing that Grizzly was comforting her in her own grief, Lana remembered her son's words and knew that Grizzly had a special gift that deserved a bigger outlet.Davis began bringing Grizzly to hospitals to visit and comfort the sick. Since then, the range and number of people Grizzly has helped is nothing short of remarkable. He has elicited conversation from children who had literally stopped talking to other people. He has provided calming love to kids with behavioral problems and stimulation to wheelchair-bound patients. And although he's now blind, he continues to help others with his almost unbelievable intuition for discerning what people need, be it his special brand of talkor a furry body to hug.Grizzly's inspirational work prompted Davis to eventually found the Utah Animal-Assisted Therapy Association. Their work together has now prompted this book, a touching account of a boy, a mother, and a dog with a very special gift.