I realized this morning – this will sound very foolish to you, but it is how men think, I’m afraid – that Red is my therapy dog. For me as well as for others. This was probably obvious to many of you, but not to me. I had some very rough experiences with dentistry when I was a child, some of them very painful and difficult. I have always been afraid of dentists, but I am not afraid of dentists any long. I credit the people at Cambridge Dental Care with much of that, their warmth and humor and perspective are infectious, but I also credit Red.

I love living in my town. I walk into the dentist’s office and I asked Shelley the receptionists if its okay to bring Red in, and she asks the patients – no question about how the staff feels about Red – and since he is a certified therapy dog, she invites him in. Now, if I don’t bring him, I get into trouble.

He is my therapy dog as well, he comes in with me and I find myself smiling, it lifts me up, comforts me, brings me a sense of safety and warmth. That, of course, is what animals do. I see it wherever Red and other dogs go, I see it in the faces of the tourists and harried New Yorkers moving on the streets of New York when they see the carriage horses. They stop, they smile, they feel better.