Leo was a tough customer who lived up to his namesake – Not that Da Vinci guy, but Leonardo, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle. In addition to the spider bite that destroyed a hip and femur, Leo cheated death six times, including a stroke that left him paralyzed in all four legs, from which he rehabbed and was up and walking in two weeks.
Leo’s mom said he would literally leap for joy when she brought out his certification vest for their trips to a local hospital where he comforted patients and provided stress relief for the staff. Therapy duty is physically and emotionally tiring for dogs, and, like other canine therapists, in the interest of his overall well-being, Leo was restricted in the number of days and hours he was allowed to “work.”
Late one day a woman was admitted to the hospital at the point of collapse because she had been her adult son’s caregiver and had been unable to care for herself. She entered the hospital only after her son’s funeral. She had asked if she could see a therapy dog and was told the visits had to be scheduled well in advance, and the dog of the day had maxed out his allowed time and completed his shift.
Leonardo’s mom hadn’t heard about this woman’s request and didn’t know her room number, but as she and Leo departed the elevator on their way out of the hospital, he made a sharp turn and practically dragged her down the hallway into the woman’s room! The woman reached down to hug him and burst into tears. She said she had been so distraught over her son’s illness and his death, that she had not allowed herself the relief of crying.
Leo was a clown. Many of the hospital rooms were crowded with medical equipment, tray tables, personal items and family and 
friends. Leo couldn’t always get close enough for physical contact with a patient, so he would put on a show. When we went into a patient’s room, I would ask,”Would you like to see Leonardo wearing a hat?…How about glasses?” Etc. This was in addition to his tie and other costumes, usually associated with the nearest holiday.
When I visited the same hospital with another Berner 4.5 years after Leonardo’s death, nurses pulled out their phones to show me they had kept his photo for all those years. Needless to say, I would cry every time. Who keeps pictures of someone else’s dog on their phone for all that time?(!)
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from Patti in Kentucky