A Heartwarming “tail” of a Pen Pals Dynamic Duo

Rob endured a spinal cord injury in 2009 and during our 4 month hospital stay he would be visited by volunteer therapy dogs and their owners. It was always the highlight of his day. Just before Rob was about to be discharged from the hospital he asked if we could adopt a dog and he started searching on line for organizations and programs in the Chesterfield, VA area. How could I say no? He found Parker and fell in love.

We reached out to SOS who connected us to the Pen Pals program. We visited Parker at the correctional center and when the inmates that were training him found out Rob was a wheelchair user they started training him from a sitting position.  We were so impressed with the training and Parker’s well mannered demeanor.

After a few visits we all decided it was a good match and we brought Parker home, with detailed instructions and a daily schedule that was provided by the inmates.

Rob and Parker have been inseparable since that day and I love that they are such good company for each other. Parker is sweet and friendly but he is also very protective of Rob and I am comforted by that.

courtesy of Sharon Drennan, Rob’s mother