By Eliav
Appelbaum. The Simi Valley Acorn
Published Feb. 29, 2008
If every dog
has his day, Marshall surely
made the most of his.
The certified
therapy dog celebrated his ninth
birthday last Friday at the
Simi Valley Care Center,
where he's brightened the
spirits of seniors for the past
five years.
The Boxer got
to eat a slice of cake, lick
frosting off residents' fingers
and bring joy to whoever
encountered the rambunctious
friendly dog.
Besides cake,
Marshall was treated to
liverwurst and bananas while
residents sang "Happy Birthday."
The birthday
boy did act a little bratty at
times.
At one point,
hoping no one was looking, he
stood on his hind legs, peered
across the table and attempted
to snare more cake.
"Marshy! No!"
his watchful owner Jean De Mill
admonished tugging him back to
the floor just in time.
Marshall has
made regular appearances at the
since 2003, visiting at least
twice a month and on all the
major holidays.
"These are
his stomping grounds." De Mill
said. She and her mother,
Dorothy Manfredi, had brought
three dogs to the birthday
party.
Joined by
cousins Fancy, 2 1/2, and Naomi,
7, Marshall made himself right
at home greeting residents like
Virginia Wood.
"I love
Marshall. I love the dog."
Wood said. "He's excited to see
so many people and have this
party and cake. Anytime I can
see a dog. I love them".
The Boxer
then visited the bedside of John
Richardson. "John always asks
to hear Marshall bark - and he
always wants me to tell him a
joke." De Mill said.
Resident
"Ruth Zoglin, a
great-grandmother of three, was
also part of the love fest,
receiving a bath of licks from
Fancy. " You're such a good
puppy for washing my face",
Zoglin said.
According to
Katrina Cimma Rusti, activity
director at the care center,
Marshall's therapeutic value is
hard to miss.
"A lot of
people will respond to Marshall
rather than a person," she said,
"They light up when they see
him. They really look forward
to the affection".
De Mill, who
works as an aide for special
education students at
Sinaloa Middle School has
bred and raised Boxers for 25
year. She showed the canines
for 10 years but find greater
gratification taking her dogs to
visit the sick or elderly.
Marshall can
work with nearly any type of
person or facility. He's been
certified as a Therapy Dog for
five year now.
"He doesn't
have any short fuses and things
don't spook him," said De Mill
Marshall is a
little different from most other
dogs in other ways, too. He was
born an only puppy, and his
mother, who later died of a
brain tumor, didn't want to feed
him. De Mill bottle fed
Marshall and raised him around
humans, not other animals. The
Boxer recently had part of his
spleen removed after two masses
were found. "He doesn't think
he's a dog, he acts more like a
human, " De Mill said. " He
gets a little carried away when
it's his birthday."
After a
fun-filled afternoon, Marshall,
who also makes appearances at
Los Robles Hospital in thousand
Oaks, needed time to relax.
"Next stop, the park, " De Mill
said. "He needs to go on a walk
and unwind."
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