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Yogi

A onetime malnourished stray who once ran loose in Prince Georges County, Md., Yogi went on to touch hundreds of lives in his role as a therapy dog, comforting both victims of violence and abuse, as well as those evacuated from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.

Yogi, a German shepherd who was estimated to be about 7, died Jan. 28 (2008) in the arms of his caretaker, John Streeter, after a short bout with cancer.

Yogi was dogged in his love for people, and in his role as a therapy dog at a women’s center. Starting in 2002 Yogi helped women, men and children recover from their experience of sexual assault, domestic violence, incest and childhood abuse and neglect.

Yogi gave people love and showed people there was love and good still left in the world. He loved people unconditionally and that is new for a lot of people.

Yogi was adopted the dog from the Virginia German Shepherd Rescue when he had been placed there after being taken into custody by animal control officers in Prince Georges County. When Yogi was picked up he was malnourished, with his ribs showing and his hair was dull and dirty.

In 2005, Yogi was part of the American Red Cross Disaster Mental Health team, enduring 16-hour shifts in the heat for more than two weeks at Camp Dawson near Morgantown to assist the more than 350 evacuees of Hurricane Katrina and Red Cross workers deal with the day-to-day stress of recovery efforts.


Yogi was also a member of the Mass-Call Critical Incident Stress Management Canine Team, a Massachusetts-based firefighter organization that assists first responders in dealing with their job-related stresses. He was also a member of Animal Assisted Crisis Response, a national organization that utilizes canines to bring comfort to those who have experienced trauma in disasters.

His last day on the job at the women’s center was difficult for clients.

On his last working day at the Women’s Center, in spite of pain and discomfort, he happily went to work and came home with a wet head from the tears of clients and staff that said their goodbyes.

Staff and clients of the Women’s Center said Yogi’s passing has been a “tremendous loss.”

Today an urn with Yogi’s ashes, his working vest and collar, rest in his bed at Streeter’s home.

Yogi was always glad to don his work vest, even to the end.

In spite of not being able to eat, being uncomfortable and groggy from painkillers, he happily wagged his tail when he put on his work vest for the last time.

“We worked together, we lived together and we played together. I really miss him.”

John Streeter

 



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