Therapy dogs bring much-needed joy into the world for those with anxiety or other trauma issues. But what about a collie as a therapy companion?

Therapy Collie

Duckie's work as a therapy dog is both exciting and yet difficult at the same time - so many patients of different kinds and different problems to deal with. But there is one person that left the most of an impact on her.

Seated next to a purring black / white Maine Coon, Duckie gently caresses the cat’s fluffy head, gently stroking his fur. The young tomcat is asleep, having cried himself to sleep after relating his backstory to her.

The Maine Coon tomcat, Tobi Blackburn, is a young defense attorney working in a well-known law firm. But lately, the poor cat has been battling his own demons for a long time. Not only is the young tomcat the son of a famous prosecutor but he's been dealing with the aftermath of a horrible upbringing.

Duckie continues petting the sleeping tomcat, gently stroking his fur and softly wiping his wet face. The female collie isn't leaving him anytime soon.

~~~~~

By the time Tobi wakes up, he yawns and shakes himself, slowly getting his bearings back. After rubbing his eyes, Tobi mews, “What.. what happened??”

The question comes out just as fast as he realizes what's happened. His blue eyes flash wide in recognition and before Duckie can even make a peep, the tomcat shivers. He hugs himself and frankly admits, “I’m not worth anything - not after what I’ve been through…”

Duckie looks straight at Tobi and remarks incredulously, “Kid, you’re worth more than you think! You're regarded as a hero to some and a role model. You’ve helped put away some of the most dangerous criminals this world has ever seen. You're courageous, outspoked, and smart. Tobi, you are a fluffy, handsome young man with an amazing reputation. Do not let anyone tell you otherwise!”

Duckie cradles the young tomcat in her arms during their new session and tickles Tobi on his chin. This makes Tobi rub against Duckie in return, groaning from the caressing. The complimentary encouragement from Duckie also warms his heart. Tobi then admits, “Nobody has ever told me how I am valuable, honestly. Even now, I still face the personal attacks and aftermaths of taunts and jeers from courtroom rivals.”

“Are you still having nightmares, Tobi?” Duckie arches an eyebrow at the anxious Maine Coon in question. A silent nod from Tobi confirms this, to which Duckie pets his head, “Oh you fluffy cat, no one this adorable and handsome should be faced with a serious condition like this.” Suddenly, things take a turn for the worse.

Fearing what's about to happen next, Tobi scrambles away and knocks Duckie to the floor. In his haste to flee, what he says reveals the kind of trouble he is really in. “I’m not taking any pills!!!”

“H-holy crap, did that really just happen…?” Duckie is left rubbing her head after being knocked to the ground. And after a brief, yet careful self-inspection does the female collie stand up to brush herself off. And just where did the tomcat end up hiding? Cowering in the men's bathroom.

~~~~~

After some patient pleading and coaxing from the collie, Tobi is brought back to the room. The Maine Coon tomcat is now left feeling ashamed and downhearted. Before Duckie can even speak, Tobi whimpers, “I’m sorry…”

Questionably, Duckie asks the cat a question to demand a reason for his outburst and in one drawn-out answer, “Mind telling me what all that was for, Tobi?”

Suddenly, Tobi breaks down crying, unable to hold himself together. It takes a few minutes for the tomcat to recover, to which he hiccups and weakly explains, “I never wanted to seek help because I’m scared I’ll be taken into solitary confinement in a jacket or end up with pulls being slipped down my throat. Last thing I want is to be put on medication with mind-altering drugs…”

Patiently, Duckie listens to Tobi explain himself. And after that, she leans over and whispers to Tobi, “Tobi, that is the very last thing one would expect from me. And I don't do that type of stuff here. I have a different kind of surprise that works better than drugs.”

Skeptical, Tobi squeaks, “Yeah, like what?”

“Follow me.” Duckie stands up and turns to leave when Tobi follows suit and inquires, “Now where are we going?”

“You’ll see - it's a surprise that I believe you will enjoy very much!” Duckie winks at the tomcat, who raises an eyebrow at her in return, still skeptical about the ‘surprise’ she is talking about.

~~~~~

“Uh Duckie, why are we in a safehouse?” Tobi is unsure of what to think next. A brief walk from Duckie's office to a nearby building doesn't help matters with Tobi, but it does leave him questioning the surprise that Duckie has in store. And this safehouse is too suspicious not to be pressing for answers - the building they're walking into is a repair shop!

The moment the two enter inside is the moment Duckie releases a loud whistle that echoes throughout the entire building. Tobi is left covering his ears from the shrill sound assaulting his ears. But the figure suddenly emerging and bounding towards them gives Tobi the surprise of his life.

Racing to meet them is a giant gray / white wolamute, a wolf / Alaskan Malamute hybrid. And the dog itself is a fluffy one - well-kept, maintained, and it also has a collar on. This must be the surprise that Duckie is talking about!

While Tobi kneels down to pet the wolf hybrid, the large canine jumps on him and begins licking his face. Tobi begins giggling and trying to push the dog away, only for Duckie to whistle and command, “That's enough, Darius. Now sit!”

“D-darius?? That's his name??” Tobi stands up to shake himself once more where Duckie elaborates, “He is a young rescue that I took in and he's around 2 years old. He's good with children and special-needs people. I am giving him to you to adopt him so you can have a companion!”

Tobi squeezes Duckie in a vice-like grip out of sheer enlightenment. Maybe this is what Tobi deserves after all. But there is just one problem, which he soon realizes all too soon. “Ah, I don't think we have enough space in our apartment for such a large dog. And we don't have anything to keep him occupied.”

“I got it all covered. But you guys do have a large space for him to roam around in, right?” Tobi nods and releases the collie; Duckie staggers around and nearly falls over from air rushing into her lungs and the almost crushing hug that Tobi gave her.

“Like I said Tobi, Darius is your four-legged therapy companion now! I don't have any vests or anything to put on him so you'll have to hit up a local pet store to see if they have anything.” Duckie informed him.

~~~~~

Duckie belongs to peachy_pups from ToyHouse; Tobi Blackburn belongs to me!