For those wondering whatever became of Zelie, here is the latest news. Zelie returned to Leader Dogs this past spring. After getting a complete health check and various behavior/temperament tests, it was decided that Zelie would NOT go through training and become a guide dog for a blind person. Instead, she has become one of the “elite” and was chosen to be a Leader Dog Mom in their breeding program. Leader Dogs determined that she was the complete package of physical soundness, intelligence and temperament.  She has since been taken into the home of a breeding host volunteer family who will care for her and whelp the litters of puppies she will have.
                Thank you all for your prayers and well-wishes as I raised Zelie. The prayers were definitely needed as Zelie was a very challenging puppy to raise. She was intelligent, strong-willed and very energetic making my job exhausting and frustrating at times. She matured into a fine dog as I knew she would. I believe the intercession of St. Zelie, the mother of St. Therese of Lisieux, played a pivotal role in the outcome. I prayed that Zelie would succeed in changing one person’s life for the better.  St. Zelie, however, turned her into a mother, where her impact within the program will multiply many times beyond helping just one person. God is good.
Keep an eye out this fall…you may see a new 4-legged arrival attending Mass.
 
—-Irene Myers