Strays to the Rescue
Sunny
"When I went to Paws with a Cause headquarters in Wayland, Mich., to meet Sunny, I was 16 and a sophomore in high school. I had never had a dog before Sunny, and I was very nervous. I was afraid he wouldn't like me. When the trainer brought the dog out, Sunny came right up to me and sniffed my face, wagging his tail. We started training together immediately. He opened doors for me and picked things up off the floor ... I have a brittle-bone disease, and Paws selected Sunny for me because of his gentle nature. He does many things for me. He can get help if I need it; he will find someone in the house and lead them back to me. He can push an emergency button, bring me the phone, and retrieve items I drop ... But Sunny's greatest contribution is in changing the way other people look at me. My disability is very obvious; I am only 3 ft. tall. When I go places alone, people stare, little kids point, and it can be very hurtful. When Sunny is with me, everyone looks at him and admires him. Sunny is cute and adorable and way more interesting than I am. Kids point at the pretty dog and don't even notice me. And that's just fine!" — Valarie Franklin, pharmacy student