Heidi de Savora
Heidi was born in a small village near Montreaux, Switzerland on 17 April 1993. We had hoped to breed Heidi to Indy, but she was diagnosed with hip dysplasia at about 9 months old so we had her spayed. She turned her attention from being a potential mother to being a therapy dog. For an hour every Wednesday morning Heidi and Rick jointly participate in an animal assisted therapy (AAT) program working with children. AAT can be a powerful tool to help children build self esteem, overcome the trauma of abuse or neglect, learn to deal with attention deficiencies, promote linear and logical thinking skills, communicate more effectively, etc. Working with kids seems to be a natural skill of Heidi’s—she just seems to know what to do when to help us accomplish our therapy goals. She loves the kids. They love her. And we are constantly learning about the things that go on in the world, Heidi and her skills, and ourselves.
Here is a photo of Heidi at 8-weeks old.
Heidi and Rick and Heidi’s breeder’s in Switzerland.
Heidi in her Halloween costume—and not happy about it.
Heidi and her favorite little sister, Margaux.
At this writing, Heidi is over 11 years old. She has retired from AAT and now spends her days annoying Lynne.
Posted by Rick on 07/27/2004 at 10:16 AM