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‘There’s always hope’: Formerly neglected dog earns therapy certification after finding loving home

Formerly neglected dog earns therapy certification after finding loving home

By Matt Churella 7 min read

The journey of Michele Sanders' poodle, Leo, is nothing short of amazing, according to John Saboe, the PawZone tester/observer who helped Sanders and Leo become a certified pet therapy team in June.

In August 2024, the Central Pennsylvania Humane Society received a report of animal neglect in Duncansville involving 11 poodles -- including Leo, who was then named Soren.

They were rescued a month later from unimaginable conditions: living in filth, covered in their own feces and urine, with coats so severely matted they had to be anesthetized just to be safely shaved.

According to Mirror reports at the time, a dog groomer with the humane society told officers the dogs suffered from open wounds, abrasions and eye, ear and skin infections from their neglect. Another groomer reported volunteers could not see the poodles' faces or determine their genders until enough matted fur was removed.

The total weight of the urine-and-feces matted fur removed from the 11 poodles was about 68 pounds and took three groomers about five days to remove. One of them described the stench coming from the fur as "horrific," saying it brought tears to their eyes and burned their noses, even with airflow into the room.

A friend of Sanders was fostering one of the dogs for the humane society shortly after they were rescued. Although that dog and most of the others had been adopted already, Sanders discovered one dog still remained at the humane society, waiting for his forever home.

Sanders said she never imagined owning a poodle until she met Soren.

"I fell in love with him," Sanders said. "He was just very sweet."

Soren seemed to bond well with the humane society staff, Sanders said, adding she asked the staff to go out of view so she could get a sense of what he was like outside of their presence.

Soren was great with both Sanders and her mother, she said.

A few days later, Sanders was able to adopt Soren, who became Leo when he went home with her.

Starting from zero

Simple things that most dogs learn as puppies were completely foreign to Leo, Sanders said. He didn't know how to go up and down stairs, how to play with toys or ride in a car. He was about 40 pounds at the time, and Sanders said she could still feel some of the bones in Leo's hips.

"He was really skinny when I got him, but generally, he had a pretty good affect," Sanders said, noting it took Leo some time to adapt to his new environment. But from the very beginning, despite everything he endured in the first two years of his life, Leo embraced each new experience with trust, curiosity and a wagging tail.

After Leo got so far, they enrolled in one of Linda Burley's training classes at Shadyrock School for Dogs, Sanders said.

"It got him out to just learn some of the commands," Sanders said, adding it gave them a lot of one-on-one time to focus on each other.

Then PawZone member Wendy Bush told Sanders about how rewarding it was for her dog, Levi, to become a therapy dog. It took a little bit of time until Sanders got the courage to pursue the process with Leo, she said.

Saboe, who works with Sanders at the Altoona Area School District, took his dog, McKinley, into school one day, and as Sanders started to research more about the Alliance for Therapy Dogs -- the nationwide organization to which PawZone belongs -- she determined Leo would make a great therapy dog.

By that point, Leo had been in the community a lot with Sanders. They liked to visit shops in the Logan Town Centre and walk together at Penn State Altoona, where Leo had a birthday party last August, she said, and received a lot of pets from students as they walked by.

"He seemed to be a good fit because he is a happy dog now," Sanders said. "I thought this would be a great opportunity for both of us to get to go places, and people would get to learn of his journey."

On May 13, Sanders and Leo met with Saboe, his wife and their dog at Rural King for the handling portion of the test.

As a tester/observer, Saboe said he's able to tell right away if a dog is going to be a good therapy dog or not. Leo was awesome and behaved well, he said.

"When I met with Leo, Leo was super excited. He's such a chill dog," Saboe said. "He was super receptive to everything that I did with him."

Once they went through the initial reception, Saboe put Leo and Sanders through the handling portion of the test -- having Sanders walk about 10 yards away at varying paces, having Leo turn different directions and seeing how well Leo responded to Saboe's dog.

They then walked around Rural King and Leo got to meet people in the store, Saboe said.

"We would walk up to somebody and say, 'Hey, Leo is working on becoming a therapy dog, would you like to interact with him?' People would, and he did absolutely fantastic," Saboe said.

"For a dog that has come from the background that Leo has come from to walk into this situation and handle all of this so well is spectacular," Saboe added.

Discovering a natural

The initial handling test is considered part of the first observation, Saboe said, noting two more observations are required as part of the test. Leo passed his final observations at Garvey Manor Nursing Home in Hollidaysburg on two different weekends, Saboe said.

By the third observation, Sanders said she felt more comfortable as Leo's handler, too.

It was great to see the instant joy Leo and the other service dogs in training brought to the residents, Sanders said, adding she talked with them about dogs they had in their past.

It was a great experience for the residents, for Leo and for Sanders, she said.

Having passed all the requirements, Sanders and Leo were certified as a pet therapy team June 27 by the Alliance of Therapy Dogs.

Bush, Sanders' friend, said she saw a picture of what the dogs looked like before they were groomed, and she's amazed by Leo's transformation.

"I just think it's amazing how he triumphed over his situation," Bush said. "He's such a sweet boy."

Casey Brennan of the Central Pennsylvania Humane Society said all of the dogs that were rescued from the hoarding situation were adopted to loving homes and are doing amazing.

"Despite their past, they were extremely forgiving of humans and have amazing personalities," Brennan said, noting there were also four small chihuahuas that were taken from the home at the same time.

They were also adopted into great families, Brennan said.

Leo's journey is a powerful reminder of what love, a little bit of patience and second chances can do for anyone, Sanders said.

"It sort of mirrors life in that, even in some of the most difficult times and situations, there's always hope," Sanders said.

There's always hope that the next day will be better, Sanders said.

"I think he shows that to the point where he was able to get out of that horrific situation, and now he's able to bring joy and hope to other people," she said. "Even if they're feeling bad or feeling down, he can be there for them just like all of those people were for him."

Mirror Staff Writer Matt Churella is at 814-946-7520.

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