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You Never Know Who's Looking

If you happen to have a web site, you might wonder how many visitors you get or might even use a hit counter to keep track.  But have you ever thought about who they are?  The following story will show that you just never know who's looking.

In November of 2001 I wrote an article about the vital role our pets play in Matthew's development for the The Child Animal Bond.  During May of 2002, an individual who read that article visited here to learn a bit more about Matthew and subsequently contacted me.  That individual was Mr. Christian Bruyere who has produced a number of outstanding television documentaries including "Champions of the Wild" for the Discovery Channel.  He explained to me that he is producing a multiple episode documentary entitled "Healing With Animals" for the Discovery Health Canada channel.  "Healing With Animals" shares the stories of many and illustrates the positive effect that interacting with animals has upon people with disabilities and/or illnesses.  I was dumbfounded and a little disbelieving when he asked to feature Matthew and one of our many pets in an episode.  Never could I have imagined that a producer would even visit our little homepage let alone want to include Matthew in a documentary.  

Mr. Bruyere and his film crew visited our home on August 12, 2002 and spent the day filming Matthew and his beloved dog, Tessa.  She and Matthew have developed a very close bond since she became a member of our family a few months earlier.  Matthew, an avid golfer, is a member of the Special Olympics Unified Golf Team in Miami County, Ohio.  Tessa helps Matthew improve his golf drive when he practices here at home by retrieving his golf ball after every shot.  Tessa's interaction has really motivated Matthew to hit the ball farther and straighter.  The following day Matthew was filmed competing at the area wide golf tournament held in Kettering, Ohio.  It was a marvelous experience and I am grateful to have had the opportunity to share the unique relationship between Matthew and our pets in this documentary.