doginspired Is Better Than Well Said. Well Done
(Left): Dr. Monisha A. Seth and her husband, Dr. Anthony E. Douglas and their adopted dogs, Katie, Juliette, Annie and Lincoln. (Below): Franklin, who started it all. Photo courtesy of Dr. Seth.
A ~ Benjamin Franklin.
“Well done is better than well said.”
by Anna Cooke. 30 THE NEW BARKER
As a young couple, Anthony and Monisha had all but one thing in common. He grew up with a profound love for dogs. She had been raised to fear them. But, once he introduced her to his own family pet, a Jack Russell Terrier named Bagel, how could she resist? “Bagel welcomed me into the wonderful world of dogs by worming his way gently into my heart. Once a dog worms his way into your heart, it changes you,” said Monisha. Besides. Anthony was Monisha’s soul mate,
whom she loved and trusted implicitly. Level- headed and with their sights set on becoming doctors, they were meant to be married, and she was destined to love dogs. After their pre-dog wedding, they settled into a Central Florida home. Over a period of time, he
gently convinced her to consider bringing a dog into their family fold, sooner than later. They agreed that this was not a decision to be taken lightly, so together they visited the Sanford location of the SPCA of Central Florida every week. For one reason or another, the couple could not agree on which dog to adopt. They remained positive and committed to the cause, convinced that soon, their patience would pay off. On the eighth week, the couple walked past another countless number of homeless
dogs in the shelter, each one with a compelling back story. The secret desire to just take each one home was outweighed by the mitigating factor that it’s simply impossible to save all of them. And then, one dog timidly met each of their
gazes. Frightened, but appearing to know this might be his last chance at redemption, he pow- ered up his best irresistible traits and caught the attention of Monisha and Anthony. They named him Franklin, after Benjamin
Franklin, whose statue rests on a bench at the University of Pennsylvania. Now married 19 years, Monisha remembers, “Anthony and I lunched near that statue almost daily during our 10 years of medical school in Philadelphia.” (continued)
g
www.TheNewBarker.com
Photograph by Anna Cooke.
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