Dumped Dog Giving Back Through Therapy Work
Thor was left behind at a fast food restaurant in Arizona. For more than a month, he was on his own, seeking handouts and hunting for food. That was until Barbara Tilben-Salisbury entered his life and loaded him onto her RV with her four dogs. She recognized a special quality in him. Thor is now a therapy dog who serves other with his love and patience. He was nominated for a 2023 AKC Award of Canine Excellence for his work.
A young woman climbs out of her hospital bed when a dog enters her room. She insists on sitting on the floor, facing the dog, who patiently allows her to stroke him while tears trickle down her face.
A middle school dealing with the unexpected death of a student calls for therapy dogs to visit. A young man calls one of the dogs over and after a couple of minutes of petting, said he felt better.
A stroke victim who could no longer speak nods his head “yes” when asked if he wants a visit from a therapy dog. As he strokes the dog, who stares lovingly at him, he begins to sob.
These people had tragedies at different times and places, but they shared a connection with an amazing therapy dog named Thor who gives so much comfort despite having been dumped and left homeless.
“We found Thor, or it could be said that Thor found us, on July 11, 2018, on an Indian reservation. We were traveling to Wyoming at that time and had stopped at a McDonald’s in northern Arizona, just south of the Utah border,” said Thor’s rescuer and owner Barbara Tilben-Salisbury.
“We were approached by Thor while there. He was very thin and was wearing an orange collar with no identification. My husband asked an employee about Thor. He told my husband that approximately a month prior Thor had been dumped there and that Thor came by during the evenings and then disappeared for the rest of the day. When we found out that he didn’t have a home, we took him with us. We were in our RV, so there was plenty of room for him along with our other four dogs.”
Enroute to their vacation stop, they stopped at a veterinary clinic in Colorado to get Thor checked out. He was estimated to be about a year old and did not have a microchip. The vet vaccinated him, removed numerous ticks, and treated him for the tick infestation.
“For the first week, he seemed to sleep for hours. He heavily leaned into us for petting and for what seemed to be reassurance. His appetite was excellent, and he slowly gained weight. He got along extremely well with our dogs, so we decided we wanted to have him with us for the rest of his life,” Barbara said.
From the start, Thor had a special way of connecting with and comforting others.
“My husband took a particular liking to him as he is a former combat veteran and suffers from PTSD. Thor is very sensitive and seems to have some PTSD as well, as fireworks and other sounds can upset him a great deal,” Barbara said. “Both Thor and my husband seem to have a particularly special, loving bond with each other.”
Once they returned to their home in Arizona, Thor had to adjust to living in their home. He bonded with the family and the couple’s other dogs. But, probably due to being on his own for so long, he preferred staying outside and spent hours hunting.
“He especially showed interest in finding wild birds, chickens and moles. He lives on an acre of land and lays outside daily seemingly to protect our property. He is especially astute at alerting us to danger, such as the presence of vultures, owls and coyotes. There have been many times that he has barked intensely to let us know of predatory animals,” she said.
Despite his strong protective nature, Barbara said Thor is the most gentle dog she ever met.
“He seemed to have the most sensitive of qualities about him so I started to see if he could qualify for therapy work to share his deep love with others,” she said.
Barbara formerly worked in the medical field and wanted to volunteer at their local hospital – Mercy Gilbert Medical Center in Gilbert, AZ. She researched and learned that they have strict criteria to be considered for their dog therapy program, including certification by one of two specific therapy dog organizations.
Barbara selected Pet Partners that required her to view modules and take an examination to show competency. Following the exam, she and Thor took the dog/handler test, passed and were accepted as a therapy dog team at the hospital. They must repeat the exam every two years and have now passed three times. They are also certified with Animal Assisted Crisis Response (AACR) and have been deployed twice to help those who have experienced an acute crisis.
“Thor loves receiving treats from others and is very gentle when he takes a treat from someone’s hand. The patients and staff love to see Thor do tricks and have complimented him many times on his exemplary behavior.”
Now 7 years old, Thor has shown more interest in being inside the house with the family instead of patrolling the yard. “He is infatuated with playing ball and can play with the ball seemingly for hours,” Barbara said. “He will hoard his ball for hours if he is allowed to keep it with him.”
Thor loves children and plans are in the works to increase his work with youth. He excels at therapy dog jobs where people can easily pet him. He loves to be stroked and can stay in a room for hours if needed.
“We had a visit with a gentleman who had a leg infection, and he was sitting in a reclining chair. It was easy for this patient to reach Thor, so he started stroking and petting him. We were in the room for at least 45 minutes during that exchange with little discussion between us,” Barbara said. “I remember a small pile of dog hair on the floor after that visit which I happily cleaned up before I left.”