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INSIDE THIS ISSUE 1. A Realistic Way to Stay Hopeful
2. Scientists Discover the World’s Largest Web … Home to 110,000 Spiders!
A Texas Plea That Avoids Conviction
3. Understanding Bond Conditions in Texas
Spinach Artichoke Pizza
4. Rescue Dog Serves as a Lifeline to Traumatized Children
From Homeless Mutt to Hero A FORMER STRAY HELPING OTHERS HEAL
Just three years ago, law enforcement officers in Brevard County, Florida, picked up a scruffy stray dog with bad skin allergies who was wandering the streets. Seeing potential in the mutt, they enrolled him in a training program for therapy and comfort dogs. In a remarkable transformation, the former stray was recently named a national “hero dog” for comforting dozens of elementary school students after a mass shooting at Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee. Guided by his handler, Faye Okert, Sgt. Bo offered snuggles, warmth, and emotional support to children traumatized by the tragedy. “When he walks into a room, he knows who needs his help,” Okert says. “They instantly feel safe and comforted.” Sgt. Bo seemed destined for a shelter for homeless pets in 2022 when the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office enrolled him in their Paws and Stripes College, a program that trains carefully selected homeless dogs to be therapy and comfort companions. After learning about the program, Okert, an officer at the time with the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department, contacted the College to adopt a graduate of the program.
afraid people would make fun of him. She traveled to Florida, planning to ask for a different dog. But after watching Sgt. Bo in training and meeting him face-to-face, she realized she had found the right one. She describes Sgt. Bo as “an old soul in a young dog’s body” who enjoys helping humans in distress. One of Sgt. Bo’s early assignments was to comfort Covenant School’s surviving students as they were reunited with their parents after the 2023 shooting, which claimed the lives of three children, three adults, and the shooter, a former student. Sgt. Bo was selected by the American Humane Society as America’s 2025 Hero Dog for his service to the kids of Nashville, beating out four impressive canine runners-up. Hundreds of dogs are nominated every year for the award, and the public then votes on five semifinalists. Calling Sgt. Bo’s story “inspiring,” Humane Society President Dr. Robin Ganzert said, “This scruffy superstar embodies everything the American Humane Society looks for in a dog: service, resiliency, and love.” His work, she added, “is a beautiful testament to the healing power of the human- animal bond.”
After seeing Sgt. Bo’s photo, however, Okert almost passed him up. He was battling skin allergies at the time and looked so scruffy that Okert was
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