Furry Therapy - How Beautiful

We've never run a blog post two days in a row, but Sullivan deserves consecutive features. His story is beauty squared. 

This is our inaugural See Beautiful pet of the month and we couldn't be more proud to introduce you to Sullivan. He sees beautiful, oozes beautiful, and you leave being around him enjoying more beautiful in the world. He is family. He is a friend. He is a smile-giver. He is a day-brightener. He is love.

About Sullivan: Meet Sullivan! Isn’t he beautiful?! Sullivan is a 9-year-old Australian Shepherd who works as a therapy dog in multiple classrooms. Across his career, Sullivan has worked with 1000s of children and teachers across the USA, and we think that’s beautiful. In lieu of using a traditional approach in the classroom (worksheets & textbooks), Sullivan is used as a truly unique teaching tool who assists young students in genuinely connecting to the curriculum. For example, Sullivan has been the subject of mathematical story problems, the inspiration for mapping the ideal dog house, and the protagonist within fictional adventure stories. Sullivan inspires so many – children, teachers, administrators, counselors, ELL instructors, etc. He starts by focusing on making new friends, and the curriculum-related activities follow. How beautiful to have a canine companion as a classroom friend, and clearly, he is a friend to so many. See Beautiful celebrates Sullivan and his unique way of spreading beautiful throughout so many schools.

The following is written by his "mom" (who coincidentally is our See Beautiful Woman of the Month, so be sure to check her out), Laura Meyers:

Sullivan has cancer.  Again.  This time, it’s worse than before. There’s not much I can do other than offer medicine that frees him from pain and love him. “Don’t baby him. Don’t spoil him – or – no more than you already do. He’s a working dog – he’s smart, he reads people, and he will catch on. He’s going to adjust to the medications and be back to his ole self within a couple of weeks.” As I listened to the veterinarians, somehow, I began looking for the beautiful. I needed it, and Sullivan needed me to find it quickly. Sullivan has been cancer free for 18 months. How beautiful to be given the past 18 months and a 1-3 month heads up when entering round two.

The veterinarian team at the University of Georgia was right. Sullivan adjusted to his seizure-prevention medications, and he’s back to chasing tennis balls with his little furry brother, Canyon, and BFF, Duke. He’s back to greeting me at the door with his huge smile, one ear up and one ear down, and all-over-wiggly wag.  How amazing. How beautiful.

And now, “Sullivan the therapy dog” is returning to the elementary classrooms. As soon as we buckle his therapy dog vest, he prances across the parking lot and into the school. Sullivan is back to his number one job of making new friends and being the unique teaching tool that he is. 

He’s back to work doing what he does best, spreading beautiful. 

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Furry Beautiful

By Sullivan the Therapy Dog (with a little help from his Mom)

I don’t walk, I prance.
And when I’m not prancing, I strut.
When I enter the room, everyone stops what they’re doing.
Everyone looks. Everyone listens.

I don’t say a word.
I don’t have to.
I just smile.
Gotcha.
Smiles returned.
I love it.  And they know it.
They love it.  And I know it.

This is me.
All of me.
Do you see me?
I see you. All of you.
And. I only see beautiful.
Did you know that?

Be you for me.
Be you for you.
Look for the beautiful.
It’s there.
And there. And there. And there.

And there. And there. And there. And there. And there.

My beautiful. Your beautiful. Our beautiful.

Wag if you see it.
High five if you see it.
Stop, drop, and roll if you see it.
Tilt your head to the side if you see it.
One ear up, one ear down if you see it.
Smile if you see it.
Gotcha.  Wink.
Beautiful.

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Are you looking for a tangible reminder to see beautiful, or know someone who needs one? Check out our See Beautiful™ products (and feel good knowing a portion of proceeds from every purchase is donated to charity. This month a portion of all proceeds will be donated to LitWorld). Click HERE.  

This post also honors the purpose behind the Happiness Is...Blog Hop. We hope others see how furry therapy can by happy.