Leo, rescued from Michael Vick’s Bad Newz Kennels in Virginia, is now a therapy dog, visiting hospitals and helping to rehabilitate juvenile offenders.
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From Thomas Jefferson’s Foxhounds to Michael Vick’s abused dogs, some Virginia dogs have gained national attention due to the actions of their famous or infamous owners.
Above and beyond their place as family companions and in traditional service occupations, dogs in Virginia serve in an ever-widening spectrum of therapeutic roles. The physical and emotional benefits to humans that come from relationships with dogs are now recognized and utilized by psychiatric facilities, assisted living centers, hospitals, schools and even prisons.
Today, dogs contribute more to the welfare of individuals and society than perhaps any other time in the history of the human-dog bond. Additionally, over the past three decades, increased awareness of the importance of humane care and control of dogs, the enactment and enforcement of leash laws, and dog bite prevention education, have all been instrumental in drastically lowering the number of reported dog-related injuries in Virginia and throughout the nation.
National Canine Research Council