Yahoo News Special needs therapy dog to visit New Castle library
Jan. 15—At the Pittsburgh International Airport, there is a chance to see a special beagle with a heart of gold wearing any number of bowties.
Boone, a special needs therapy dog with a specialized wheelchair, will visit the New Castle Public Library at 10 a.m. Saturday to meet with him and hear the children's book based on his life, "Bow Tie Boone," read by his author owner, Tanya Diable.
"Boone absolutely loves kids," Diable said. "He loves being on the floor with them."
Diable said Boone's backstory is tragic and cruel. However, she has turned Boone's past into a motivation to help others. In 2017, Diable saw a request on Facebook to foster Boone, who, at five months old, was rescued from an abusive home in Texas where his back legs were intentionally severed off. She and her husband Charlie drove from their Butler home to Scranton to pick him up. However, the notion of simply fostering Boone didn't last long.
"I knew right after he opened the doors and Boone came out that we were going to keep him," Diable said.
Diable said when they got Boone, he still had stitches and it took months for him to recover.
"He laid on my chest for three months to heal," Diable said.
Eventually, thanks to the couple's nonprofit, Joey's P.A.W., Boone received a specialized wheelchair to give him mobility. Now six years old, he serves as a therapy dog and visits schools, businesses, airports and organizations. His story is the inspiration for "Bow Tie Boone," which aims to be an inspiration to special needs children and children with injuries.
The book was illustrated by Morgan Spicer and all proceeds go to the nonprofit. Copies will be available for sale for $12.95 at the library on event day.
Joey's P.A.W. was started by the Diables in 2016 to provide prosthetics and wheelchairs to special needs dogs. To date, it's helped more than 1,550 dogs around the world, including more than 200 last year. Diable said requests are received daily.
"I have a big heart for special needs dogs. I want to take them, rehabilitate them and give them the best care they need," Diable said. "I know if I can 100 percent help them, I will."
Diable said the idea to start the nonprofit was done after rescuing another special needs dog before Boone, Joey.
Joey, a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever, wears a prosthetic leg after his was intentionally severed and he left abandoned on the side of a New York road.
While Joey's ordeal has left him traumatized and generally afraid of people, Diable said she heard from many people who related the prosthetics have given the light back into the eyes of their dogs.
"It gives them, 100 percent, their lives back," Diable said. "We've been able to change many dogs' lives."
Diable and Boone will continue to travel to meet new people. In May, they are planning to travel to visit different schools in Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina and possibly Georgia.
