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MARTINI |
"In December 2008, Martini was inducted with honor into the Tarrant County Veterinary Medical Association's Hall of Fame in recognition of his exceptional community service work. Then, in April 2009, this little Whippet was recognized by the American Whippet Club - our breed parent club - at its National Specialty. Martini was awarded the esteemed Willow Award for excellence in the field of therapy work. Willow was a Whippet, officially named FC Warburton Song Sung Blue, CD, FCh, TRP, AV, TT, CGC, Delta Therapy Dog. She is the only Whippet in history to be the recipient of an American Kennel Club Award for Canine Excellence, and by bestowing an award in her name to other Whippets performing outstanding therapy service, the American Whippet club honors her life and her labors in loving memory and perpetuation. Following in Willow's footsteps, Martini has been nominated by the American Kennel Club for the ACE award. Finally, Vicki's remarkable Martini has also appeared in the Odyssey Newsletter, Dog World Magazine, the DSA Calendar 2009 and now on the cover of Dog Fancy June 2009.
Martini is owned and loved by Mark Bober and Vicki Carter of Fort Worth, Texas. The first IMa puppy to leave home - ever - his new family includes Whippets Mocha, Jazz and half-brother Phizz.
Vicki recently wrote the following about Martini:
"We feel so fortunate to have Martini in our family. Sharing the last six years with him has been incredible. It didn’t take long to realize he was not interested in racing or lure coursing – he is a total LOVE BUG! At a race meet once, I turned around and found him surrounded by five gorgeous little girls. Proving again one doesn’t have to be a jock to get all the chicks!
Not only does he fill our home with love, but he touches the hearts of many. He has earned his Canine Good Citizen title as well as his certification with Therapy Dogs International. He currently has a TDIA – Therapy Dogs International Active Volunteer title signifying 50 completed therapy visits. He just completed his 115th therapy visit this week. We volunteer through Odyssey Healthcare, a hospice organization. We currently visit four different nursing homes, a hospice center as well as a maternity home. He has brought a smile to a hospice patient that hadn’t smiled in three months, he brought comfort to a woman whose husband was a hospice patient in the final stages of his life and more importantly again one evening just two hours after her husband's death, stroke patients have slowly spoken sentences to him while they spoke very little to others...he has literally changed expressions and attitudes by just walking into a room.
Martini has passed the qualification test to become a member of the local DSA (Dog Scouts of America) troop. So far he has earned 5 badges, the most recent his Community Service badge. This involved fund raising for charities, hours of civic involvement as well as public education hours. He was the canine representative for our troop’s Meals on Wheels project and presented pet oxygen masks on behalf of our troop to local fire stations. He has participated in several charity walks and is currently training as a member of Team Whippets for the Arthritis Foundation’s Jingle Bell walk in December."
