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From the minute volunteers at the Heaven Can Wait Animal Society in Las Vegas, NV rescued Tanner, they called her an “old soul.” The large mixed breed dog was calm and gentle. But even with her easy going disposition, Tanner found it hard to find a new family to adopt her.
Many people passed her by because she was a big dog, or because she was an adult, or because she didn’t bark and create a racket to make them notice her. For months she hopped into the adoption van every weekend - traveled to the adoption center and then returned to the shelter at night. It was heartbreaking for Tanner and the HCWS volunteers.
David Sanchez grew up in the small town of Del Rio, Texas where he was surrounded by the working dogs on his family’s farm. Later business took him north to Las Vegas where he raised a family with his wife Linda and life was good for a long time.
Then David got sick and was confined to a wheelchair. He spent long hours at home by himself and for the first time in many years, he started to miss the company of a dog. He reached out to his son David Jr. to help him find a companion.
David Jr. knew about HCWS and asked them to help him find a dog. They recommended Tanner.
On August 7, 2008 David brought his father to the adoption center to meet her.
David said, “Tanner connected with my Dad right away and he felt the same way.” That day Tanner joined the Sanchez family.
After being with her new guardians for only two days, David Sr. had to be hospitalized. He stayed at the hospital for 3 weeks and the doctors didn’t give the family much hope. But David Sr. had other plans.
He woke up one night and told his son, “Tomorrow I’m telling the doctor’s that I’m going home. It’s not fair for me to be away from my new dog. And when I get home, I’m going to take her for a walk.”
The next day David Sr. came home. He gave himself two goals: take his dog for a walk around the neighborhood and travel to Oregon to visit his grandchildren.
Everyday David Sr. worked hard to get his body stronger. Meanwhile he and Tanner grew close as they spent their days together. The dog turned out to be a great asset. She carried a backpack with supplies for her owner and accompanied him wherever she was allowed. But because Tanner was a “regular” dog, she was forced to stay home when her guardian went to doctor’s appointments. That’s when David Sr. told his son they should train Tanner to become a service dog so she could be with him at all times.
One evening in November as David Jr. walked in the door from work, his father told him to stay at the door. Then he stood up from his wheelchair and walked toward his son. He had been practicing everyday. He said, “Let’s take Tanner for a walk.”
They grabbed her leash and the three of them walked around the neighborhood. David Jr. said, “She was very gentle and pressed up against his leg as they walked.” It was a very proud day for David Sr. and his dog.
On December 17th Mr. Sanchez completed his second goal by traveling to visit his grandchildren. Five days later on December 22, 2008 he peacefully passed away in his sleep.
David Jr. continued to honor his father’s dream of having Tanner become a service dog. And after weeks of training, she recently received her Canine Good Citizen certification and will soon be part of a program that works with children to improve their reading skills. Mr. Sanchez would be proud of both of them.
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