SC deputy sheriff K-9 team brings smiles and cheer www.privateofficer.com
COLUMBIA, SC MRCH 30 2012 - When it comes to making the best of a bad situation, it’s tough to find a better team than Sgt. Lewis Marshall and his K-9 partner Lucky.
Only Lucky isn’t what you think of when you think of a deputy dog.
He’s a standard poodle.
“I said, ‘Tell you what, there’ll be no pink bows in his head, and his toenails won’t have to be painted. He’ll have to go like he is,’” Marshall said.
That’s good enough for the kids he sees on a weekly basis at Palmetto Health Children’s Hospital. Some are at the hospital for a few hours and others are there for weeks.
“When you first meet someone with him, his size does intimidate,” said Marshall.
But therapy training and tricks go a long way for a very large dog.
“By the time we leave, they’ve forgotten all about the pain,” Marshall said.
Marshall has combined a career in law enforcement with a lifelong passion for dogs. When you throw in his sense of humor, it’s easy to see why the staff also look forward to his visits.
But as much fun as he has, the job, inherently, can be rough.
“You go see these people, they become personal friends, and then some of them don’t make it,” Marshall said. “The kids, that tears me up when I get there and so-and-so’s gone.”
Moments of grief are easily outweighed by tender moments when the pain pauses.
“When he comes in, it’s out of this world to watch them,” Marshall said. “It really is.”
Source:WIS
