Understanding Quincy, Skye’s Remarkable Golden Retriever

'Skye waited in the airport lobby for her husband, Gary. She’d hidden a surprise under her oversized coat. This bulge will make a happy surprise for Gary.'That surprise puppy eventually grew to be a full-size Golden Retriever, Quincy. The town of Riverview, especially those connected with the Riverview Animal Shelter (RAS), endured a series of unexpected developments. An adage says, 'Revenge is a dish best served cold.' An angry bomber is unlikely to wait, however. This one did not.Gary, Skye, and Quincy returned home to Riverview after an incident caused their plane to be diverted to Canada. Once in the U.S., they anticipated a quick trip home, but Mother Nature had other ideas. They rerouted around a storm and ended up near the Smithsonian Zoo, where Quincy got his first experience with an elephant.Skye had lent her older dog, Bones, trained as a cadaver dog, to the local police while studying in England. One of their officers implored her to let him keep Bones on the job, and Skye agreed, as Quincy was already a handful.Rose Marie was a homeless person on the run from an abusive spouse, Samson. She frequently visited the soup kitchen where Wally was a volunteer. She viewed herself as worthless, but Wally worked to reverse that negative outlook.Five years passed. As time went on, Quincy grew, and Gary and Skye continued to enjoy their activities at RAS. Skye had continued her training Quincy, and he was now a certified Therapy Dog.Skye had ambitions that led her and Gary to accept positions in England, and Quincy was put up for adoption through RAS. Wally considered having Rose Marie adopt Quincy, which would improve the security of her new living quarters. She agreed. Wally also gave her advice on improving her setup. They hoped vicious Samson would not find her, but if he did, the dog and the burglar alarms should prove adequate to give her time to get the police.Rose Marie had physical headaches as well as marital ones. She had medical issues that led her to put Quincy up for adoption.While the people were finding their way through life, the dogs at the RAS were getting trained by teachers who used rewards rather than punishments to achieve rapid and lasting behavioral changes, as described in some detail in this book.Helen Bemis has enjoyed working with dogs all her life. She is grateful for the opportunity to help others understand these loving companions as she endeavors to enrich the human-dog bond through tools of love. She grew up on a dairy farm in Upper New York State; after graduating high school, she attended Albany Medical Center School of Nursing. She is married and has three children. She obtained a college degree at SUNY Adirondack, earned the Certified Professional Dog Trainer international certification, and has a successful business, K-9 Karing. She has been a Therapy Dog evaluator and is an A. K. C. award evaluator. She has judged fun dog matches, often speaks to many organizations, and teaches dog safety and other dog-related topics to schools and her local college. She loves to hear people say, 'Helen has gone to the dogs.'