Domenick Scudera is well known around the hallways of Bryn Mawr Rehab Hospital. Almost every week, he brings one of his three Therapy Dogs to support the patients there. Cyrus, Lucky, and Deuce all only have two legs and provide hope to the patients experiencing amputations themselves.
"It's wonderful, and it's almost always the same," Scudera details. "People will say the same thing. They'll say, 'If he can do it, I can do it.' They say that to me all the time."
Twelve years ago Scudera was working as a local theater professor and visited the hospital with his dog at the time, Festus, who had only three legs. As Festus aged, he began to look for another dog to add to the family and found Cyrus who had been abandoned at a shelter. The small Terrier-mix only had two legs, but was full of life. Next came Lucky who was hit by a car in Egypt causing his injuries. Finally, Deuce joined the family after being found with broken legs and other unknown injuries.
Together, they have formed an amazing family that has positively impacted the lives of those in various communities. "Disabled dogs are difficult to place, but if you adopt one, the rewards of having a dog that's different are so great," Scudera says. "You gain so much by having a dog that's different."
Not only is he gaining joy from them, but so are the patients of the hospital they visit. They typically only visit patients who are experiencing amputations and this creates a special bond between the dogs and the patients. They can truly relate to each other and give hope that if the dogs can continue living "normally", so can they!
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