Why We Have a Service Dog at Our Clinic

The Tale of Dulci, the Monkey, and the Leopard

Many of you have wondered why we have Dulci, our dog, in an allergist’s office. You may already know she is Beverly’s registered and licensed service dog.  Dulci can detect seizures, AFib, and drops in glucose levels before they manifest as physical symptoms.  Service dogs are very smart and they are trained to be friendly and nice but not overly-friendly.  Regardless, I am repeatedly asked if there is a good reason she is always in the treatment room with us.

So, I have decided that it is now time to reveal to our St. Louis patients the true reason Dulci is part of our practice.  This is a repost of an article I wrote many years ago.

Once upon a time—you know, all good stories start with once upon a time and a map—Beverly decided to visit a rainforest to photograph the beautiful flora and fauna flourishing there. (Is that so hard to believe?) It was a whirlwind trip through the thickest, most dangerous of jungles. And, of course, she took Dulci, her trusty companion and service dog, along with her. Unfortunately, I had to stay in Chesterfield, MO to work.

This is Dulci’s story exactly as she told it to me upon her return.

One day, while in the jungle, Dulci was chasing butterflies and before long she discovered that she was lost. She realized she should have taken Beverly’s map before she took off (she’s not very adept using her paws to access the GPS on Bev’s iPhone). While she was wandering about, she noticed a leopard heading rapidly in her direction with the obvious intention of having her for lunch.

Dulci thought, “Oh boy, I’m in danger now.” Then she noticed some bones on the ground close by her. And Dulci loves chewing on bones. Immediately she settled down to chew on the bones she found, with her back to the approaching cat.Just as the leopard was about to leap, Dulci exclaimed loudly, “Man, that was one delicious leopard. I wonder if there are any more around here.” You see, all animals understand one another. So hearing this, the leopard halted his attack in mid stride, as a look of terror came over him, and he slunk away into the trees. “Whew”, said the leopard. “That was close. That dangerous devil dog nearly devoured me.”

Meanwhile, a monkey who had been watching the whole scene from a nearby tree, figured he could put this knowledge to good use and trade it for protection from the leopard. So, off he went to find the big cat. But Dulci, ever vigilant, saw him heading after the leopard with great speed, and figured that something must be up.The monkey soon caught up with the leopard, spilled the beans, and struck a deal for himself with the cat. That feline was furious at being made a fool of and said, “Here monkey, hop on my back and see what’s going to happen to that conniving carnivorous canine.” (Leopards like lively alliteration you know).

But Dulci—ever vigilant remember—saw the leopard coming with the monkey on his back, and thought, “This can’t be good. What am I going to do now?”Instead of running, Dulci sat down with her back to her attackers pretending she hadn’t seen them yet. And just when they got close enough to hear, Dulci loudly proclaimed, “Where’s that monkey. I just can’t ever trust him. I sent him off half an hour ago to bring me another leopard, and he’s still not back!!” At that, the leopard flung the monkey off his back and went scampering away in fear.

Needless to say, after hearing that harrowing story, my respect for Dulci significantly rose. Dulci is a Havanese, a breed that is considered the most hypoallergenic as well as highly intelligent. So, now you know why we have her with us in the office. She has cleverly kept all leopards and other dangerous animals from harming any of us, our staff, or you, our patients. That is why everyone should say when they see her, “Good girl Dulci!”. By the way, until Beverly and Dulci returned from the rainforest, I didn’t even know Dulci could talk because she never even barks.  She’s so quiet in the office, you know…

For those of you who have never met Dulci or who want to learn more about our natural allergy treatments go to www.StLouisAllergyRelief.com.  Better yet, we offer a Free Workshop on the first Thursday of every month.  To attend our next Free Workshop explaining our holistic allergy treatments just call us at 314-384-9304 and Beverly will be happy to give you more information and get you scheduled.  That could be a life changing phone call.  And don’t forget to say, “Good girl, Dulci” when you meet her.