Just like people, dogs too can embark on a successful second career. Case in point: Zeke, Tibetan Spaniel par excellence. Zeke achieved greatness in the dog show arena, winning Best of Breed three times in a row, and retiring in 2005 as the top-winning Tibetan Spaniel in history. During his competitive career, Zeke’s job was looking and behaving perfectly in the ring, to show off his perfect, prize-winning physique.
Zeke still cuts a dashing figure. But these days, he answers a different calling. The Tibetan Spaniel is accustomed to working as part of a team - the breed was used for centuries to alert its co-worker dog, the much larger Tibetan Mastiff, of intruders. In this arrangement, the imposing mastiff supplied the brawn, but the diminutive "Tibbie" (as the breed is affectionately known) was most definitely the brains.
Embodying dogs’ profound ability to enrich human lives, Zeke has evolved his breed’s instinctive talent for a new millennium. Today, he’s a partner in a different venture: animal-assisted therapy. Together with his owner and therapy partner Patricia Sarles, Zeke spreads cheer at hospitals, nursing homes, and other care facilities where a smile can sometimes be the most potent, fast-acting medicine. Zeke’s specialty? Bringing smiles to the faces of kids undergoing chemotherapy at Morristown Memorial Hospital in New Jersey.
"He’s very bright and confident, with a wonderful personality," says Sarles. "And he loves to show off! We walk into a room and it’s as if Zeke is saying, ’OK, I’m here - pay attention to me.’" Demonstrating tremendous versatility, Zeke can quickly adapt his bedside manner to suit any situation. "He can make you happy if you’re sad, and he can calm you down if you’re stressed," Sarles adds.
In this line of work, pedigree is not a prerequisite. Zeke is certified with St. Hubert’s Animal Welfare Center in Branchburg (www.sthuberts.org), whose roster of star therapy dogs happens to include several mixed-breed mutts of unknown lineage. All that’s required to do pet-assisted therapy is a well-trained animal - and a compassionate human willing to spend time in exchange for enormous spiritual reward.
When he’s not busy spreading cheer, Zeke keeps watch over his Whippany home from his favorite perch on the back of the sofa - a raised vantage point not unlike the hilltops of his ancestral Tibetan home. Don’t let his fuzzy looks or small frame fool you: this is one serious watch dog. The Tibetan Spaniel is by nature a watch dog. That inbred protective instinct makes the Tibbie a fearless protector of home and property, and true to his breed, this charming little fellow is a great home-security device: Not for nothing is his champion title Ch. Ambrier’s Nothing Gets Past Zeke!
