By: Amy Hogan

Apart from being a successful business man and a father of three grown children,Ed Capelle’s biggest passion lies with his eight year old Boston Terrier named Spanky. Spanky is much more than a pet to Ed- he is a part of the family. Whether he is out shopping, eating at a restaurant, or going to to a movie, Spanky is always by his side. The two make a perfect pair, especially when they are doing what they do best, which is serving the community.Spanky is Ed’s first therapy dog. Ed’s ex-wife found Spanky and specifically got him to be a service dog for their son who has Aspergers. Unfortunately, Ed’s son never developed a connection with Spanky like they hoped he would. Because Spanky could not be of service to his son, Ed wanted to get him involved with serving people in hospitals and assisted living facilities. Before Ed got the chance to pursue that ambition, his ex-wife took Spanky to the vet for a check up and found out that Spanky had a heart murmur. Ed’s ex-wife did not want to pursue any further treatment for Spanky’s condition and Ed was not in the financial position to do anything for him at the  time, so they decided to put it off for the time being. It wasn’t until Spanky was 28 months old that Ed decided he had to do something about Spanky’s heart condition. After his family had just endured the difficulties that coincide a divorce, Ed did not want to risk losing Spanky and put his family through more grief.  He arranged with his ex-wife to take Spanky to a heart specialist in Corvallis. Spanky’s prognosis was not good; he had a heart valve condition known as Aductis. Ed said , “If I did nothing, he would have died in 90 days from congestive heart failure.” They decided to do the operation from which Spanky recovered perfectly. It was then that Ed realized after his initial investigation of Spanky’s service dog rating and him having a second chance at life that it would be a great idea if Spanky could give back to the community. He is now a member of FETCH Therapy Dogs and also is affiliated with Therapy Dogs Incorporated. They visit assisted living homes and hospitals about twice a month, giving Spanky the chance to bring joy to people from all walks of life through his impeccable charm and slobbery kisses.