Faith Healer
How this special dog has brought joy and inspiration to millions
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The next day, Jude started getting
calls herself, some from as far away as
Germany, England and Switzerland,
inviting her and Faith to appear on
their shows. Faith’s story has since
been covered on TV stations around the world, and she has also appeared on
NOVA and Oprah. “It just snowballed,”
Jude says. “We decided to keep the
military link, both because my son is
in the army and because I have a heart
for those who will go when called up no
matter what. Faith has even been made
an honorary commissioned sergeant out
of Fort Lewis; they had a big ceremony
for her and 4,000 people attended.”
Jude takes her canine companion to
airports, USOs and other places where
injured and returning soldiers will be,
so they can see Sergeant Faith and
have their photos taken with her. “They
tell me what an inspiration she’s been
to them.”
It isn’t only military personnel who have
been touched and heartened by Faith.“Oprah claimed on TV that after 21
years of interviewing people, she can
say that one of her favorite guests was
a dog,” says Jude. “She thought that
Faith’s story transcends all religions,
ages and capacities. She’s brought an
awareness to a lot of people, including
Oprah, of what it means to be complete,
without being 100% complete.”
Then there’s the summer Faith traveled
with Ozzy Osbourne. “If you know
anything about hard rock music, those
people don’t necessarily get along with
military people – it’s the order versus
disorder thing, their different lifestyles
and so on,” says Jude. “When Faith
went with them, though, it was a whole
new genre. I got to see military personnel
in Seattle, Sacramento, Dallas and
Chicago shaking hands with the Goth
people and the Goth people giving them
gifts and saying thank you. To me, that
was really unifying.” Jude also recalls
a special moment when Faith crawled
into Ozzy’s lap and he looked over at
Sharon and said, “I must be good, the
dog likes me.”
Not surprisingly, Faith has her own
website (www.faiththedog.net) where
fans can keep up with her news. She also
endorses products, such as Dublin Dog
Collars and Tags and Invisible Health’s
Perfect Pet Blanket. Jude has even
used her skills as an English professor
to write two books about her: With a
Little Faith (Second Edition), and Faith
Alone: Stories of an Amazing Dog, both
available through Amazon. “I’d also like
to get her in movies and commercials so
that people can say, ‘I saw her, and she
was really courageous.’”
Faith doesn’t realize she’s a celebrity,
but she is very aware of the attention
she gets everywhere she goes. “When
she sees bright lights or crowds she
automatically assumes she’s supposed
to be a part of it,” Jude laughs. “She
runs over as if to say ‘hi, here I am!’
She’s actually interrupted weddings
that way.”
Wherever she goes, Faith brings delight
and encouragement to everyone she
meets. As Jude says, “She walks not
only by faith, but also by joy.”
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Published in
the February/March 2008 issue of Animal
Wellness |
