b'There was a level of joy Brody brought to Marissathat she had never experienced before. Brody helped herwith her anxieties. He had a very chill, almost medita-tive way about him. His Zen-like presence was very ther-apeutic for me.Throughout his life, Brody continued to have chron-ic health issues. Marissa would research how to help oneor the other ailment he was afflicted with at any giventime. From acupuncturetoChineseherbs,themoreholisticthetreat-ment,thebetterBrodyseemed to respond.Ashegrewolder,Brodyshipsandbackbecameweak.Marissaworkedaroundthoseissuestoo,makingsurehewasalwayscomfort-able and not in pain. Bythe time the cancer wasdiagnosed, it had alreadyaggressivelyadvanced.Marissa, Brody and Sahara.Theproblem-solverinher could not grasp theconcept that there was nothing more she could do forBrody.Yetshecontinuedresearchingwaystohelpher dog. I was losing my soul mate, and there was nothing Icould do about it, said Marissa.WhenMarissarealizedthatshedidnothaveanyprofessionalphotosofBrodysomethingshecouldcherish as a work of artshe decided to do somethingspecial. She made an appointment for an in-home photosession with professional photographer Anne Yarbrough.Anne made the whole experience comfortable andHow Important Is Yourmeaningful, said Marissa. It actually became part of ahealingprocess,helpingmeacceptmycircumstances.Relationship With Your Dog? Brody seemed to be more relaxed than hed been in a longtime. Dogs feel our emotions, and I know he had beenTraining your dog is not about tough lovetaking in mine. During the photo session, we made everyor who is top dog. There is no one-size- momentcount.NothingmatteredexceptBrody.Wefits-all solution. We o\x1fer relation-based programs to fit your unique needs. cant have them forever, but we can have the memoriesGroup ClassesPrivate Lessonsfrom great photography.Board & Train Programs Several days after the photo session, Brody passed. Ithas been several months, and Marissa is still grieving.Sahara, her other dog, grieved for a couple of weeksafter Brody passed. I gave her extra care, attention andlove,saidMarissa.Itwasagoodreminderthatweshould always be paying attention to our dogs; the signsTrainProDogs.comtheyre showing us. Just pay attention, not only to their1.800.674.DOGS (3647)Locally-owned and operated needs, but to what they are communicating to us.76THE NEW BARKER www.TheNewBarker.com'