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Doctor's Best FriendBy Gail Hennessey of Scholastic
Magazine Thursday, November 6—A little black poodle mix named Einstein greets
patients at the Chiropractic Life Center in Gladstone, Missouri. But this dog
is not just a pet at the medical center—he's also a full-time employee!
Six-pound, 10-year-old Einstein works as
an office runner, bringing patient records from exam rooms to the front desk. "He was not quite three months old
when I discovered his skill in carrying charts, after picking up a dropped
piece of mail and following me with it in his mouth," said his owner,
Dr. Bruce Rippee. Einstein has been working at the office ever since, even
after an injury that left him blind in his left eye. Einstein greets patients by smelling their
feet when they open the door to the office. But he can't just stand around
getting his ears scratched—he has work to do. As soon as Einstein hears files
tapping on a desk, he's off to a treatment room to retrieve them from one of
the three doctors at the center. Standing on his hind legs, Einstein opens
his mouth, grabs the papers and scurries off down the hallway to the front
desk to make his delivery. Five days a week, for eight hours a day, Einstein
works like a dog. He's rewarded with pieces of Beggin' Strips after each
drop-off. "Einstein especially has a calming
effect on children," said Dr. Rippee, who noted that kids find
Einstein's mixed breeding (part toy-miniature, part black poodle) pretty
cool. In fact, he has been popular enough to earn the title "Doctor
Einstein." When taking a rare break, Einstein rests
in a blanket-covered box in the reception area, or can be found lounging in a
lobby chair with a window view. "Einstein likes to feel important, just
like all of us do," says Dr. Ripley. "When he performs his task
well, he gets an 'atta dog!' and a few seconds of petting . . . and he gets
this type of treatment all day long!" Einstein update 6-19-08 After a long and wonderful life as both the Rippee family pet and a valuable member of our office staff Einstein passed away in 2007. He lead a wonderful, full life and is missed daily.
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