CORNING - After losing his 8-year-old son, David, to cancer four years ago, Rob Thomas thought his life was over. It would take a pit bull dog named Sprocket to help Rob learn to start living again.

When David was in the hospital, therapy dogs would come into the children's ward and visit with them. One of the dogs was a pit bull that young David was quite taken with. He begged his father to get a pit bull when he returned home from the hospital. But David didn't return home and Thomas's life came crashing down around him.

Shortly after David's passing, out of the blue, a 2-year-old pit bull named Sprocket happened into Thomas's life. Thomas knew instantly this was the dog he would have gotten for his 8-year-old son had he lived. Sadly, David and Sprocket would never meet, but Thomas and Sprocket could honor David's memory by giving back to other children who were ill. Thomas took Sprocket through the Delta Service Dog program and Sprocket began making regular trips to the children's ward of the hospital where David had once been. Sprocket was a delight for the kids. When Sprocket was there, a least for awhile, the kids could be kids, their illnesses and worries forgotten. Just as Sprocket helped the kids heal a little, she helped Thomas heal too.

But life dealt Thomas another blow when his wife left him. Thomas knew it was time for a change. He moved to Corning six weeks ago, staying with friends and looking for a place to rent. To his surprise, Thomas was finding

it difficult to find a place to live. Time and time again he heard, "No pets," or when pets were allowed, he heard "No pit bulls."

Thomas found his way to Second Chance Pet Rescue after someone told him about the Pit Bull Ambassador program. "If I have to live in my car, I will," he said. "But I'm not going to lose my best friend."

Second Chance Pet Rescue gave Thomas some pointers on searching for a place to rent and offered to test Sprocket for her AKC Canine Good Citizen certification to ease some of the fears that a potential landlord might have. Two days later, Sprocket passed her AKC Canine Good Citizen test with flying colors and Thomas found a place to live with his beloved pet.

To pass the test, a dog must score 100 percent of the following 10 items: Accept a friendly stranger; sit politely for petting; appearance and grooming; walk on a loose leash; walk through a crowd; sit, down, and stay on command; come when called; reaction to another dog; reaction to distractions; and supervised separation.

The AKC Canine Good Citizen test is available free of charge to any pit bull and their owner. The program is made possible by a grant from Animal Farm Foundation (www.animalfarmfoundation.org) who provides a cash incentive to Second Chance Pet Rescue for each pit bull/owner team that passes.

The money is used to continue the training of Pit Bull Ambassador dogs at the Corning Animal Shelter.

More information on the AKC Canine Good Citizen certification is available from Debbie Eaglebarger at 824-1985.

Second Chance Pet Rescue is a non-profit organization which volunteers its time at the Corning Animal Shelter. The shelter phone number is 824-7054.##