By Heidi Dahms Foster
Sage Lewis has just one word to describe how she and her therapy dog Reggae met and became a team. Serendipity.
“I had been working with animals for 20 years,” she said. “I had had a dog in the past, a Plott Hound (a large, brindle colored scent hound) named Java. My husband and I were living in California, and walking down the street we saw a dog that looked like Java. We crossed and talked to the owners, who then invited us to a pet fair to watch their dog participate in a dock dog competition. We decided to go.”
Sage and her husband James Schattauer were living at the time in a home where they could not have animals. But when they drove into the parking lot of the pet fair, they spotted their future dog, Reggae, a boxer mix, on a leash. “We both looked at each other at the same time and said, ‘Look at that face!’” Sage said.
Reggae had been born Lightning (his siblings were Rain, Thunder and Storm), then had his name changed to Mozart. The woman who was with Mozart told Sage and James that he was up for adoption, at which time they said, “Oh, we can’t have a dog.” And then, James said, “If we ever get another dog, we should name him Reggae.”
The two attended the competition and decided to walk around the pet fair, where they again ran into Mozart. “He was bomb proof, with an arena full of people and animals and kids. He was completely chill. We said if we ever got another dog we wanted to get one like him,” Lewis said.
They exchanged phone numbers with Mozart’s adopter, still knowing they were not in a place to take him.
“We had fallen in love with Mozart. We went home and said, ‘why don’t we look for another apartment?’ My husband said, ‘well, why don’t we ask the landlord one more time.’ By the time we got home, Mozart had been adopted. We were both happy for him and sad for us,” Sage said.
But, serendipity. Mozart’s adopter called three days later and said his adoptive home didn’t work out because he was too much at his age for the little dogs in her house. She told the couple, “I feel like you are supposed to have him.”
James took the plunge and called the landlord. He offered a security deposit, and to pay more rent. Though it was the third time the couple had asked, this time the landlord gave her consent – with the caveat of a security deposit and a $100 a month raise in rent.
Knowing this dog was meant to be with them, Sage said, “It was totally worth it!”
On that day, Mozart became Reggae. He was seven months old when Sage and James adopted him, and he had finally found his forever home.
“We did the math and he had eight placements before he came to us. He was born in a shelter, then placed in a foster home, then an adoption agency. His first home at twelve weeks wasn’t a good fit because of young children. He went back to the foster, then to the woman with the two small dogs, back to the foster, then finally to us. We feel like the Universe was holding him for us until we could be ready!”
Reggae is a true “surfer dog.” When Sage and James lived in California, Reggae would run straight into the ocean, catch a wave and body surf back to shore. But another move was afoot.
Sage and James lived in the Midwest, and then in Minnesota before moving to California.
“After the wildfires took out the area near where we were living, and my mother had passed away, we wanted to be closer to my sister in Mesa, Arizona. We were done with the California fires and the prices. James said he was interested in moving to Arizona but didn’t want dusty and dry. I told him I had a friend who lives in Prescott and I trusted him. I was interested in one thing: was it dog friendly?”
The move to Prescott was another amazing part of Sage and James’ story.
The two drove from California to Prescott, had a sandwich at the Courthouse Square, and said, “This will work. We could live here! Two hours later we found a lovely little house in the Prescott National Forest that just happened to be coming up for sale, got a post office box, cancelled our lease in California, and moved to Prescott a month later.”
Sage chronicled the rest of the story in her book, Where Angels Play.
“While we were waiting to see if our offer on the house was accepted, I drove past the Juvenile Detention Center on the way to Watson Lake. I said, ‘That’s where I want to do therapy work with Reggae.’”
Sage had done some weekly therapy dog work in California in a women’s substance abuse center, but her heart is with the kids.
“I love naughty kids. I was a teacher for fifteen years teaching art at a rural elementary school outside of Madison, Wisconsin, and at a charter high school for at risk kids in St. Paul, Minnesota. I have an affinity for kids that are making choices that put them in situations they wish they hadn’t been in. I’ve never been in jail other than to teach, but I have that affinity and compassion,” she said.
After they had moved to Arizona, Sage found Gabriel’s Angels, a Phoenix-based therapy dog organization that pairs kids and animals together. She knew the former CEO of Gabriel’s Angels, and called for guidance to get Reggae involved in therapy work in Prescott.
Reggae is now certified with Gabriel’s Angels through the Alliance of Therapy Dogs. He is Sage’s therapy partner as she works with youths in Juvenile Detention at the Yavapai County Juvenile Justice Center.
Some of these children have come from difficult homes and foster situations, and they can relate when Sage tells them that Reggae has had eight homes, and that Sage has helped Reggae move through some behavior challenges.
Sage and Reggae made a successful team. They visited Juvenile Detention each week for nearly two years and saw some real breakthroughs with the youth before the Covid Pandemic hit. But they didn’t give up. Reggae became a Zoom hit.
“Every week he comes running into my home office and sits in front of the laptop,” Sage said. “The kids interact with him, tell him to do tricks, and sometimes he paws on the laptop. It’s comical!”
Sage is looking forward to being back at the facility in person. She and Reggae still will have to adhere to social distancing and other Covid precautions, but they are getting closer to normal visits.
Reggae has brightened the lives of the kids and the staff at the detention facility.
“I tell the kids Reggae’s job is to make people happier. So if he puts a smile on their faces, we’ve done our job. It happens every time. Everyone loves Reggae! He’s an awesome dog – he teaches the kids how to touch animals appropriately and recognize the signs of stress, and how to treat animals with kindness, love and respect,” she said.
The kids help Sage lead Reggae around the pods, and play with him with toys from his own bin. They even brush Reggae’s teeth – something that mastering gives them confidence. They hug and touch him, which he loves. Some of the kids have told Sage that it’s the only physical contact they’ve had in months.
Sage has had many touching experiences with Reggae and the kids. She and Reggae worked with one fifteen-year-old teen who needed to be in his own pod because of his aggressive behavior. She and Reggae worked one-on-one with the teen for six months.
“This particular young man had an incredible ability to be kind and gentle, and I never saw an aggressive or reactive action. He was so gentle and respectful with Reggae. He was also a natural as a dog trainer and taught Reggae his best trick – to relax until he falls over!”
The young man has since been released and while she doesn’t know where he is, Sage won’t forget the impact he had on her. She’s hopeful he will someday work with animals.
Over time, the security guards and detention officers would wait for Reggae and Sage, and then immediately greet Reggae.
“He has softened everyone up, and made a difference in the lives of the kids and the staff. That’s his job because he’s a loving dog and loves greeting people. He’s good at saying hello, he leans in and people always hug him. I tell people he’s a boxer/marshmallow mix.”
“Reggae is one of those ‘squishy’ dogs,” Sage said. “I love what I do. I love going into the facility with him. I’m really grateful to everyone who loves Reggae.”
Sage Lewis trains dogs nationwide using the Tellington TTouch® Method. She has worked with people of all ages for more than twenty years. Find more information at: DancingPorcupine.com.
