Tracey Silverthorn with Zombie Pug (left) and Crowley Puggy (right) (Kate Otterbein/XFM News)
Tracey Silverthorn is a long-time pug owner from London. Her pugs, Zombie Pug (4) and Crowley Puggy (10 weeks) put a smile on the faces of many, both online and off. Zombie is a licensed therapy dog at Parkwood hospital and LHSC hospitals and Crowley is training to become one.
Before Zombie and Crowley came along, Silverthorn began this journey with her late dog, Igor.
“Igor and I were the very first team to ever be placed in LHSC. Parkwood has had pet therapy for years and I’ve done that for going on 16 years now,” says Silverthorn.
We love doing our “virtual visits” with the kids at #ChildrensHospital … next one up in 15 mins ❤️@lhsc @CHFHope @LdnTherapyDogs #pug #therapydog #puglove #pugsnotdrugs #COVIDー19 #stayhome pic.twitter.com/PRgibJj7h9
— Zombie Pug & Crowley aka Lil C (@IgorPugDog) May 14, 2020
On top of that, he also starred in movies.
“Igor was always very good at what he did. That’s why he was in the movies. He had good obedience,” Silverthorn says.
One of the movies he starred in was, “Life Doesn’t Frighten Me”, alongside Gordon Pinsent.
But, the most rewarding part for Silverthorn when it comes to having therapy dogs is the smiles on the kids’ faces.
“I was at Costco one day, and I feel this [tapping] on my hip. I look down and there’s this kid. Mom’s going ‘oh, I’m so sorry’, but the kid’s looking at me going ‘do you remember me? You brought your pugs in to see me. I’m all better now!’, and this is why I do what I do,” says Silverthorn.
But since the COVID-19 pandemic, therapy has looked a little bit different for the pugs.
“We’re still doing it virtually with the patients every week,” Silverthorn says. “To a certain degree, the online therapy dog stuff has actually been really interesting for the patients because normally I’m going to them. This has opened it up so they can see how we live. You build a bond, but they don’t know enough about your life. With the iPad now, I can show them.”
It’s #VirtualVisit time … let’s do this! #pug #therapydog #ldnont #dogswithjobs @LdnTherapyDogs @stjosephslondon pic.twitter.com/gp1DnifjWN
— Zombie Pug & Crowley aka Lil C (@IgorPugDog) May 20, 2021
Crowley Puggy showing off one of his tricks. (Kate Otterbein/XFM News)
When they’re not doing virtual visits, Zombie and Crowley have spent their time keeping up with their Instagram page and working on tricks.
Believe it or not, one of Zombie’s favourite things to do is agility.
“He loves it. And it’s not something that pugs normally do. Pugs don’t do agility. For 2019, he was the number one agility pug in Canada. There’s only two of them and he’s number one,” Silverthorn says.
Silverthorn also does a lot of fundraising for Pugalug Pug Rescue with her pugs. Every year, she puts together a calendar of her dogs and other pug friends with all proceeds going to the rescue. Each month has a different fun picture, including her dogs riding their Harley Davidson motorcycle. Needless to say, these pugs live an exciting life!
Is it gonna be LOUD.? ..l are we gonna go FAST? #1stHarleyRide#pug #biker #pugpuppy #HarleyDavidson #SundayFunday pic.twitter.com/qLnO6tAcIS
— Zombie Pug & Crowley aka Lil C (@IgorPugDog) May 16, 2021
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