She was in the market for a Bernese mountain dog as a therapy dog for her community, but when Dionna Hickox got Kevin four years ago, things didn’t quite go as planned.
She had done her research. The breed was perfect for her family as Bernese mountain dogs are good-natured and calm indoors. And as they make good therapy dogs, the plan was for Kevin to cheer up local elderly folks.
“When I first got him, I wanted him to be a therapy dog, and so we started going to assisted care facilities in a church youth group,” Ms. Hickox, from Central Oregon, told The Epoch Times. “But he slowly started developing a fear of people, so we decided that wasn’t the best path for him.”
Little did she know Kevin would fill a need in other people’s lives, touching hearts and making them smile as a “virtual therapy dog” online.
“It was a kind of blessing in disguise,” Ms. Hickox said.
But the first of Kevin’s blessings was given to Ms. Hickox’s family. “I got Kevin shortly before both of my kids left home,” she said, adding that it was a “transitional period.”
“We were becoming empty nesters, and I was used to having kids to take care of,” she said. “Kevin kind of filled that void.”
His unexpected blessing came in the form of his insatiable need for attention, and almost all of that was directed at Ms. Hickox thanks to another Bernese mountain dog trait:
“That breed specifically can kind of attach themselves to one person,” she said. “I’ve been fortunate enough to be that person for him. If I’m having a bad day or I’m sad, he just knows what to do.
“He’s definitely, definitely a special boy.”
And so, Kevin’s insatiable thirst for attention came to dominate the entire household, though Ms. Hickox has always been the main target of his neediness. The story of how that played out began when he was just a puppy.
“I would work out every day, and, of course, when we got a puppy you have to keep a close eye on him,” she said. “He would start by just chewing my hair, jumping on my back.”
Over the course of four-plus years with the family, Kevin has found new ways of grabbing their attention—it even garnered him social media fame after she began posting his antics online.
“Every time I work out, I wear a beanie,” Ms. Hickox said. “He loves to steal it anytime I’m wearing it. So, he’ll lightly, and sometimes not so lightly, pull it off my head.
“We just made a game out of it.”
The Bernese, who has grown to 105 pounds and now stands at nearly the same height as Ms. Hickox, has also learned to bat the family with his big paws, plunk his head on laps or arms, and give the saddest puppy dog eyes.
“You know, like, ‘I need attention!’” Ms. Hickox said. “If me and my husband are hugging and he’s not involved, he will definitely jump up and say, ‘I need to be in this, too!’
“Pretty much everything we do, he wants to be right by our side.”
So, how does Ms. Hickox feel about Kevin’s insatiable need for attention?
“Honestly, I like it,” she said, adding that he “lets us know how much he loves us,” and she “can’t really complain” about that.
She said, “I never question his love for us.”
“I love getting the messages from people, comments that ‘I’m going through chemotherapy, and it just really made me smile,’” Ms. Hickox said. “Or, ‘I’m going through finals at school, and so this was a nice break.’”
Ms. Hickox has since become a full-time content creator. As she told the newspaper, the thought had occurred to her: “I can’t stop sharing, because he’s bringing so many smiles to people’s lives.”
