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Section: Being Well
A Four-Legged Angel is the Best Medicine
By Anthony Chabala
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Cosmo Fennie, a 5-year-old Lhasa Apso.
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Mark Fennie, a successful, educated Buffalonian, once had what his wife Kathleen jokingly describes as the “I-was-an-athlete-so-I-am-invincible” mindset.
Those days came to a screeching halt in 2003 when Mark had major heart complications. A few years passed, and unfortunately, Mark’s heart difficulties returned. So, too, came a new concern — cancer.
“It was a horrible time,” Kathleen says. “We found out that Mark’s heart condition had resurfaced, and now he had cancer of the trachea and in his back. The cancer took precedence over the heart ailment, so his recuperation caused a lot of strain. It was difficult for everyone, and it was that time of year when the weather was just atrocious ... It was hard to stay positive.”
Enter Cosmo Fennie, and with him, a light at the end of the tunnel.
Cosmo is a now 5-year-old Lhasa Apso who brought hope and change to the Fennie household. Often known around the house as “The Angel of Mercy,” Cosmo — the name was Mark’s nickname when playing hockey for Boston University — seemingly gave the entire household a new perspective on life.
“I worked mainly in London and India for many years. Once I came back to live in the U.S., I normally left the house around 5:30 a.m. and arrived home a little after 6 p.m.,” Mark says. “Since Cosmo entered the picture, I leave the house at 9 a.m. and I try to be home by 3 p.m.”
When Mark seemingly had one foot in the grave, Cosmo pulled him out — and led the other hand to a leash. “Once he recovered from the heart condition and the cancer, the doctor gave him direct instructions: take it easy, exercise, watch what you eat and lose 30 pounds. And he did,” Kathleen says. “Ever since, no matter what the season, I take Cosmo for about a four-mile walk every day,” adds Mark.
It was fate, and a little bit of luck, that brought Cosmo to the Fennies in the first place. When Kathleen’s ailing uncle moved into the house, they had to give away their previous dog. Unfortunately, only days after moving in with Mark and Kathleen, Kathleen’s uncle’s health took a turn for the worse, and he soon required round-the-clock care.
Days after her uncle left, Kathleen received a call from a person who thought her original dog was lost. The Fennies went to the SPCA and realized that the dog in question was not theirs, but at that moment fell in love with the precious, scared pooch locked up in the crate. After a little serendipity and some string pulling by Kathleen, the dog became a Fennie.
“I don’t keep secrets from my husband,” she says, “but it all happened so quickly that I had to pick the dog up, have it groomed, and then tell Mark about our new family member!” Mark wasn’t as thrilled as everyone else at first, but quickly warmed to the dog, and they’ve been inseparable ever since.
The animal has even had an impact on the Fennies’ friends and neighbors. “Cosmo has this ability to brighten the spirits of our entire neighborhood,” she says. “We have quite a few neighbors that are not in the best health, and you can just see the joy he brings when we walk him up and down the street.
“He reads people very well. It seems like he knows when Mark or one of our neighbors isn’t feeling well, and he acts accordingly. He’s done so much for all of our spirits — I even tell people that he’s an act of divine intervention!
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