Mount Alverno welcomes therapeutic dog

WARWICK-Lady used to be an ordinary and friendly dog. Then she became a certified therapy dog and now, as the subject of a new book, she's a celebrity. In spite of her fame, Lady is still friendly and on June 28, accompanied by her owner and trainer, Kathy Miller, she visited Warwick's Mount Alverno Center, an adult home and assisted living program and Schervier Pavilion, a skilled nursing home. "They love to spread the word about the wonderful help that therapy dogs can provide," said Diane Tinney, owner of Moo Press, the Warwick publishing firm which recently published the book about Lady. Tinney explained that therapy dogs helped people after the attacks of 9/11 and inspired author Chris Williams.After spending some time with Miller and Lady, Williams wrote "One Incredible Dog! Lady," a children's book that takes the reader through a typical day in the life of a therapy dog. Miller took Lady into her home after the dog had been found abandoned by the road. As a nursing assistant and animal lover, Miller had always been interested in animal assisted therapy. She enrolled Lady in a Therapy Dog certification program and after two years, Lady received her certification from Therapy Dogs International, an organization located in Flanders, N.J. Lady and Miller also volunteer at local schools, churches, and hospitals to promote awareness of therapy dog programs. Lady recently won The Evening Sun Newspaper's "2004 Pet of the Year," and has won numerou