Dogs of war, therapy: Dog with roots in northern France greets WWII veteran

TILTON — The Berger Picard breed of herding dogs is thought to go back for more than a millenium, but by the mid-20th century, the breed was at risk of extinction. Though popular in agricultural areas, the dogs were centered in northern France, a region decimated by warfare in both world wars. Berger Picards were among the collateral damage, and by some estimates there were fewer than two dozen living after World War II.

Since then, though, the breed has rebounded, with the  loyal, intelligent, even-tempered dogs finding homes in Europe and North America. One of those homes is in Laconia, where Bob McCarthy, a veteran musician, and Beau, a certified therapy dog, reside. Once a month, they travel to the NH Veterans Home in Tilton, where McCarthy performs and Beau visits with residents.

One of those residents is Joe Bennett, 101, a WWII veteran who served in the same region of France where Beau’s ancestors herded sheep for centuries. Bennett, a native of Manchester, said he was a slight man, not 100 pounds, when he entered the Army, and his frame wasn’t enough for basic training.

“We went for a hike, I couldn’t take it,” he said. Bennett recalled that he ended up in the hospital and took four weeks to recover. When he was discharged, he said his original unit didn’t want him because he had missed so much of his training. Instead, he found himself applied to an unusual task. French patriots wanted to fight alongside the Americans to liberate their country, but in order to do so they had to become American citizens. So Bennett’s job was to teach them what they needed to do to pass the citizenship test.

When he came home from the war, Bennett found a career in textiles manufacturing. He settled in Manchester, married Rita Bennett, and the two of them had a pair of daughters, Claudette and Valerie.

While he was building his life after the war, breeders in France were rescuing what was left of the centuries-old Berger Picard line, sometimes known as the Picardy Sheepdog. According to picardy-sheepdog.com, there are now 3,500 dogs in France, 500 in Germany, 40 in the United Kingdom and 400 in North America.

McCarthy said he and his wife have had dogs for 35 years, usually just as house pets. His previous dog was a Belgian sheepdog who died from complications from a seizure disorder. He wanted another sheepdog but was wary of getting one that might suffer from the same affliction.

“We didn’t know what to do. We’re people of faith, and I said, ‘God, whatever kind of dog you want me to have, I’ll have,’” McCarthy said. A little while later, he was visiting with a friend who had a Berger Picard. She said the dogs aren’t known for seizures, and that there’s some who think they’re descendents of Belgian sheepdogs. McCarthy called a breeder in Roanoke, Virginia who said she had one puppy left, and he agreed to take him.

Beau is now eight years old and the first of McCarthy’s dogs to be certified by Therapy Dogs International.

“He’s a dog who assesses the situation pretty well. He’s not a dog that jumps up and down, he’s kind of calm,” McCarthy said. “He’s very good with people. And that’s the key. He’s a people dog, he’s got a sense of humor when you look at him.”

Where McCarthy goes, often goes Beau. And that means to many of the opportunities McCarthy has to perform for special groups, such as the Best Buddies group for people with and without disabilities, for finals-stressed college students, at nursing homes, and at the Veterans Home.

McCarthy gets a modest payment for these performances, but he sees them as a form of his contribution to society. “All my life I’ve been a professional musician. I’m getting older, I’ll be 71 next month, this is my way of giving back. What I’ve learned is, people are people,” he said, whether it’s an able-bodied person at a concert or someone in a wheelchair at a nursing home. “If we can bring a little peace into people’s lives, that’s what we want to do, that’s what I want to do right now.”

Beau perks up when it’s time to visit with people, but he is generally underwhelmed by his master’s musicianship.

“He just goes to sleep when I’m playing,” McCarthy said.