Shooer Aims To Make Her Leo an American Hero

Linda Shooer lives her life helping others, from top technology executives and government officials to special needs children and even pot belly pigs.

As transition services manager at the Software Engineering Institute, Shooer annually organizes hundreds of training and professional development programs in cybersecurity and software architecture for SEI customers, including the federal departments of Defense and Homeland Security.

Out of the office her passion for animals and special needs children revolves around Leo, her 11-year-old Portuguese water dog. Leo is one of 55 nominees nationwide in the American Humane Hero Dog Awards' Therapy Dog category.

When she got Leo in 2006, she realized he was special.

"I got him when he was 10 weeks old, and Leo just took to kids and was innately gentle with them. When he's with the kids, he turns on the charm," Shooer said.

Shooer contacted Therapy Dog International (TDI) to learn about the requirements for a therapy dog. She worked with Leo to get him ready for a visit from TDI evaluators. One test involved ignoring a bowl of cookies.

"I fed him a lot before the test, and he passed," Shooer said, jokingly.

For the past 10 years, Shooer and Leo have been visiting The Children's Institute in Squirrel Hill to work with children who have Prader-Willi Syndrome, a complex genetic disorder that can affect appetite, metabolism, growth, cognitive function and behavior. Recently, he has been working with autistic children.

"I let each child hold Leo's leash and walk him around. They lift his ear and tell him their secrets. They write him cards and letters. At home, Leo is very rambunctious, but when he goes to work he is very gentle. He knows how to make those kids feel special," Shooer said.

Shooer and Leo visit the children for a few hours each week and in some cases are called in when needed. He was called to comfort a girl who had not spoken in days, a teen who had unexpectedly lost her eyesight and a 2-year-old boy who would not eat.

"I told this little boy that if he would eat a Cheerio, Leo would, too. And they shared a bowl of Cheerios," Shooer said. "It's so fulfilling and heartwarming to see these kids relate to Leo. It brings them so much joy having a confidante to relate to."

Shooer said she is using her marketing skills she learned while working at Apple 25 years ago to promote Leo's nomination and raise awareness of Prader-Willi Syndrome. She recalls being in meetings with Steve Jobs.

"He would come in to our meetings, stir things up and get us passionate about what we were doing. He believed passion generated creativity. He was an incredible person to watch," she said.

Shooer's passion for animals takes her and her husband twice a year to the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Utah near Zion National Park, where they help get more than 1,500 dogs, cats, pot belly pigs and horses ready for adoption.

Three of the 55 nominees for the Therapy Dog Award will advance in the competition once public voting closes April 25. You can vote once each day, every day until voting closes. The three finalists and their owners will be flown to Beverly Hills for an awards show in October that will be televised on the Hallmark Channel.

What does Leo think of his chances? "Ruff," he said, modestly.