Rilla Blythe

Service Dog to the National Pastor

Rilla, short for Bertha Marilla Blythe-Ford, is a border collie who accompanies Pastor Jean-Daniel nearly everywhere he goes. Rilla is trained to assist with many tasks, but hearing alerts for Pastor Jean-Daniel, who wears hearing aids and may not be alert to emergencies when they out as he sleeps travelling the country, are her primary responsibility!

Her name comes from the Lucy Maud Montgomery novel Rilla of Ingleside. Some descriptions of Rilla that fit both the fictional human and very real dog include:

• "Wherever Rilla Blythe was, there was laughter."

• "She had great, dreamy, hazel eyes."

• "She had been much petted and was a wee bit spoiled, but still the general opinion was that Rilla Blythe was a very sweet girl."

Rilla has gone swimming in every single Great Lake, starred in a Fringe festival play, and has met far more politicians and religious leaders than the average dog. In her free time, she loves running, swimming, fetching, and obstacle courses.