There was no obituary. There was no formal service with family and friends. And there was little fanfare, although there should have been plenty.

 

On Monday, June 22, one of the most important residents of Bridgeport passed away. He not only provided comfort to countless children here in Bridgeport, throughout Harrison County and beyond, but he provided comfort in the most stressful of times for plenty of adults.

 

The man in question walked taller than his height. And that was because he walked on four legs.

 

Earlier this week, Michele Marshall revealed that her beloved Labrador mix, Liberty Pi, had passed away, closing in on nearly 14 years of age.

 

For those that do not know, Liberty Pi was a therapy dog. He was certified through different agencies but known locally for working with children at local libraries, such as the Bridgeport Public Library, where children would read to him.

 

Before we get to his life’s work, a rewind is in order to talk about his beginning with the Marshall family. And as often the case, they found this beautiful, well-behaved dog at the Harrison County Humane Society.

 

“All the kids went with us, and we wanted a little dog because our other dog had just passed two months prior,” said Marshall. “We showed up there and (daughter) Amanda sees this big bog, his name was Hot Fudge at the time, and they bring him in. He leaned against my daughter and I thought that it was a sign we may be taking him home. Then, he did the same thing to me, and we took him home.”

 

The date of the day was also significant. It was March 14, 2015 – or 3-14-15. March 13, or 3-4, is celebrated as Pi Day, a global holiday commemorating the mathematical constant ? (approximately 3.14).

 

The date gave a quick inkling to the renaming of the dog. The fact daughter Amanda was majoring in math and son John was heading to Liberty University assured that the dog’s new moniker was Liberty Pi.

 

“We picked his name, but he definitely picked us,” said Marshall.

 

The tiny dog they wanted turned out to be 90 pounds. He was also two years old.

 

Despite the dog’s age and weight, there was something else the family noticed. The dog was laid back – extremely laid back. Initially, he was diagnosed with Lyme’s Disease, which led the family to believe that was the reason for his calm demeanor. Instead, after he was cured, he rarely got stirred up.

 

In fact, over the course of the next 11 years and 3 months the dog was, for lack of a better term, chill. And that led to the next step in the evolution of a great gift to Bridgeport and beyond in Liberty Pi.

 

“I realized he was so good with people that I thought he would be a good therapy dog. I found a class in Morgantown, the Mountaineer Therapy Dogs, where you could get the training,” said Marshall.

 

Marshall and Liberty Pi went. They were joined by about a half a dozen others, many from a core group that did therapy sessions together on their way to getting Liberty Pi certified.

 

And once certified, the magic began to happen. The primary stops, as mentioned, were public libraries. Bridgeport, Clarksburg-Harrison, Shinnston, Marion County, Monongalia County, Salem, and Mannington and maybe a few others.

 

“We’ve traveled to a lot of libraries,” said Marshall. “Every single trip was rewarding from the first to the last.”

 

One of the most memorable was the first. It was at the Shinnston Library. Marshall said a little girl came up, sat down, and started reading to her dog.

 

“He turned his back to her and the little girl said, ‘Hey, he’s not listening.’ I smiled and told her he was just getting comfortable,” said Marshall. “After that, things went off without a hitch.”

 

Marshall said Liberty Pi loved kids – and kids loved him. He would move around while they would read to him. Often, Liberty Pi would lay down. And many times, the child reading to him would lay down beside him.

 

There were other stops. Plenty of them. In fact, since 2017 Liberty has had 500 volunteer hours.

 

The visits? Many business settings including Pratt Whitney, Aurora Flight Sciences, and Eastern Gas Transmission. There were visits to hospitals, at United Hospital Center and Mon General where Liberty was certified, where the primary goal was to provide stress relief to the staff, often nurses, during a job that is often thankless and emotionally demanding.

 

Liberty Pi was a big hit at another place. He would make visits to area nursing homes.

 

“He was great when we would go to nursing homes,” said Marshall. “They all loved him.”

 

Of course, like a lot of out-in-the-public therapy dogs, Liberty Pi had a bit of fame. He was a guest at the West Virginia State Capitol of former Marion County Senator Mike Caputo on Mountaineer Therapy Dog Day.

 

“Our group went in and was honored. It was unique to see our dogs on the State Senate floor,” said Marshall.

 

He also led the 101 Dalmatians Parade at Big Elm Elementary School. He was able to avoid the little issue of not being a Dalmatian by wearing a Dalmatian shirt.

 

There were some other pretty impressive stops in Liberty’s lifetime. He visited the 130th Airlift Wing (130 AW) which is a West Virginia Air National Guard unit based at McLaughlin Air National Guard Base in Charleston during suicide prevention week. He made several visits to West Virginia Army National Guard Camp Dawson in Kingwood.

 

And there were others.

 

“I can’t even put into words how rewarding this has been. He’s a celebrity. I was just offered a ride, and I enjoyed every second of it,” said Marshall.

 

She enjoyed it so much, Michele Marshall has the family’s new dog in training now. The process with Junie B. (after Junie B. Jones, the protagonist of a children's book series) let’s just say, is a little more complex.

 

“She’s quite different from Liberty. Although she’s supposed to be a Lab mix, she’s a Heinz 57. She doesn’t act like a Lab, and I don’t know how long it will take to train her, but we’re going to work with her to get her acclimated to be a therapy dog,” said Marshall.

 

The work is not just for the dog. As one might expect, the work is for the Marshall family and for everyone that Junie B. could impact – like her predecessor Liberty Pi, which are some big paws to fill.

 

“It’s been a ministry. What a ministry it has been for me and for him,” said Marshall. “It’s just been a few days, but I miss him and the impact he had.”

 

That impact will outlive all of us for several generations. Rest in Peace Liberty Pi. Your work here is done.

 

Editor's Note: Photos show Liberty Pi in action with kids and adults across West Virginia with Michele Marshall. All photos courtesy of Michele Marshall.