Sandy Sperry first met Brownie, a dog, on a Perquimans County road about nine years ago. Brownie had no collar, was malnourished and infested with ticks and fleas.

He was running with other dogs during deer season. Sperry assumed he was lost or abandoned. Then, Brownie weighed about 25 pounds. Now, he weighs 65 pounds. A friend told Sperry she could either leave him there to die or take him home. When she looked into his amber eyes, Sperry knew she had to bring him to her home. Their wonderful adventure together was under way.

Sperry and Brownie will be special guests at today’s meeting of the Major Reading Blount Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution.

Sperry is an active member of the Edenton Tea Party Chapter, DAR, and she serves as the District VIII director. She has served as a cadaver-dog handler with VK9SSSAR and as its administrative/public-relations officer. She is a founding member of the Perquimans County SPCA and Animal Welfare of the Albemarle Region Everyday.

Brownie is a mixed breed, but most people call him a deerhound or bird dog. He knew how to “sit” and was mostly house trained. Sperry guessed he was a family dog that ran away and became lost, or because he is gun shy, perhaps he had been left behind because he was not considered a good hunting dog.

Sperry’s local Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals was, at that time, sponsoring a dog obedience-training program. Because she is a founding member of that organization, Sperry decided to support it by having Brownie and herself better trained. Sperry had spoken initially about training Brownie to become a therapy dog, but the trainer suggested utilizing his “hunting nose” in a search-and-recovery team as a cadaver dog. He could do therapy work when he got older.

Sperry, a human-resources professional before she retired, found the idea of helping others as part of a K-9 team intriguing. Brownie and Sperry have been involved in many cases since, including one in North Carolina.

Because of a serious injury and four subsequent orthopedic surgeries, Brownie is no longer working as a cadaver dog, for now. He is primarily doing what he does best, K-9 therapy in assisted-living and nursing homes. Recently, he became involved in a program in which children read to dogs. Sperry said it’s rewarding to see the happiness he brings to the people with whom he interacts. More people know Brownie’s name than know her name, Sperry said.