Greatest Person of the Day: Dan Barnhill and Peoples

About 15 years, Dan Barnhill walked into a doctor's office for what should have been a regular in-and-out check-up.

Turns out he was on his way to congestive heart failure. Doctors immediately sent him to the hospital.

He had quadruple bypass heart surgery. He says now that he was "at peace" and ready for whatever may come.

"I was fine until my son hugged me," he said. "And, then I started crying."

In the weeks he was in the hospital recovering, Barnhill would gather his electronic monitors and walk the hallways. He peered into rooms, and he didn't like what he saw.

"They were just laying there," said Barnhill, 57. "It's like it put a boulder in my heart."

He wanted to one day do something about that.

Enter Peoples.

According to his card -- yes, he has a business card, Peoples likes to smell grass with his big, black nose; chew on tennis balls; and run around fetching sticks. He also likes music and car rides.

For a long time, however, Peoples lived the life of many maligned pit bulls. He was shot, and he spent his time wondering around the strict confines of a caged metal pen. When Barnhill heard about him, he wasn't so sure.

"I'd seen and heard all the bad stuff," he said of pit bulls.

But, Barnhill said his son, who introduced him to Peoples, convinced him to give the dog a try. And, about two years ago Barnhill decided to take on the pit bull.

Today Peoples proudly wears a green vest that acknowledges that he is registered with Delta Society, a Washington-based organization that screens volunteers and their pets for visiting animal programs in hospitals, schools, nursing homes, and other places. Peoples is one of just a few pitbulls with the distinction.

"He's a very sweet dog," said D'Ann Downey, founder and president of Compassionate Paws, a Rome, Ga. affiliate for Delta Society. "He would not have passed the Delta test if he had shown any kind of aggression."

Together, the six-legged team brings love and compassion to those who are sick or disabled, visiting assisted living homes, working with a certified therapist at Manor Care in Marietta, Ga., and doing community outreach.

In March, they began Atlanta Pet Partners to help expand their goodwill and to connect with other teams like them. They also participated in the Boxerstock 2011 -- Woodstock for dogs and the humans who love them, and the team set up at one of Georgia's premiere events for animals, the Atlanta Pet Expo.

"It's been amazing to be able to tell dog lovers how they can transform their own loving pets into a loving pet partner team," Barnhill said. "There are a lot of people out there in hospitals and assisted living homes who need our help."

One of Barnhill's most-asked questions is why he gives back so much. It's simple. He knows what it's like to look around and wonder where hope and help will come from. Peoples is an integral part in that.

"People tell Peoples how much they love him all the time, and he looks right back into their eyes and loves them right back," Barnhill said. "They make him a better dog, and he makes them a little happier."

His wife, Joyce is happy for them both.

"He just fits Danny," she said of Peoples. "They’re just like little soul mates."

(Editor's Note: This article is a rewrite -- with some new information -- . This new version was written for another AOL publication, but we are publishing it here on Patch, as well.)