A Dog's Work is Never Done

I know that it is going to be a special day when my mom brushes my fur coat, cleans my ears with wet stuff that makes me want to shake my head, and brushes my teeth with poultry-flavored toothpaste. I like everything but the wet stuff in my ears. I try to escape by running into my private kennel space; yet, she always manages to coax me out.

A special day for me is when I go to work. When she ties my official Therapy Dog International (TDI) scarf around my neck and places my Therapy Dog badge on my collar, I know that it is time to go to work. I begin to make wining sounds of joy when I realize that we are just about there.

As we walk through the parking lot towards the front door at Eagle Crest, we notice that there was a lot of activity. There was a delivery truck sitting with its blinkers flashing while the driver was nowhere to be found. There were maintenance people scrambling around working on the lawn. Each of them stopped what they were doing to greet us. Even though I did not understand what they were doing, they knew exactly why I was there.

As we walked into the building that day, we noticed a man who was working hard washing the windows. He seemed as if he needed some attention from me. There was a bit of sadness that surrounded him. My mom led me through the doors to check-in and pick up a room list of visits for the day.

We were on the way to our first visit when that man approached us to ask if he could pet me. My instincts told me that he needed me that day. He told us about the recent loss of his father. While mourning his father, he also lost his dog to cancer. He loves and misses them so much. We listened to him as he continued to pet me with such sadness in his eyes. We understood that emotion as we recently lost Maddie (my 16 year-old Golden Retriever sister) to canine lymphoma a few weeks earlier. She passed away peacefully in her sleep. Our family misses her so much. She taught me so much about how to care and love our humans unconditionally. 

We therapy dogs not only care for residents in nursing homes, patients in hospitals, and seniors in facilities, but also for employees, staff, and families. A therapy dog must always be ready to take the time for others when in need. We don't have solutions to problems, but we can listen and care. Every person is valuable just because of who they are. This is how we can make a difference. I am so grateful for the humans we serve. 

You're just as good but not better

My mom and I have a special spot for her in our hearts. I have heard my mom tell her that she wants to be just like her.  We love it when we see her name on our list to visit. This 95-year-old woman has stated many times in a reflective tone that she has had a wonderful life. She wouldn't change a thing. She has not even had one piece of her body replaced. She is very proud of that at 95 years old and absolutely should be. We dogs take that for granted without any thought. I wonder why more humans are not like this 95-year-old woman or like us dogs who live life to the fullest without regret. We would not change a thing as we enter that final season of life.  

When we visit her, she talks about her parents with love and respect. She states that her mother never over-reacted to anything that happened and raised the children with the aphorism of "You're just as good but not better." Her father believed in sending his girls to post-secondary school during a time in the early 1940s when popular belief stated that women were to get married and have children. She was a woman ahead of her time. She became educated, graduated at the top of her class, lived independently and became a highly respected and very successful nurse. It was after WWII ended that she met the man that she would marry and from there raise a family while juggling the career she loved. They lived a successful life. Both excelled in their careers. Her career perhaps a bit more successful than his. They invested wisely and had a street named after them in an area that they developed. It wasn't always easy, but they supported each other.

She loves her daughters and her grandchildren. She loved her nursing career. The medical profession is in the family genetics as there are nurses and doctors scattered within her family tree. She has fond memories of her beloved husband who passed away years ago. She loves where she lives now and loves life as it is. She dresses up and attends mass every Saturday evening. She is always very happy and never ever dwells on the negatives. Could this be her secret? "You're just as good but not better."

The Dark Month

My mom calls January the dark month. I never really understood why. Us dogs don't really know the difference between light and dark. We love the cold and snow. It feels good on our dry skin. My sisters and I sit on the deck just to cool ourselves off. It is invigorating, even in the dark. 

I came to understand the meaning of "the dark month" during our visit to the nursing home in January. On that dark and cold January night, there was not much activity. Many of my friends were readying themselves for an evening slumber as we entered each room. It appeared that they didn't feel quite up to my loving therapy. I didn't see the delighted expression in their eyes when they pet me. They moved at a slower than normal pace. I witnessed a weary forced-effort when they talked to me. This is not how I want our visits to be. What happened to the joyful and love-filled visits? It was at that point my mom decided to move our scheduled visits up earlier in the day. 

February 2 was our first visit of the afternoon during the "dark season". We visited many people that day and met some new friends. We were there to support some old friends too. We swept through the memory care unit on the way out. My friends appeared to be back. We really like this time because people were up, alert, and really wanting to pet and chat with me. We learned some new stories. Some stories were happy and some were sad. It takes a dog a long time to process these stories. I hope to share some of them in future blogs. We like this time and plan to keep it for a while.