Here Boy

Bless you and your pets. I am sure you will understand when I ask for this next item: Not a donation to
some cause or a form that you must fill out, just one minute of your time! If everyone who reads this article
would ask Spirit for the safe return of Elton, a dog that was removed from his yard a short time ago (dog-napped),
I am confident that the power of your prayers will safely return this little pooch to his sad family.
Bless you for your prayers.

Years ago I (Walt) was employed as an Activity Director in a very prestigious company. The building
that I worked in was decorated in muted beige tones that overlapped into the furniture, table linens,
and just about all the carpeting and floor coverings. A huge chandelier hung in the foyer and the
picture windows and doors looked out on highly manicured lawns that sloped downward to the duck
pond. Understated elegance was the message this nursing facility for the elderly was sending to its
potential clients and their affluent families. This elegant surroundings and its lush landscape was fine
for those few residents that could actually live independently or in the assisted living apartments on
the massive property. I was not assigned to work with either of these groups of clients. I was assigned
to a unit called twenty-four hour care. As you can imagine the twenty-four hour care unit was the last
stop before intensive care and death.

"Activity Director" conjures up images of group exercise, field trips to museums, cooking classes and
bingo. Not! Exercise didn't happen... movies put most of them asleep in their wheel chairs. You get
the picture! I had to turn to Spirit and my love of animals to come up with a solution.

I thought about my love of playing with my own dogs and the plan of Pet Therapy for these crippled,
old people began to take shape. However, this idea was met with great resistance. Not because it
would frighten the clients, no, that was not the reason. The reason was not even about my patients.
The administration thought that bringing a dirty, germy animal into this sterile facility was not
aesthetically pleasing. I promised them that I would be responsible for any mess (even thought the
animal I had in mind was potty trained-as opposed to my clients who were all in diapers). Back then,
Carole and I owned a thoroughbred Harlequin Great Dane. Her name was Crystal and she weighed
175lbs. One Sunday, when things were quiet at the nursing facility and all of the administrators were
at home, I strolled in the back door of my unit with Crystal on a long leash.

One resident, a woman who had worked as an aide to the late President Harry S. Truman, blinked her
eyes and with her good arm wheeled her chair over to the dog. I held my breath, as she massaged her
muzzle, rubbed Crystal's eyes and stroked her silky black and white coat. "Ooh, is she pretty," she said.
then looking innocently into my eyes she asked, "Does she bite?" I replied "No," and she smiled.

That started quite a hubbub as Crystal was escorted by me from room to room in the ward. The last
stop on my tour was to the room of a patient called Eleanor. Eleanor no longer spoke to anyone or
even acknowledged anyone's presence. Crystal by now was enjoying the attention and marched right
into Eleanor's room like it was her job to visit every patient. Eleanor's eyes conveyed her terror. They
screamed, "Get out!" Too late! Crystal had snuggled up next to Eleanor's chair and had already laid
her soft muzzle on Eleanor's fragile hand. By now the nurses and aides were watching this unusual
happening. Out of respect for Eleanor, I pulled Crystal's leash and extracted her from leaning on
Eleanor's hand. Crystal reluctantly got up and lumbered towards the door. I stopped dead in my
tracks as a strong, determined voice behind me said, "Here boy! You must eat like a horse." For a
second everyone looked stunned. The strong voice belonged to Eleanor. Her two sentences were
like a miracle. This event opened her up to future speech and a new activity Pet Therapy.

Don't limit it to just dogs, cats, rabbits, and even birds can become wonderful friends that are
available at your local animal shelter.

LOVE,
WALT

P.S. Today I noticed a dog in the car with all the windows up while his owners were shopping.
The temperature outside was 85 degrees. I had the manager page the owner of the car to come
back to the parking lot and to check on their dog . They left their food cart in the store and
drove off ! I swear the dog winked at me.

Return to Walt's Pet Corner