Living with Therapy Dogs

For the last 15 years I have lived with Therapy Dogs, until now. I said goodbye to latest Therapy Dog in my life just after Christmas. I hope to live with one again someday.

Therapy Dog visits often provided the background for some amazing stories. Daniel, my first therapy dog, was an opportunist and a master manipulator.  We visited assisted living and nursing facilities. He worked with disabled children. He went to work with me everyday in the dog rehab clinic where he motivated other dogs to try things they may not have tried. For the most part he was unflappable. Escalators, elevators, moving sidewalks, airplane and train rides phased him not. He won over everyone he met. 

I used to say that he could perform Jedi mind tricks. "That is not the sandwich you are looking for. Move that sandwich over here." Gulp! 

In once instance, while on a visit in a rec room of a nursing home, he elected to investigate the crackle of an elderly gentleman's potato chip bag. He raised his nose and applied the Jedi mind tricks. The man promptly bopped him square on the head with his fist. Daniel reeled from the impact for a nanosecond and was all set to try again as I intervened. 

In that same facility, one resident used to sneak him cheese puffs. She thought I didn't know. However, Daniel's ability to track this person from anywhere in the facility, tipped me off. Not to mention the cheese powder on his white lips. We secretly called her "Cheetoh Lady". 

Our work netted him awards from Oregon Animal Hall of Fame and the Delta Society. There was no better therapy animal anywhere. 

As Daniel aged, I thought it best to bring in another Therapy Dog. Casey May had retired from flyball due to a neck injury, and since she liked people I introduced her to a second career. She  took to it happily and it was great for me to have a dog small enough to carry around and put on laps. As she aged she agreed to be carried even more. 

We found her niche as one of the first "Read to the Dogs" dogs at the Hillsboro Library. At the age of 13 she let me know that she was ready to retire when a rambunctious  youngster shoved her nose straight into Casey's face. Her lips went up and the white teeth against her black fur shone forth like sunshine on metal forks. I intervened on her behalf and distracted the child. When she did it a second time, I stopped the visit and took her home. She had run out of patience and I honored her decision to become Princess Couch Potato. 

As Casey was near the end of her career I borrowed, Robert, from my sister.  In some ways he reminded me of the "other brother Daryl" from the Newhart show. However, his sweet nature made it easy to forget that he wasn't too bright.  He was ecstatic to take Casey's place at the library. Each time he got a bath, he spent the entire day pacing about and waiting by the front door in anticipation of his visit. His one downfall was that he would get car sick and he would often present me with his last treat or meal in the car on the way to or from the library. The librarians would feed him Beggin Strips and other questionable treats. I always let him take the loot knowing that I might get it back in the car. In spite of this, I wasn't going to deny him. He did the work and deserved the rewards. He was favorite of kids and library staff. 

 He was not unflappable like Daniel, nor was he a princess like Casey May. He was just a really, really good dog who loved his belly rubbed. We miss him at our house. We miss them all.

Casey May Junebug, 1996-2014

Robert Francis Vanderbison, 2005-2015

Daniel P. Spaniel, 1994-2010

Six Haikus By Dogs

Water Dish

Oh porcelain friend

Who gushes forth fine waters

Thy name is toilet.

Ball

Round, yellow, felted pal,

I cannot control my zoom

When you fly by me.

Squirrel

It teases me from

Up high, where I cannot reach.

So I must BARK! BARK!

Toy

Squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak!

My human is annoyed now.

I am happy. Squeak!

Hair of the Dog

Oh who is that there

Crouched softly behind that door?

Fluffy pile of me.

Why We Don’t Have a Coffee Table

My tail wags so hard

When I see my human friend.

Sorry about your cup.

Dog's World

** These fine haikus were written with the help of all the dogs I know and have loved. lw

Why Dogs Don't Have Snowball Fights

I have never seen dogs have snowball fights. They roll in it, eat it, dig it, pee on it, and run with joy through it.  It is because they can't make snowballs? Clearly not, since my own dog can make a snowball in a few seconds. (See video.) As you can see he makes himself a very nice snowball, complete with tennis ball center,  which he dumps in front of me as a request to throw it for him. If you put this video on repeat, it would be a synopsis of my snowy morning with Pi:  make snowball, drop it, watch it go, retrieve it, repeat process again and again. 

While he is great at making the snowball, he has no concept of how to throw it. If he did throw it, he would simply retrieve it for himself. The thought of throwing something at anyone (dog or human) simply doesn't occur in his world. That's the answer! Enjoy the snow today.  I know the dogs are. 

lw 

Why I liked Star Wars............

When the original Star Wars movie came out I was around 12. Dad loved Sci Fi and he kept hearing about this movie. I had seen the trailer and was stoked to see it. Dad loaded up his three girls and took us to the theater.  My sister was 8 and wasn't tall enough to see over the people in front of us. I remember her sitting on Dad's lap through most of the film. I think we had some candy we shared.

My dad wasn't a fan of being stuck in a chair for over 2 hours without a cigarette so he was happy to drop us off  and go about his business. Star Wars is the only movie I recall seeing in a theater with Dad. We loved the movie and rehashed it over and over again. It was the only movie I could talk about with my dad. I don't think Dad ever bothered to watch any of the sequels, so  Episode IV was all we had.

The latest Star Wars episode brought it all back to me. I was relieved to see Han Solo complete with Wookie sidekick. Certainly he was older, possibly wiser, and that didn't matter. He was there just like before.  Thank you Carrie Fisher for showing up again as the now General Leia and staying true to the character. I was so happy to see you too, unafraid to speak your mind and take on the bad guys. Pooh, pooh to the critics who picked on you for not looking exactly the same as you did in the original trilogy 30 years ago. You got older and so did I.  It's what happens when you don't die.

In the age before we all had video players and Netflix, the only way to see a movie was to "go to the movies" or wait years for something to come to TV. While Stars Wars was one of many movies I saw as a kid, it was for sure the most memorable for my family. We had a moment in time where everyone was on the same page about something we all thought was fantastic. Those moments didn't come often for us.  Even though they weren't with me when I saw the latest rendition of Star Wars, the memories flooded in fresh. I was grateful to recall it all.

lw

Addendum 1/1/17

With the sudden passing of Carrie Fisher last week, I found myself a bit low. She wasn't my friend, and I never met her personally, and yet, as a fan I grieved her loss. I appreciated that rather than shrug off the Star Wars character, she embraced Princess Leia once again and portrayed her as an even stronger, mature female character who had done her share of suffering and still, wasn't going to give up. When today's young women envision a princess, I hope it's Carrie Fisher's version that comes to mind instead of some tiara wearing, tantrum throwing, spoiled rich girl. For me, she redefined "princess"  as a tough, sassy, smart, champion of justice.

May the Force be you, Carrie Fisher, Your legacy continues.