While working away in the office today, a lady stopped by to request a visit for two special needs adult ladies that she supervises in their group home. Her name was Gayle. I knew she looked familiar from somewhere but could not place her. She knew me from way back a few years ago when she attempted to get her dog registered with KPETS. But her dog was dog agressive so we could not register them.
Gayle then mentioned that she met us at the Pet Expo the other weekend with one of her special ladies. It was coming back to me. She mentioned that, since meeting Sammy, her friend could not stop taking about my boy! She had met another dog that day as well, but she was really hooked on Sammy.
Gayle stated that as her friend leaned forward in her wheelchair to reach for Sammy, that was further than she ever does for her - even to put her coat on.
She stated that her friend talked more to me than she had ever talked to any stranger, that she has ever seen.
She continued to talk about Sammy for days, about how she fed him treats. Gayle said that her friend's speech was so much more understandable when she spoke to us.
My boy! I'm so proud of him. Just like Podley did, he's making lasting impressions!
Showing posts with label Sammy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sammy. Show all posts
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Sammy 11/15 visit at Lancaster Rehab hospital
Sammy's visit at the Lancaster Rehab Hospital went as usual with nothing real eventful, until.....After our hour-long visit working with the physical therapists and patients, we did our last round of saying our goodbyes. Nurses and therapists were all lined up at the long desk documenting their days accomplishments. Patients quietly waited for their escort back to their rooms. Sammy strutted his stuff through the middle of the quiet gym toward the door with me walking proudly beside the star of the hour. As we were right in the middle of all the silence, we heard the baarruuppp! All heads lifted and turned to look as snickers and giggles came from all regions of the gym. I apologized for the boy as he has no manners when it comes to burping. He made his exit with all in smiles, including me giggling the whole way home. :)
Sammy 11/23/10 Visit to Lancaster General Mental Health Unit
It's the 4th Tuesday of the month, mabye about the fourth time or so Sammy was scheduled to visit the Mental Health Unit at local Lancaster General Hospital. But today would be extra fun for my 9 year old golden retriever.
You see, many years ago when Sammy was two, he met a friend at another hospital where he was doing AAT with physical, occupational and speech therapists. Sammy had fallen in love with Shari, the speech therapist. He would always know when she was nearby. He knew her scent and would loose all focus on what he was doing.
Today, when we arrived at the hospital and as we walked down the hall to sign in at the volunteer office, I saw her coming towards us down the hall. I knew she worked there as we had spoken before, but Sammy had not put it all together that she could possilby be there.
"Where's your Shari" is all I had to say and he started going in circles around me, looking far and wide for her as she hid in a sitting area off the busy hallway. He sniffed and sniffed and looked and then he saw her! Breaking the rules of a therapy dog, I let go of his leash so he could run the whole seven feet to the second love of his life (I'm number one). She promptly sat down on the carpet floor to be at his level and he snuggled as close to her as he could get. Whimpers and cries of joy came from the excited fluffy dog. Shari said she dressed appropriately by wearing khaki colors to hid an tell-tale signs of dog hair. The reunion excitement continues for at least ten minutes as we waited for our escort to take up to our unit for visits.
Co-workers came and tried to vie for the handsome boy's attention, but he would have little of it. He had his love and could barely take his eyes off of her. It may have helped that she had a cookie in her pocket for him.
Ah, but time to go to work. Our escort was ready for us to head to other direction and leave his love behind. As we went one way down the hall, he kept turning around looking for her as she ventured in the other direction to her office.
Finally we arrived at the elevator and loaded up to go to 8East. Our visit on the unit was more exciting than usual. For some reason, Sammy was a bit more animated and eager to play. Kinda like 'ah, I'm in love!'. He played with his favorite buddy, Shawn but worked the crowd as well. We did a few tricks - we did the Cha Cha, spin, circle, fly, under, weave, tada, to name a few. We really dazzled an older lady so much she said, "I've never seen a dog like that. He is really truely amazing". I'd have to agree. :)
We spent our hour with Sammy friends there and then headed back down to the volunteer office to sign out. As I talked with Dawn, Sammy mooched some treats from her too. This boy has a way with the women. Dawn was only allowed to give Sammy one treat per my request (he had had tons already). To melt her heart, he stood on the opposite side of her desk, laying is head on the edge of her desk looking up at her with big brown eyes as though saying, "but my mommy doesn't feed me". She was enamored by the warmth of his eyes, but then something changed!
That smell, ears perked up, and Sammy went on high alert. What was it? Where is it? He had to find it! Around the corner, seated in the waiting area right outside the door was . . . . Shari! Oh man, here we go again! This time it was a little different. Sammy was beat. It had been a long visit, so this time he was just so content to be with her. Snuggling next to her for a belly rub, he relaxed in her presence. Ah, but another good-bye had to be said. Shari walked us down the hall to our exit, until the next time!
You see, many years ago when Sammy was two, he met a friend at another hospital where he was doing AAT with physical, occupational and speech therapists. Sammy had fallen in love with Shari, the speech therapist. He would always know when she was nearby. He knew her scent and would loose all focus on what he was doing.
Today, when we arrived at the hospital and as we walked down the hall to sign in at the volunteer office, I saw her coming towards us down the hall. I knew she worked there as we had spoken before, but Sammy had not put it all together that she could possilby be there.
"Where's your Shari" is all I had to say and he started going in circles around me, looking far and wide for her as she hid in a sitting area off the busy hallway. He sniffed and sniffed and looked and then he saw her! Breaking the rules of a therapy dog, I let go of his leash so he could run the whole seven feet to the second love of his life (I'm number one). She promptly sat down on the carpet floor to be at his level and he snuggled as close to her as he could get. Whimpers and cries of joy came from the excited fluffy dog. Shari said she dressed appropriately by wearing khaki colors to hid an tell-tale signs of dog hair. The reunion excitement continues for at least ten minutes as we waited for our escort to take up to our unit for visits.
Co-workers came and tried to vie for the handsome boy's attention, but he would have little of it. He had his love and could barely take his eyes off of her. It may have helped that she had a cookie in her pocket for him.
Ah, but time to go to work. Our escort was ready for us to head to other direction and leave his love behind. As we went one way down the hall, he kept turning around looking for her as she ventured in the other direction to her office.
Finally we arrived at the elevator and loaded up to go to 8East. Our visit on the unit was more exciting than usual. For some reason, Sammy was a bit more animated and eager to play. Kinda like 'ah, I'm in love!'. He played with his favorite buddy, Shawn but worked the crowd as well. We did a few tricks - we did the Cha Cha, spin, circle, fly, under, weave, tada, to name a few. We really dazzled an older lady so much she said, "I've never seen a dog like that. He is really truely amazing". I'd have to agree. :)
We spent our hour with Sammy friends there and then headed back down to the volunteer office to sign out. As I talked with Dawn, Sammy mooched some treats from her too. This boy has a way with the women. Dawn was only allowed to give Sammy one treat per my request (he had had tons already). To melt her heart, he stood on the opposite side of her desk, laying is head on the edge of her desk looking up at her with big brown eyes as though saying, "but my mommy doesn't feed me". She was enamored by the warmth of his eyes, but then something changed!
That smell, ears perked up, and Sammy went on high alert. What was it? Where is it? He had to find it! Around the corner, seated in the waiting area right outside the door was . . . . Shari! Oh man, here we go again! This time it was a little different. Sammy was beat. It had been a long visit, so this time he was just so content to be with her. Snuggling next to her for a belly rub, he relaxed in her presence. Ah, but another good-bye had to be said. Shari walked us down the hall to our exit, until the next time!
Sunday, October 10, 2010
In Memory of Sammy's Friend John
Several years ago a co-worker's husband, John, was eventually diagnosed with a very aggressive cancer after months of testing. Kathy told me at work one day that John's doctor had mentioned the fact that if John would like a dog, it could help him through this terrible journey they were about to face. Mesothelioma and Alternative Therapies
Kathy originally asked me to look for a dog for John that was similar to my golden, Cinda. John fell in love with Cinda when he met her when he came to our office to have lunch with Kathy several months earlier. Cinda was an assistance dog in training and went to work with me quite often. I started to pursue some options but as things got close to the possibly of my finding a pooch for her, she was having second thoughts. She didn't have to say much. I knew Kathy and dogs were not her thing. And the thought of having a puppy or a dog after John was gone was just too much for her to comprehend. I understood completely, as did John. John and Kathy were a beautiful admirable couple - wonderful examples of what a marriage should be.
Realizing a dog in John's life would be beneficial even if not living in his home with him, I offered him visits with my other young golden, Sammy, a young puppy working on becoming a registred therapy dog. I told John and Kathy, they could come over and visit Sammy at our home until Sammy got to know him or I could bring him to their home (if ok with Kathy). They bonded very quickly. I eventually offered them that if they would like to take Sammy home for an afternoon, I would be ok with that.
Well, that was the beginning of very beautiful relationship. Many weekend afternoons, I'd say good-bye to Sammy as John and Kathy would take him to their home. Sammy was there for various picnics with friends and family. They would give me pictures of my boy with John in his garden or just playing in the living room or patio.
As months went by the inevitable became more obvious. Instead of taking Sammy themselves, they would just invite me to bring him over for shorter and shorter visits. John wanted so badly to get on the floor with Sammy, but that was no longer a possibility. Then on one visit, they gave me all the toys that Sammy had accumulated while spending time in his second home. As I left that day, they thanked us. I knew that wold be our last visit with John.
Sadly, John did pass away. Kathy called me and asked that Sammy please be in receiving line with the family for the Visitation. I wasn't comfortable doing that but I would definitely bring him along when I came to pay my respects.
When I arrived at the funeral home, the line of people waiting to support John's family was lined up outside and along the front of the parking lot. I put on Sammy's therapy dog vest and his black scarf and proceeded to the end of the line. As we waited in the parking lot line, folks would walk by and recognize Sammy. They would say "Oh, this must be Sammy. We've heard so much about him" or "Sammy was at the picnic we attended with John and Kathy". I was amazed at how many people knew him or of him.
But the biggest surprise was yet to come. As Sammy and I approached the family, I could tell they saw us in advance. When it was our turn, Kathy and her two daughters shed a few tears as they hugged Sammy gently before moving on to the next visitor. We proceeded through the line to the table holding John's urn. First we passed the family photo of John, Kathy and his family. Then was the urn containing John's remains. As we took our next step, I stopped and the tears just flowed and flowed. There on the table, right next to John, was a beautifully framed picture of John's buddy, Sammy.
I thank the Lord, my God for my precious boy and that he was able to help one man travel through his final and most difficult journey.
Kathy originally asked me to look for a dog for John that was similar to my golden, Cinda. John fell in love with Cinda when he met her when he came to our office to have lunch with Kathy several months earlier. Cinda was an assistance dog in training and went to work with me quite often. I started to pursue some options but as things got close to the possibly of my finding a pooch for her, she was having second thoughts. She didn't have to say much. I knew Kathy and dogs were not her thing. And the thought of having a puppy or a dog after John was gone was just too much for her to comprehend. I understood completely, as did John. John and Kathy were a beautiful admirable couple - wonderful examples of what a marriage should be.
Realizing a dog in John's life would be beneficial even if not living in his home with him, I offered him visits with my other young golden, Sammy, a young puppy working on becoming a registred therapy dog. I told John and Kathy, they could come over and visit Sammy at our home until Sammy got to know him or I could bring him to their home (if ok with Kathy). They bonded very quickly. I eventually offered them that if they would like to take Sammy home for an afternoon, I would be ok with that.
Well, that was the beginning of very beautiful relationship. Many weekend afternoons, I'd say good-bye to Sammy as John and Kathy would take him to their home. Sammy was there for various picnics with friends and family. They would give me pictures of my boy with John in his garden or just playing in the living room or patio.
As months went by the inevitable became more obvious. Instead of taking Sammy themselves, they would just invite me to bring him over for shorter and shorter visits. John wanted so badly to get on the floor with Sammy, but that was no longer a possibility. Then on one visit, they gave me all the toys that Sammy had accumulated while spending time in his second home. As I left that day, they thanked us. I knew that wold be our last visit with John.
Sadly, John did pass away. Kathy called me and asked that Sammy please be in receiving line with the family for the Visitation. I wasn't comfortable doing that but I would definitely bring him along when I came to pay my respects.
When I arrived at the funeral home, the line of people waiting to support John's family was lined up outside and along the front of the parking lot. I put on Sammy's therapy dog vest and his black scarf and proceeded to the end of the line. As we waited in the parking lot line, folks would walk by and recognize Sammy. They would say "Oh, this must be Sammy. We've heard so much about him" or "Sammy was at the picnic we attended with John and Kathy". I was amazed at how many people knew him or of him.
But the biggest surprise was yet to come. As Sammy and I approached the family, I could tell they saw us in advance. When it was our turn, Kathy and her two daughters shed a few tears as they hugged Sammy gently before moving on to the next visitor. We proceeded through the line to the table holding John's urn. First we passed the family photo of John, Kathy and his family. Then was the urn containing John's remains. As we took our next step, I stopped and the tears just flowed and flowed. There on the table, right next to John, was a beautifully framed picture of John's buddy, Sammy.
I thank the Lord, my God for my precious boy and that he was able to help one man travel through his final and most difficult journey.
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