ELBEE Finally a good title. I like where this is going.
Wednesday when I was getting ready to go to UCLA, I hadn’t quite decided whom to take with me. Apparently Elbee had, because he started stalking me around the house.
ELBEE I wouldn’t call it stalking, well maybe a little, but I was ready to go to work. Is it so wrong that I enjoy the extra attention. Besides, I was still hurt that Gus had gone without me on Valentines Day.
We all know that Elbee is a diva. The thing is that when you give a diva an audience, magic can happen. The dog who bugs everyone at the groomer with his barking, is suddenly a star. This week he was at the top of his game.
Elbee didn’t just walk into the neuropsych units, he made an entrance. I’m sure he considers the therapists and the patients to be his fan base. I will admit that he has an uncanny ability to remember people he’s met.
Elbee and Gus generally visit with groups, starting with the kids under 12 and working their way up to adults. Whereas Gus is great with groups, he seems to thrive on one on one visits, I think Elbee gets bored.
ELBEE Excuse my A.D.D. And I think we know someone else with the same issue.
He loves the groups, especially groups of teenagers. When they gather around him on the floor, he enthusiastically flops into their laps. This week, one boy was particularly taken with Elbee. The teen was sweet and friendly. Laughing, he applauded all the tricks.
I later learned that the patient had been difficult and unhappy. Elbee’s obvious joy and total lack of judgement had drawn the young man away from his problems.
ELBEE It’s a gift. I wonder if I should do a podcast.
Speaking of gifts, as were leaving, we received the most beautiful post-Valentine presents. The patients, along with the therapists, had made dog biscuits and cards just to say thank you.
ELBEE By the way, the biscuits were fabulous. Pack Leader should get the recipe. Oh wait, she doesn’t bake.
After we left the neuropsych floor, the “Elbee show” continued in the lobby. A teenage girl, who remembered Elbee from the times that she had been in the hospital, came running over to hug him. She asked if he could please do some of his tricks. When I said “sure” she called her friends to come over and watch. Before I knew it, we were surrounded by families, visitors and staff as the diva did a command performance.
Last week I wrote about the ripple effect of the dogs. This made me think about it in another way. Because of one girl who remembered a therapy dog that had been special to her, there was a crowd of smiling people. Elbee had made their day.
