Once again, several of the People Animal Connection teams, including Blue Moon the miniature horse and her person Victoria, gathered at UCLA Medical Center to spread some Valentine cheer. We always meet as a group ahead of time to give the dogs a chance to settle in.
ELBEE Trust me. It’s chaos.
Gus met Blue Moon for the first time and was much calmer
than Stanley had been. That really isn’t saying much since Stanley acted as if he was meeting an alien, one he’d like to play with, but still an alien. Little Bichon Finley, “sister” to Gus’s best buddy Tommy, was totally taken with the small horse. She couldn’t take her eyes off of her. It was love at first sniff.
When we split into groups to visit the floors, the loving spirit of the day became the star. Donna and I took Gus, Tommy and Finley to cheer up kids on pediatrics. A toddler sitting on the floor in the hall didn’t know whom to pet first. Seemingly special needs, her response was pure joy and her mom was thrilled.
We went into a room to visit an adolescent girl, who, from what I understood, had been in and out of the hospital for years. She was cuddled on her bed with a favorite old stuffed animal, but when the adorable threesome settled around her they were all the comfort she needed.
Someone asked the patient what was her favorite animal. Surprisingly she answered, “elephants.” What would be the chance that I’d be wearing socks with elephants on them. She laughed when I showed them to her.
ELBEE What’s the chance that anyone would be wearing socks with elephants on them?
Joining us on our rounds was Reed, proud Doodle owner and long time UCLA photographer. It was very special to have him with us because over the years he has taken pictures of so many of the PAC dogs, including all of mine. This time I turned the lens on him and captured a sweet moment with Gus.
Also in our group was a student volunteer who was handing out cards and gifts to the patients. As we were leaving the floor I asked if she’d ever seen the dogs in action before. With a huge smile on her face she said that it was her first time and she couldn’t believe what she’d seen. She’d met dogs around the hospital but had no idea of the depth of what they could accomplish. I told her I felt as if they were walking valentines.
ELBEE That is corny but touching.
