Stanley turned two on May 23rd. With social distancing, a big party was out of 
the question so Gus was his only guest. Still, he had these fabulous balloons.
ELBEE Isn’t it a coincidence that Julia, who lives around the corner, was turning 21 and had the same fabulous balloons?
Looking back over some of the posts I’ve written about Stanley, his goofiness was a recurring theme. He often went from sort of well behaved to crazy puppy in a matter of moments.
I’m kind of amazed at how much he has changed and grown (physically and dog brain wise) over a relatively short period of time. He has been through a lot and he has accomplished a lot.
When Stanley first joined the pack, Elbee and Riley were here to guide him. Hard as it is to believe, Elbee helped teach him to stay and to heel.
ELBEE Excuse me. I practically raised him.
Riley was older but such a steady source of comfort. Stanley would often disappear, cuddled 
at his side. When Elbee and Riley left us, I could see Stanley, young as he was, go through his own grieving process. Somehow it seemed to make him stronger. Fortunately, Gus is now his best buddy.
At a year, to my surprise, he breezed through testing and became a registered therapy dog. Before the world shut down in March, he was working at UCLA Medical Center, Providence Tarzana Hospital and an adult health center. His goofiness and love of attention have been major assets.
On the lighter side, he filmed a segment about working dogs for a show called Dog Masters that hopefully one day will air on Animal Planet. He also filmed a small part in a movie with Mariette Hartley and her husband Jerry. It’s semi-autobiographical and Mariette, who was a big fan of Charley and Elbee, wanted Stanley to play a therapy dog.
ELBEE That’s a stretch.
Since the shelter at home orders began, Stanley has grown again. He and Gus have been doing virtual visits, cheering up UCLA patients and staff over Zoom. I can only imagine what the dogs are thinking when people are talking to them from a computer screen. Somehow their antics have brought joy and a lot of laughter.
ELBEE As you recall, only a short time ago, she didn’t have a clue as to what Zoom was.
Spending so much of this difficult time at home with me and the husband has brought out a new level of maturity in Stanley. It’s as if he senses our need for him to be a funny, loving, calming presence.
Happy birthday big guy and thank you.
