June 2021 – Me and the Doods.com

Tennis Anyone?

Over the past pandemic year with activities so limited, there were weeks when I wondered if I’d have anything to write. I mean did people really want to hear about me lounging around in sweats watching Hallmark movies with Gus and Stanley? Fortunately, as the husband says, I have the gift of making something out of nothing.

ELBEE I absolutely agree although I don’t know if I’d call it a gift. This is the same woman who wrote “Sequins & Schmatas.”

Now, as we cautiously move forward, the Doods are getting so busy that I hardly know where to begin. Tuesday they had their annual calendar shoot at UCLA.

Since the dogs won’t officially be back into the hospital until next week, it was once again held outside in the Peace Garden. Last year, when the theme was movies, Gus and Stanley posed as a bride and groom for Man’s Best Friends’s Wedding.

For 2022 the theme is the Olympics. Guess who posed as gold medal tennis players?

GUS I was quite comfortable as a bride but I think the tennis player is more me.

All of a sudden, we had a surprise visit from Ursula, a wonderful therapist and a favorite of the Doods. We have worked together as far back as Charley. I will never forget the Irish saying she shared when he passed. She e-mailed, “We will not see his like again.”

Spotting us from the lobby, she popped out to say hello. Being able to hug and visit in person was another reminder of all that we’ve been missing.

On Saturday, I brought Gus to UCLA to help out with Pet Partners testing. Jack Barron, my mentor extraordinaire in all things dog therapy, was in town to do some evaluations. He needed what’s called a “neutral” dog for one part of the test and Gus was perfect.

It was really a full circle kind of morning. Fifteen years ago, when I attended the Pet Partners workshop that was the beginning step in my therapy dog journey, Jack was the instructor. He was there when Gus tested for his first certification. Now Gus was helping him certify other special dogs.

Jack was also the one who brought Gus into my life. When he found out that a family had to rehome a puppy with the sweetest temperament, he gave me a call. The rest as they say, is history.

ELBEE Seriously, that’s the best she could come up with?

Being back at the hospital really brought home how much I’ve missed our visits. I loved the smiles on people’s faces when they saw the dogs. I loved seeing teams from the People Animal Connection for the first time in over a year.

It also made me think about the priceless friendships of people like Ursula and Jack. I am so grateful to them and to all of the others on staff who have offered their support through the years. It is a joy to be returning.

Call Me Pollyanna

ELBEE If she’s Pollyanna then call me Santa Claus.

I was very touched to receive unexpected messages from friends who told me how I’d helped them navigate this past year. I guess sharing my crazy, unpredictable journey through COVID let people know that they were not alone.

ELBEE I think oversharing would be more appropriate.

This week with restrictions lightened there has been an air of cautious optimism. Yet attitudes still range from “I’m ready to go to dinner and a movie,” to “I’m wearing a mask forever.”

The uncertainty is its own challenge. At the market all of the “keep your distance” markers are gone. Masks are only mandatory for those who aren’t vaccinated but how do we know? How do we move forward? How can I help?

ELBEE I’m so confused.

I thought the best way was to get in touch with my inner Pollyanna and share some positives.

For instance, take this sign that I saw on a street leading up to the hiking trails.

ELBEE Notice how it’s cropped. You don’t want to know what else was posted.

I saw a notice on someone’s lawn to clean up after your dogs. To my surprise, they provided a roll of poop bags.

ELBEE I have to admit that was considerate although a bit embarrassing.

This art work, painted on a wall in the mountains, has remained untouched for years. Normally it would have been defaced. I guess it’s technically graffiti but it’s a timeless message and so fitting right now.

Kudos to the security guard who stays tirelessly at her post keeping watch on the delivery area of a local golf club. She has a smile and a wave for everyone who walks by. She has become a favorite of Gus and Stanley.

Lately, I began wearing two random, mismatched heart necklaces. It somehow felt right. I had them on last week when the husband and I met the oldest daughter and our granddaughter Samantha at the Huntington Library in Pasadena. The art gallery was closed but the beautiful gardens were in full display.

On our way out we stopped in the gift store where we saw a simple but perfect necklace. It was a thin chain with the word “love” in the middle. Samantha and I each got one and promised we’d think about each other when we wore them

Since things were going so well with the necklaces, and Samantha is an expert at TikTok, I asked her how she’d feel about making a video of me and Stanley dancing. The look on her face said it all. I guess despite the love and the necklace, grandma doing the fox trot with her dog was not something she really wanted to share with all of her friends.

Our Pandemic Journey

My friend Donna, human mom to Gus’s buddies Tommy and Finley, said that my blog over the past year has been like a journal of the COVID experience. I started looking at old posts and realized just how much the pandemic had influenced almost everything that I’d written.

This opening paragraph from “The Universe is Knocking” on March 6, 2020, is my first real acknowledgment of what was happening. “The universe truly seems to have gone crazy this week. COVID-19 is causing fear, chaos, and plain old stress. People are in masks. Market shelves are empty. Restaurants are closed.” Still, I was almost naive about the extent of what was to come.

For a time, with all of the death and devastation, I felt it might not be appropriate to write my posts, but friends encouraged me to keep at it. They needed the break and sometimes a lighter perspective.

For instance, in the spirit of honesty, I wondered if the masks were making us look younger.

ELBEE That’s a no brainer. When she hikes maskless now she’s getting more of those “good job” comments reserved for old people on the trails.

I shared photos of the touching and sometimes funny chalk art that popped up. It was a way for people to communicate while still staying distanced.

When the shelter in place orders went into effect, the time we’d all spent with our dogs in the past paled in comparison. Gus and Stanley couldn’t go into the hospital but they became my personal therapy dogs 24/7. I even used them in my exercise routines.

GUS & STANLEY It was exhausting.

I wrote quite a bit about Zoom. As if reality wasn’t hard enough, all of a sudden “virtual” reality was a thing. Gus and Stanley began doing regular Zoom visits with the kids in the neuropsych units at UCLA while I, like so many others, struggled with technology.

Having them just sit in front of the computer wasn’t going to cut it, so out came the hats. sunglasses and ties. No trick was too silly if it made the kids laugh. On the bright side, would I ever have danced with Stanley if not for those visits?

ELBEE Probably.

Over the past year, aside from sharing the positive moments, I have also been honest about the emotional challenges. Depression, anxiety and insomnia have been much more prevalent. We are all trying to cope.

Now that we are slowly coming-out of it, there is still so much confusion and uncertainty.

ELBEE Like do you put on make up if you’re not sure if you’re going to be wearing a mask?

Seriously, as this difficult journey is winding down, let’s continue to offer each other compassion and support. Let’s lead with love and kindness.

(Photo by Doug Morrow😀)

Subway in the Basement

One morning, while the Doods were at the “spa,” I received a text from Jen, the groomer, that she wanted to talk to me about Gus. Of course I panicked, thinking that she had found something wrong.

As it turned out, she was concerned about his mental health. This was before any in-person visits were possible and Gus was missing his work. He wasn’t himself. Like so many people who were suffering from anxiety and depression after the ever changing challenges of COVID, Gus seemed to be having the same issues.

ELBEE I got him to call a mental health hot line but they didn’t speak dog.

It made perfect sense. Our pets have had a strange year just like we have. We’ve spent lots of time with them but their normal interactions have been limited. This is especially true for therapy dogs who thrive on attention.

Gus loves seeing the kids in the hospital.

He has also enjoyed his share of celebrity encounters. How many dogs sit in Metta World Peace’s lap or hang out with Laker girls?

GUS Those were the days.

As restrictions began to ease, I was very excited about bringing Gus to one of the first pet visit stations at UCLA Medical Center. It was going to be held in the Peace Garden right outside the lobby.

ELBEE As I recall, she’d already taken Stanley to one. Poor Gus.

From the moment we walked in, his little tail started wagging. He was back in his element. When we met up with others from PAC, especially his Bichon buddy Tommy, he was more himself than he’d been in a long time. I don’t know if he was happier to see the dogs or the people.

I wish I could say that this was the most successful pet visit station ever but because of the restrictions that are still in place and the gradual transition, the event couldn’t be publicized. It was like a party where the guests don’t show up because they didn’t receive invitations.

ELBEE Thank goodness it wasn’t catered.

Still, for me, Donna and Sharon, it was a relief to be doing something normal with our dogs. There was almost a sense of nostalgia. The few people who found us were delighted. “This made my day” was music to our ears.

We ended the morning doing something that under regular circumstances wouldn’t be worth mentioning. A few of us went to get sandwiches from the tiny take-out Subway shop in the basement of the hospital.

ELBEE This is a total snooze.

It’s kind of an informal tradition after visiting with the dogs, and something that we haven’t been able to do in over a year. Who knew that a simple lunch with dogs and friends could be so comforting?

ELBEE And who knew that comfort food was turkey and provolone on wheat?