December 2021 – Me and the Doods.com

Christmas Presence

This week, thanks to Gus, Stanley and two of their friends, I received more Christmas presents than anyone could ever hope for. It began on Friday when I took Stanley to Tarzana Hospital.

After warm greetings in the lobby, I was walking down the hall when I was drawn to an amazing picture on the wall. It was of a quilt with elastic at the sides to simulate a mask. The squares, designed by Providence caregivers, were touching tributes to the strength of the human spirit.

Moved by the messages and so happy to be there with Stanley, I took him upstairs to cheer up the staff. He was just what they needed, better than eggnog or a Hallmark movie, my guilty pleasure.

These pictures say it all. He got two spontaneous thumbs up. Then he offered some holiday love.

On Christmas day, my friend Donna and I carried on a tradition that we started a few years ago. We brought Gus plus her two Bichon, Tommy and Finley, to cheer up the young patients at UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital. It was so special to be there because last year COVID-19 kept us away.

Tommy and Finley are Gus’s best buddies in the People Animal Connection. They’ve developed a beautiful rhythm in working together. Tommy and Finley are sweet and adorable. Gus kind of adds his own special style to the mix.

As we went from room to room, the dogs brought such comfort, even to the critically ill children. In some instances, it seemed to benefit the parents even more. The holiday is such a difficult time to have a child in the hospital. The visits gave them a moment to breathe.

While Tommy and Finley were cuddling with a young boy, I had Gus do his little dance and then put him in a Christmas hat. The boy smiled and even laughed softly. Donna later shared that when they had visited him a few days before there had barely been any reaction. The three dogs together had won him over, to the delight of his parents.

No matter how long you’ve had the privilege of working with therapy dogs, there is always a sense of wonder at seeing what they can do, especially at this time of year. Their simple presence is a priceless gift.

This was reinforced by all of the staff who came into the rooms with us. You could sense the smiles behind their masks. As we were leaving the PICU, one of the nurses commented, “This was truly a Christmas miracle.”

‘Tis the Season

As Gus and Stanley were doing holiday visits this week, it was hard to believe that around the same time last year, I was waiting for their Zoom call to start and seeing if I could still do a headstand.

ELBEE The pandemic made her do some very strange things.

My friend Mary had mentioned that she did one every day as part of her yoga practice so I became a little obsessed. It took a few attempts and the dresser for support but I did one and survived to go on the call with the dogs.

ELBEE It was hard to watch. Thank goodness they’re back in person.

Gus, his buddies Tommy and Finley, plus tiny adorable Abby, the newest member of the People Animal Connection, joined the UCLA marketing department for their outdoor Christmas luncheon. They were more of an opening act than featured entertainment but they still brought lots of joy to the festivities.

I had a special moment walking through the lobby to reach the garden. The seemingly reserved young man behind the reception desk saw Gus and broke into a huge smile. He thanked me so sincerely for being there and said that the dogs were such a blessing.

On Thursday, it was the big dogs’ turn. Stanley and Toby, a Bernadoodle, were the featured act at a pet visit station on the patio at UCLA, greeting people as they came in and out of the hospital. It’s only recently that the monthly visits have returned, so there was such excitement at having them back. I don’t think anyone walked by without stopping for some dog love. There were countless photos.

STANLEY I felt like a celebrity.

I admit there was another reason for so many photos… costumes. In the past, I had decked out the dogs for Christmas but Zoom really made me step up my game.

ELBEE Is she forgetting that she once dyed us red and green?

Not to mention that Jen, the manager of PAC, knows my weakness for dog accessories and has contributed to the cause. Sequin antlers, Santa hats, red sunglasses. It was Halloween in December.

With everything so uncertain, I am very grateful that, at the moment, the dogs are able to do what they do best. I am also grateful that dressing them up makes people happy. The smiles and laughter are true gifts of the season.

ELBEE I’m grateful that she doesn’t feel the need to do headstands at these events.

A Miracle Revisited

Wednesday, Stanley spent the morning comforting patients in the neuropsych units at UCLA. When we were leaving, I somehow found myself in front of the main 4th floor elevators instead of the core elevators that I usually take.

While we were waiting, a man walked over to see Stanley. As he was petting him, he quietly told me how much he loved the dogs in the hospital. He then began to share a story that explained the depth of his feelings.

Years earlier, his daughter, who was ten at the time, was a patient at UCLA. She had been in a coma for several days when a big white dog was brought in to see her, hoping for some response. As soon as he added that it was a Poodle named Apollo, I realized that he was talking about one of the most treasured PAC stories.

Laura, Apollo’s human partner, brought Apollo to his daughter’s room and placed him on a chair next to the bed. They all spoke softly to her and even placed her hands on Apollo to pet him. After awhile, when there was no response, Laura and Apollo left.

Ten minutes later, the miracle happened. His little girl woke up and asked for Apollo by name. The man looked very surprised when I said, “then you had someone call to have Apollo come back.” I explained that, like Laura, I had been a long time part of the program. In those early years I brought in my first PAC dog Charley, who looked a lot like Stanley.

At the time, the story about his daughter had truly touched my heart. It had shown me the possibilities of what the dogs could accomplish. It had inspired me. Hearing about it now, so many years later, almost brought me to tears

Before we left, the man took out his phone and showed me a photo of his daughter today, a lovely twenty-six year old woman. In this season of miracles, I am so very grateful for this beautiful encounter.

Gus Is a Solo Artist at Heart

With the ongoing challenges and uncertainty, or maybe because of them, the dogs have been in greater demand than ever. Watching them work after all of this time is its own reward.

On Wednesday morning Stanley visited the adult health center. As soon as we walked in the door, a few people, including the owner, called out, “make sure that ‘John’ knows you’re here.” “John” is the participant with severe depression who smiled for the first time in a year when the dogs were visiting. He came over with a little grin on his face and stayed with me and Stanley as we made our way around the large room.

In the afternoon, I took Gus to the CHS Plaza outside the Fielding School Of Public Health at UCLA. He was there as a stress buster for the students during finals. There were supposed to be two dogs but one had to cancel so Gus was a solo act. He was in his glory.

ELBEE He was like Diana Ross without the Supremes.

He couldn’t get enough of the the petting and belly rubs as one group after another came out to see him. The students forgot the stress of exams as we all sat around Gus, chatting and sharing dog stories. They loved it when I had him do a few tricks.

ELBEE She’s such a stage mother.

Things were going so well that I decided to bring out a few of the props that I just happened to have in my bag.

ELBEE Just happened to have in her bag?

I started using the props on Zoom calls during the pandemic to keep the kids in the neuropsych units engaged. They’ve added a little something extra to our in person visits.

Wednesday was no exception. The tiaras and sunglasses were a huge hit. There was nothing but laughter as lots of selfies were taken.

One girl was having so much fun, she almost forgot to leave in time for her exam.

GUS Oops!

On a side note. Thank you to the very considerate UCLA students who helped me find my way from the parking garage to the plaza. My sense of direction ranks right up there with my singing ability and my knowledge of football!