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!
