April 2023 – Me and the Doods.com

A Fabulous Friday

On Friday, the day after Gus visited the Motion Picture Television Fund, he did his regular rounds at Tarzana Hospital.

STANLEY I don’t usually butt in but is she forgetting me? I worked wonders at UCLA.

ELBEE I feel his pain.

As soon as the security guards greeted him at the entrance, Gus was ready to go. There were fewer kids in isolation on pediatrics so he was able to do several individual room visits. The smiles and giggles were a pure gift.

Then we went floor to floor offering stress relief for the appreciative staff, many of whom we’ve known for years. I’ll never get tired of hearing, “This made my day.”

It was after we left the hospital that the fun began. Our first stop was Starbucks. Someone was genius enough to open one in the lobby of the medical building next to the hospital. How convenient that I can walk through there to reach my car.

At first I was hesitant to bring the dogs in, but seeing all of our hospital ID, they couldn’t have been nicer. Now they know Stanley and Gus by name. By the way, their mocha Frappuccino is the perfect pick me up after a busy morning of visits.

ELBEE I used to love their Puppuccinos.

While I was waiting for my order, a woman, seeing Gus, came over to say she’d met me and my dogs before. A few year earlier, she’d been a patient at Tarzana and I’d brought one or two in to see her. She was so sincere and appreciative as she shared how much it meant to her, we were both almost in tears.

Our last stop of the morning was at a pharmacy in a medical building on the other side of the parking lot. The two incredible women who run it are always happy to see the dogs.

As we were leaving, two men in scrubs, whom I later found out were doctors in the building, came running over to see Gus. They were huge dog lovers. One even had a tattoo on his arm of a beloved Schnauzer that had passed away. They were also very entertaining!

One of them sat down on a bench so that he could hold Gus in his lap. Then, not sure if it was his idea or mine, he ended up in Gus’s hat and Harry Potter glasses, a great compliment to Gus in his pink shades. It was the perfect ending to a fabulous morning.

Gus Goes to “Doggywood”

I love a good coincidence. I was walking Stanley in the neighborhood when a young man stopped me and asked, “Were you in the movie I Love You Man?” Pleasantly surprised because it’s been a few years, I replied, “Yes I was.” He laughed and said, “I told my parents that was you.”

ELBEE It’s been more than a few years. And “pleasantly surprised?” She was ecstatic!

What are the chances that the next day Gus and I would be at the Wasserman campus of the Motion Picture and Television Fund in Woodland Hills. It offers living accommodations plus services for health and happiness to working and retired members of the entertainment community. I suddenly realized that my ten second cameo might make me eligible.

ELBEE Is she serious?

Gus was there to help out. The physical therapy department of the center will be closing so the staff morale is low. They thought a therapy dog would be just the right medicine to cheer everyone up. They were correct.

As Gus walked down the hall with large photos of stars like Robert Redford and Paul Newman on the walls, he seemed to be in his element. There were smiles and comments like “fluff ball” and “absolutely adorable.” Gus, who can never get too much attention, was at the top of his game.

ELBEE I’m so proud of my little protégée.

At first we stood around and made light conversation. Then, as Gus sprawled out for a belly rub, we all ended up sitting around him on the floor. It’s funny how a dog can “direct” you without even trying.

ELBEE She’s desperately trying to use movie references.

Problems disappeared, at least for awhile. We laughed and shared stories. There was a lot of curiosity as to how how the dogs train and test for work. Everyone was so relaxed that when it was time for photos we somehow ended up lying on the floor. Not really sure how that happened but of course Gus was behind it.

As we were leaving, and I was thinking about my status in the entertainment world, they showed us one more special feature. They had a private dog park for the residents. And not just any dog park. It had a big sign, modeled after the Hollywood sign, that read “Doggywood.” I couldn’t take Gus’s picture fast enough!

It’s a Wacky World

All you have to do is look at the weather and the news to see how wacky the world has become. Some of my friends and I actually take “news breaks” to save our sanity.

I always try to write from a positive place but lately there’s been a lot of crazy going on. For instance, last Sunday, as he often does, my husband Doug stopped at a small local deli to pick up sandwiches. He was inside with several others, when a man outside became very menacing, ranting, raving and threatening people. Three men held the door closed as he tried to break in. The police had to be called to take him away.

Walking in the neighborhood with the Doods, I’ve noticed that lots of houses now have “beware of dog” signs, alarms and cameras. I totally get it, but there’s one that kind of bugs me. As you go by, you hear an unfriendly woman’s voice saying, “Hi, you are currently being recorded.” I never know whether to wave, dance or make an unfriendly gesture.

ELBEE She’s also afraid to go for a walk without hair and makeup in case she’s on camera.

This week, I was passing by a house with the annoying recording, when I noticed a sign on the gate that disturbed me even more. It read, “Forget the dog. Beware of the humans.” I might have thought they were trying to be funny if there wasn’t a drawing of the barrel of a gun pointed right at me.

On a lighter note, I saw a wacky blast from the past. A friend and I were sitting by the window of a coffee shop on busy Ventura Boulevard in Encino when we saw a bright pink Corvette drive by. It was the exact kind of car that Angelyne, a buxom blonde who was famous for being famous, drove in the eighties. She had billboards all over Los Angeles. An Angelyne sighting was an event.

ELBEE I think someone was jealous.

Walking to my car a short time later, I saw the Corvette pulled over to the curb. Curious, I peeked in and couldn’t believe that it was actually Angelyne! I googled her and found out that she is my fellow senior peep. Is it too late for me?

ELBEE Oy!

And while I’m on the subject of pink, I want to end on a positive, possibly wacky note. A house around the corner has a huge statue of a flamingo at the base of the driveway. What are the chances that a therapist we work with at UCLA would recently have given the dogs a flamingo headband for their accessory collection?

I couldn’t wait to take a photo. The only problem was that I don’t know these particular neighbors and I might have been trespassing.

ELBEE I hope they have cameras.

Love Knots

When I was leaving UCLA with Gus on Wednesday, Jen, the director of the People Animal Connection, asked me how the morning went. Without hesitation, I answered “great.”

Considering that we had spent our time in Resnick neuropsych with several groups of patients, some severely disturbed, you might not think that would be the first adjective to jump to mind, but it truly was. The overall mood had lifted as soon as Gus bounced in.

I’m not saying that every interaction was perfect. A few patients sat a little distance away and didn’t initially engage. Still, I’d see them watching and sometimes they’d move closer to our circle on the floor.

Relaxing as they petted Gus, the patients shared stories about their own dogs. There was easy conversation as they rubbed his head. There were lots of smiles and a bit of applause as Gus did a few simple tricks. When I brought out his accessories, the smiles turned to laughter.

When it was time to leave each unit there were gentle good-bye hugs for Gus. More than one patient tried to convince me to leave him there. They promised to take care of him if I’d let him stay.

ELBEE No one asked her to stay.

A big part of successful visits is that the dogs love attention and know how to get it. It’s no secret that I’ve turned them all into total divas.

It begins at the groomer. They have to be bathed more frequently to go into the hospital and have come to regard the groomer as their home away from home. They run in the front door as if it’s a day spa.

Jen, the groomer to my pack of divas, has an assistant who adds that extra special note of affection they crave. It’s her adorable four year old daughter Anne. She has been around the Doods for as long as I can remember and has always been comfortable with them. Now she helps take care of them and keeps them company when they’re waiting to be picked up.

On the actual subject of grooming, last time I was there I asked Jen why Gus and Stanley seemed to have excessive matting, particularly on their necks and behind their ears even though I brush them constantly.

Her answer surprised me and touched my heart. Without hesitation she told me that it was from so many people in the hospital rubbing their heads, cuddling and hugging them. Then she smiled and said, “We call them love knots.”