May 2023 – Me and the Doods.com

Notes of Kindness

Thursday, UCLA held its annual celebration of unity and kindness. There were display tables set up outside of the hospital and guest speakers. Stanley and three of his PAC buddies were on hand to greet everyone but what struck me the most was the atmosphere. People were reaching out to each other and isn’t that what we need right now?

I wanted to share a couple of positive encounters that I’ve had recently. I was calling a doctor’s office to make a routine appointment and the woman on the phone had to put me on hold several times. She was very apologetic and very appreciative when I assured her that I totally understood.

She admitted that some people are extremely rude to her on the phone. When I commiserated, she said, “we just need to be kind to each other.” I told her I couldn’t agree more. A few days later, I received a letter with a reminder and some information about my upcoming visit. She had attached a small note that read, “Thank you for being so kind.”

The second encounter occurred when I was hiking up a very narrow trail with a friend. We saw four older men coming down so simply moved over and waited to give them room to go by.

One of the men said a sincere “thank you.” Another one commented that it was so nice of us. A third added that it was very “classy.” It was just a natural thing for us to do, truly no big deal, but their reactions made it feel special.

On another note, May is mental health awareness month. It made me look back at my time visiting Resnick Neuropsych at UCLA with the Doods. It’s hard to believe that, starting with Charley, it’s been seventeen years!

I have been blessed to watch the dogs reach patients with severe depression, bi-polar disorder, even schizophrenia. The therapists have told me how remarkably the mood changes as soon as any of the dogs walk in.

They bring a positive energy when they visit. There is no judgment. There are no expectations. They offer love and kindness to whomever needs it. I believe the world would be a much better place if we’d follow their “lead.”

Enrique’s Smile

The UCLA calendar shoot is the perfect excuse for me to dress the Doods up in costume. They are basically divas, so it works all the way around.

ELBEE We learned from a woman who, may I remind you, blew kisses to the audience at a bodybuilding competition.

I rest my case.

To get them camera ready for last week’s shoot, I took them for blow drys at the doggy spa. Jen, the groomer, and her four year old assistant Anne, made sure they looked fabulous for their close ups.

Henry, now an official member of the People Animal Connection, is going to be in the calendar for the first time. I really wanted to have the three posing together but knew it would be total chaos.

ELBEE That’s why they have photoshop.

I decided it would be best to bring Gus and Stanley on one day and Henry on another. The older two have been doctors, tennis players, even a bride and groom, so they’re pros.

ELBEE Surprisingly, Gus was a lovely bride.

The only problem was that when we tried to have them pose separately, they wanted to be together. Stanley let out his unique frustrated bark when he saw Gus in front of the camera without him. Once we dressed him up and sat him next to Gus, they were ready to go. The theme, “high school yearbook,” opened up endless possibilities.

When Henry was a puppy and I tried to put him in simple accessories, he took off in a sprint. Now, having dressed up countless times, he appears to enjoy it.

At the photo shoot, He took his mark like a pro and seemed to have a smile on his face. After a bit, when he was a little distracted, I suggested calling him “Enrique” to get his attention.

It started when we were out walking and met a lot of Spanish speaking people who loved it when I told them his name was Enrique. With his unusual appearance and the name they tend to remember him and will often call out greetings when we pass by.

Everyone at the photo shoot got such a kick out of it and began calling him Enrique too. It seemed to make the smile on his face even bigger.

Juliane, the photographer, has taken pictures of my five Doods so there is always a moment of nostalgia watching them pose for her on the white backdrop under the lights. And no session is complete without turning the camera on Juliane and taking her picture with them.

What a Week!

On a quiet dog week, I sometimes have to find inspiration for my writing in random places like the saying on a packet of Truvia or a coyote walking near me in the mountains. My husband, trying to be nice, will say, “That’s good. You made something out of nothing.”

ELBEE Is that a compliment?

He’s still trying to figure out why Elbee comments in my posts.

ELBEE Excuse me. I’m the heart and soul of her blog.

The past several days have definitely not been quiet. The Doods have been busy, working their magic in different places and in different ways.

Last week, for instance, Gus and a few of his People Animal Connection colleagues visited a local high school that has had some recent tragic incidents. A counselor thought that the dogs would be a positive distraction.

They were more than a distraction. They changed the overall mood. It was like a party. There was laughter and there were lots of selfies.

Tuesday was a historic day in Dood world. Newly certified Henry had his first solo “gig.”

ELBEE “Historic” may be a little over the top.

In April, I took Gus to the Wasserman campus of the Motion Picture and Television Fund to cheer up some of the staff. The physical therapy department is closing so morale is low. He was such a hit, they requested another visit.

Henry’s only two and very large so I’ve been holding back, but Gus and Stanley needed a day off. Turns out, I was worried for nothing. He was so sweet and gentle with everyone.

ELBEE Not to mention, he put up with all of the accessories.

As part of nurse appreciation week, we went to the award ceremony for Resnick, our regular neuropsych units at UCLA. What made it particularly nice was having the chance to speak to people outside of the work setting. Several came over to share how much the PAC dogs improve everyone’s day.

Friday, after Gus spent the morning at Tarzana Hospital, I stopped at the Starbucks on the way to the parking lot.

ELBEE She can’t help herself.

As we walked in, a very fussy toddler saw Gus and almost immediately calmed down. His grateful mom brought the little boy over to pet him. He giggled when I had Gus wave and play peekaboo.

The mom was so happy, as we waited in line, she insisted on paying for my order. It was such a lovely gesture to end the week.

A Cautionary “Foxtale”

This spring, following all of the unusual rain, the Santa Monica mountains are spectacular. The bush sunflowers, the caterpillar phacelia, the sage and the mustard are carpeting the hills in vibrant colors.

ELBEE Is the mustard taller this year or is she getting shorter?

The mountains are truly my happy place, especially in bloom, but lately I have refrained from taking the dogs up there. Along with the flowers have come rattlesnakes, poison oak and foxtails, a seemingly innocuous plant that can cause so many problems.

Despite an abundance of caution and sticking to local streets, Stanley had a recent run in with a foxtail. It started with him licking his paw non-stop and ended with a visit to the vet.

After two hours of waiting with Stanley as a walk in, I had to leave him there so they could resolve the problem. After some probing and a light sedative to ease the pain, they found the offending foxtail.

I had a real pang of dog mom guilt when they handed it to me in a small bottle. I don’t know how I missed it, especially since Stanley is very dramatic and throws himself on the sidewalk when something is bothering him.

STANLEY How else am I going to tell her.

Even worse, he came home wearing one of those huge E-collars that look so uncomfortable and have them bumping into everything. Gus was very sympathetic. Henry, on the other hand, took one look at it, bolted across the room, and stared at Stanley from a safe distance.

Fortunately, in the closet where I keep all things dog-related, I had a Zen collar for Stanley. It’s cloth, much softer and more wearable than those hard plastic versions. As a matter of fact, Stanley looked so relaxed that I decided to join him.

ELBEE Oy!

Seriously, keep an eye out when you’re walking your dogs. Those foxtails are a menace hiding in plain sight.

Making the World Better, One Therapy Animal Visit at a Time

April 30th is National Therapy Animal Day. In our house, every day is Therapy Animal Day.

ELBEE As well it should be.

Even though I’ve been fortunate enough to work with the dogs for so long, a very personal note from Pet Partners, our organization for certification, really brought it home to me. It was a thank you for a donation I’d made recently after Gus and Henry did their evaluations.

The woman wrote about my being dedicated to the human-animal bond for seventeen years. She also mentioned Charley, Elbee, Gus, Stanley and Henry by name. I was overwhelmed with memories.

I will never forget the schizophrenic little girl, who, after a very difficult episode, hugged Charley and told him she loved him. Then there was the man who came out of a months long coma to say that the only thing he remembered was the presence of the dogs on his bed. I can still picture the very young, very sick boy petting Gus and saying in the sweetest voice, “This is the greatest day ever.”

Last week at Tarzana Hospital, Stanley had two interactions that were so quietly meaningful. A woman in severe pain had requested a dog visit. Stanley leaned very gently against her as we chatted. All of a sudden, with a surprised look on her face, she said, “This is the first time in three days that I haven’t been in pain.”

We walked into another room where an elderly woman, sitting in a chair, took one look at Stanley and said, “What a beautiful dog.” She told me that she was a total dog lover but because of her age and health issues hadn’t been able to have one of her own for years.

Then, with tears in her eyes, she shared that Stanley was the first dog she’d petted since COVID! She added how upset she’d been that her hospital stay had been extended but thought maybe it was so she could be there to meet Stanley.

Happy therapy animal day to the Doods and all of their canine “colleagues.” I am grateful for the joy and privilege of seeing you work your magic as you share your unconditional love.