July 2023 – Me and the Doods.com

The Good, the Bad, the Happy, the Sad (In No Particular Order)

By no stretch of the imagination am I a morning person but there I was yesterday out with Stanley before seven a.m. Blame it on the heat wave which, as far as I’m concerned, absolutely sucks.

Around the corner, I ran into a woman whom I know casually from walking in the neighborhood. She loves the Doods.

ELBEE She doesn’t even know her name but they chat like old friends.

As she stopped to pet Stanley, we commiserated about the weather. She admitted that it was really depressing her. I was so relieved to hear her say that because I’ve been feeling the same way! It’s true that misery loves company.

ELBEE Seriously? She was relieved to hear that someone was depressed?

Unfortunately, I’ve seen people walking their dogs during the heat of the day, not realizing that the sidewalks are hot enough to burn their paws. There has been a lot about it in the news but in good conscience I just wanted to mention it.

Now, on to the positive.

ELBEE Finally!

Gus and Henry worked a special event together. A few weeks ago, Henry had his first official “gig” with the Turner-UCLA Internship, a program for high school kids interested in careers in health care. It went so well the last time, I thought why not bring two.

ELBEE Notice how her hair looks like Gus and Henry’s?

Kristen from PAC gave a great talk and showed a moving video, followed by a question and answer session, but the kids’ interactions with the dogs taught them more about the human/animal bond than any words ever could.

By the way, Gus isn’t in the photos because he was sprawled on the floor for belly rubs.

In my last post, I wrote about a minor miracle. In a matter of hours, my seven year old grandson Ryder went from being terrified of the dogs to dressing them up in costume and posing for pictures. It began when my son-in-law Jay thought that Henry’s gentle nature might help.

The change was absolutely amazing. I told Ryder that I was very proud of him and asked how he did it. His response was, “I have no idea.” I am happy to say that it just got better and better.

On a bittersweet note, July twenty-second marked twenty seven years since my brother Stan passed. Although it’s incredibly sad that he left us so early, his funny, caring spirit is always with me. Come to think of it, as a total animal lover, he may have had a part in Ryder’s change of heart.

Halloween in July

This week’s post was nearly finished but then an unexpected grandkids/dogs encounter was too much fun not to share.

My daughter Danielle, her husband Jay and their kids Bella and Ryder arrived from San Jose this morning. Bella loves the dogs. Seven year old Ryder, not so much. He’s never been a fan of dogs, especially large, long-haired ones that crave attention. Doodles do not like to be ignored.

Ryder’s reaction has always been one of sheer terror. We had to make sure that he and the dogs stayed in totally separate parts of the house or we’d hear a lot of yelling. Over time, he’d kind of gotten used to Gus and even nicknamed him “Cloud.” Big Stanley was still “Pain in the Butt.” Then giant Henry joined the pack.

You can only imagine the chaos today with the three dogs wanting to greet everyone and Ryder wanting to go home. For awhile we kept them as far apart as possible. Then Jay, who hadn’t seen Henry since he was a slightly goofy puppy, was so taken with how calm he’d become, he thought that Henry might be the way to help Ryder overcome his fear.

It was a process, but with Jay’s encouragement, Ryder ended up sitting quietly with Henry and petting him. Eventually, I’m truly not sure how it happened, Ryder was in the bedroom with all three. With Bella’s help, I started showing some of the dogs’ silly photos to Ryder. Then I brought out their basket of props, always a hit with the children we visit in the hospital.

Before I knew it, my grandkids were putting funny glasses and headbands on themselves and on the dogs. They got very excited when I asked if they wanted to see the special dresser where I kept the dogs’ holiday costumes.

As soon as Ryder found the Halloween drawer, he was ready for a photo shoot. He started pulling out accessories, planning it all. He even ran upstairs to find more. It was incredible to watch him.

Since Danielle is an excellent photographer, we enlisted her to do the honors. Against her will, she agreed. She kept apologizing to the dogs as I dressed them up and mumbled about reporting me to PETA. I think I also heard the words, “crazy grandma.”

Getting them all in front of the fireplace was a little chaotic but there was so much laughter. Watching Ryder go from screaming about the dogs to posing with all three with a smile on his face was a little miracle.

It’s My Birthday and I’ll Hike If I Want To

ELBEE Why does that title make me want to sing?

Several years ago, I began the tradition of doing a challenging birthday hike. The first one was up a really steep local trail nicknamed the “butt burner.” After a few years, I realized that July was not the best month for that.

ELBEE Her daughters put it a little differently. “Mom, are you insane?”

I thought about changing my birthday to November but then came up with a much simpler plan. I’d hike from the San Fernando Valley to the sea, going from the heat to the ocean breezes. It’s worked out pretty well so far but this month there has basically been a national heat wave. I briefly reconsidered, then, decided to go for it.

ELBEE Guess what her daughters had to say about that.

I’m happy to report that I’m home safe and sound, except for a few cuts and bruises, and did not have to be rescued by helicopter. That will never happen because the first thing they do is give your age on the news. Then people comment, “What was that old lady doing up there in this weather?”

For some reason, that reminds me of an annoying commercial. A gray haired woman of a certain age, whatever that means, says, “Age is just a number and mine is unlisted.” I should try out for that. I can be annoying. By the way, thank you to my granddaughter Bella who finds me “entertaining” rather than annoying.

Back to the hike. It was wonderful, tiring, but wonderful. The views, as always, were a gift. There was such a feeling of freedom. Being in the mountains for my birthday gives me time to reflect.

ELBEE Once again she asked a total stranger to take her picture.

There is a sense of challenge when I start out in Reseda and a sense of accomplishment when I arrive at Temescal Gateway Park. For the moment, aging is on the back burner.

As he did last year, my husband Doug picked me up at the “finish line,” with Henry along for the ride. It’s like a birthday present. It’s also a sweet part of the tradition. He even brought the silly sunglasses.

GUS & STANLEY Sorry to break the mood but we feel very left out. Why didn’t Doug bring us? We’re extremely festive.

Good Morning Gus

**Bringing comfort to Tarzana Hospital**

Gus is truly a people pleaser, particularly when he goes into the hospital. Recently he had a morning that was special even for him. He was making his usual “rounds” with the patients in Resnick Neuropsych at UCLA.

While in our first unit, the kids under twelve, he had a very unexpected challenge. An adorable little boy, of around eight or nine, at first smiled when he saw Gus. Then suddenly, due to Tourette’s syndrome, a difficult neuromuscular disorder, he began yelling and making extremely erratic movements. He calmed down between outbursts.

Gus took it all in stride. He sat very still, tilting his head from side to side as he intently watched the boy. It was almost as if he understood.

Our next stop was the teen unit. One of the boys got so excited when Gus walked in, he almost applauded. On my prior visit with Stanley, the boy had told me that Gus was a star and he couldn’t wait to meet him. Apparently Gus’s reputation had preceded him. He has fans.

ELBEE I can relate.

Hugging Gus, with a huge grin on his face, the teen said he was going home that day. He was just so happy that he hadn’t left before he’d had the chance to meet Gus in person.

My little star had more positive interactions with the young adults. As he sprawled on the floor for belly rubs, he kept his front paw draped over a woman’s leg. She looked over at me in wonder and said, “I think he really likes me.”

Another woman seemed very reserved, but chatted quietly, sharing about her dog, as she sat next to me on the floor petting Gus. It was only as we were leaving the unit that I learned from the therapist that the woman barely leaves her room and never talks to anyone. I am always so grateful when they let me know the impact the dogs are having.

Later in the week, Jen, the director of PAC, said she had a present for me. It was from another one of the boys in the teen unit. He’d told her it was extremely important to him that I receive it. When I opened the envelope and saw this whimsical drawing of Gus, the emotion behind it brought tears to my eyes.

A Positively Positive Walk with Henry

It always seems that when you’re walking a dog, you make a lot more connections with other people. With a dog Henry’s size it’s an adventure because it’s so hard to ignore him.

A woman driving by yelled from her car, “I just want to hug him.” An older man commented on how much Henry had grown since the last time he’d seen him a few months ago. Then he kind of whispered, “Im really a cat person but Henry is a star.”

A jovial woman standing in her driveway waved us over so that she could meet Henry. She and her husband had seen us around the neighborhood. Explaining that her husband was a “jokester,” she shared that whenever they spotted us he’d ask, “Whose hair do you think looks better today, hers or the dog’s?”

ELBEE Definitely Henry’s

As we were heading down the hill from her house, a car started slowly backing up next to us, making me kind of nervous. Then the driver’s window rolled down and the woman behind the wheel said, “I didn’t mean to scare you but my kids wanted to see your dog.” As she lowered the back window, I saw a little girl and her brother smiling and waving to Henry. Of course I had him wave back and play peek-a-boo.

ELBEE She can’t help herself.

Henry spotted a group of workmen and tugged on his leash to go greet them. Since I had heard some Spanish, I told them his name was Enrique. As we were chatting, one of them said to his friend, “se parece a su perro,” she looks like her dog. They were surprised when I started laughing. Of course I told them about being in I Love You Man with Charley, my first look alike dog.

ELBEE She let them think she was an actress.

On a different positive note, Henry worked his first official “gig” at UCLA. He met with a group of high school students interested in careers in the health care field. They were there to learn about the healing power of the human/animal bond. Jen, the manager of PAC gave a great talk and showed a very moving video but the kids’ smiling interactions with Henry said it all.