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.
