August 2023 – Me and the Doods.com

Stanley Is a Dodger Dog

While I was writing this post, a rare tropical storm was wreaking havoc in Southern California. Then, when I thought things couldn’t get much crazier, we had a small earthquake! I turned on the news and heard it was a 5.1 quake centered in a neighboring county. One of the reporters said it was a “gentle” quake.

ELBEE Isn’t that an oxymoron

Can you use a Dodger break?

Wednesday afternoon, the UCLA People Animal Connection had a special visit with the team. About a dozen dogs and Blue Moon, the miniature horse, brought animal therapy and love to Dodger Stadium. Like the Taylor Swift event (Henry is a Swifty ) a few weeks ago, it was a bit chaotic but fun.

There was no question which of the Doods to take. For as long as I can remember, Stanley has been a Dodger fan. When the games are on, he flops down on his spot in the family room and watches the tv. He doesn’t take his eyes off the screen.

Gus and Henry just don’t have the same enthusiasm, although when Gus met Clayton Kershaw he stared up at him adoringly.

We greeted staff, then mingled with fans who arrived early. And who can resist a photo with a giant Dodger. Well, actually, Gus had a moment a few years ago but wasn’t quite so comfortable. And Henry met him at the hospital and was terrified.

Even though it was a hot afternoon, we headed out to the warning track for a meet and greet with some of the players. Being a “grandma groupie,” that was such a treat.

ELBEE Unfortunately, one time she shared that information with manager Dave Roberts.

Several Dodgers, including Freddie Freeman and James Outman, were on the field but this photo with superstar Mookie Betts was a highlight for me.

Despite wanting to stay there and take it all in, it was still very warm so I went into the dugout to get Stanley some shade. To my delight, sitting there were former player and now announcer Nomar Garciapara along with sideline reporter Kirsten Watson.

They were both so nice but I want to give a shoutout to Kirsten. She had a small, battery operated fan, and the whole time we were chatting she held it above Stanley to help keep him cool.

Sharing Joy

After a natural disaster like the wildfires in Maui, I feel a bit insensitive writing my regular post. I have great memories of taking our daughters to Lahaina when they were little. It’s hard to believe the town is gone. My prayers are with them.

My hope is that I can offer you some positivity by sharing special moments I’ve had with the Doods. If I can bring you a bit of joy, I’m grateful.

Some interactions are seemingly so simple. In the under twelve neuropsych unit at UCLA, a little boy was clutching a feather as he sat with our group. When I was getting ready to leave with Stanley, he came up to me, handed me the feather and said very quietly, “I want you to have this.” I could tell how much it meant to him.

Walking in the neighborhood with Henry, I passed a house with a man and woman standing in the front yard. Henry, of course, stopped to watch them. The man was happy to see him. The woman, not so much. She admitted she wasn’t a “dog person” and was a bit OCD about dog hair.

Not sure how Henry did it, but within minutes the woman was petting him and saying that he was “mesmerizing.” She began calling for her two teenage sons to come out to meet him. It was love at first sight. They wanted him to move in. As we left, they all, including the mom, were smiling and said “Please, stop by any time.”

In recent weeks, I’ve mentioned bringing Henry and Gus to visit with the high school students in the Turner-UCLA internship. It’s a program for kids who are interested in the health care field. This week I brought Stanley with Gus.

“Aunt” Carol, who handles Gus, and I hid outside of the auditorium with the dogs until everyone was seated. When we walked in with the canine guests, it set the tone for the whole class. It was like a surprise party.

They were all very attentive and had lots of questions when Jen, director of the People Animal connection, showed a video and spoke to them about the human/ animal bond. When it was time to interact with the dogs, it was just so joyous. They even wanted to select the accessories for Gus and Stanley to wear in their group photo.

During Jen’s presentation, a picture of Charley, Elbee and puppy Gus, my first three therapy dogs popped up. Gus is now the senior in an incredibly copacetic pack with Stanley and Henry.

It made me reflect on how much comfort, love and joy they’ve brought me over the years. I wish I could share them with everyone.

Henry Is a Swiftie

How do you do justice to describing an event with about a dozen dogs and Blue Moon, a miniature horse, all dressed up like Taylor Swift? That’s exactly what happened at UCLA on Thursday. It was a way to bring part of her incredibly popular Eras tour to the patients in Mattel Children’s Hospital.

It goes without saying that there was chaos. Picture a makeshift tent on the lawn outside of the hospital cafeteria with all of the dogs getting into costume. There were a lot of sequins and sparkles happening. I noticed a couple sitting nearby watching with very quizzical expressions on their faces.

When I walked over with Henry, the Dood of the day, to say hello to their little boy, they asked me what was going on. After I gave them a brief summary of the day’s events, they started laughing and said, “Now it makes sense.”

I was a bit disappointed that Henry’s outfit didn’t involve sequins, but he was in a plaid flannel shirt that was a perfect replica of the one Taylor was wearing on the cover of her evermore album.

ELBEE She dropped that in so casually as if she knew what she was talking about.

After the dogs and the horse were all dressed, they mingled with the huge crowd that had gathered. Then it was time for the fashion show down a mini red carpet.

A patient who had come downstairs for some fresh air, was very surprised, but delighted, when she saw all of the activity. She said how much better she felt as she posed for photos with the dogs.

Our next stop was on pediatrics. Some of the kids were a little young to be Swifties but their parents weren’t. Neither were the nurses. The animals, in their outfits, were the best dose of medicine!

The email that UCLA Health sent out prior to the Taylor Swift event included a short video taken during COVID. At the time, I was still doing Zoom calls with the dogs instead of in-person visits. On the computer screen, you could see Gus and Stanley sitting quietly next to me.

Henry, then a big goofy puppy, was crawling around my lap. I commented that, “Hopefully, some day he will follow in his big brothers’ paw prints.” How ironic. That’s exactly what he did last week.