Some people have live-in housekeepers. I could use a live-in geek squad since I’m not a whiz on the computer. The other day, I was so desperate, I put Gus on the job.
Ironically, a few hours after I wrote that, our internet went out for two days. Was the universe sending me a message or does AT&T just have issues?
It happened to be August 26th, National Dog Day. I know I’m a little late to the party, but I think we all know that every day is National Dog Day, especially for Doodles.
Thursday of that week, Gus and Henry, joined by Toby and Maddox, took part in the monthly pet visit station at UCLA, a special one for the special day. The four gathered outside the main hospital entrance to greet staff, families, patients, basically anyone who walked by.
So often I find myself writing about joy in describing events with the dogs. This was no exception. Virtually every face lit up when they saw them.
I lost count of how many times I heard “I needed this,” or “this made my day.” A cardiac surgeon came over for a reprieve from his demanding schedule.
When he squatted down to pet the dogs, Henry started backing up trying to sit in his lap. He doesn’t quite understand that he’s eighty pounds and will even do this to someone sitting on the toilet.
ELBEE TMI
Fortunately, the doctor was a very good sport.
A frail looking young woman in a hospital gown, pulling her IV pole, slowly walked over to see Gus and Henry. She looked very sad when she first approached but began to smile and talk softly as she petted and hugged them. She told me how happy it made her to see all of the dogs when she came outside.
I responded that I was so glad we were there at the right time to meet her. She looked me directly in the eyes and said, “It was a blessing.”
A few minutes after she went back inside, Jen, the director of the People Animal Connection, who was on “Purell patrol” at the door, came over.
ELBEE Those glasses look strangely familiar.
The patient’s mother had been watching the interaction with the dogs and quietly shared with Jen that her daughter had spent a lot of time in the hospital. This stay was going to be three weeks. The smile on her daughter’s face was the first one she’d seen since she’d been readmitted. She asked Jen to be sure to let me know how grateful she was in case she didn’t get a chance to tell me herself.
