Author: Ellen Morrow

The exciting news is that on Wednesday, Stanley passed his Pet Partners therapy dog certification at UCLA. Last week, I hinted that he might be testing sometime soon but I didn’t want to jinx it.

ELBEE Hinted? She wasn’t that subtle.

I had an alternative title “Oh No! He Didn’t!” ready just in case but I’m so happy that I didn’t have to use it. Having to retake the test wouldn’t have been the worst thing in the world but this is so much better!

Although I’ve done the test at least ten times (it’s required for each team every two years), I was still nervous. I didn’t know whether the goofy puppy or the good puppy would show up. I needn’t have worried. Stanley was in his element. When you raise diva dogs (yes, I confess) they thrive on undivided attention.

He breezed through the obedience commands, loved it when three people petted him all at once and relaxed for a hug. He barely reacted when someone approached him in a walker yelling, “Can I pet your dog?

ELBEE Hello? I’ve been coaching him for weeks. You know the saying, “Behind every great dog is an even greater dog.”

I almost had to ask myself, “Who is this dog?” Apparently he was oblivious to any of my tension traveling down the leash.

GUS That’s because I showed him how to use yoga breathing to stay calm.

ELBEE To digress for a moment, I had my own stress this week. I was walking with the husband when I ate something on the road that looked delicious. Turns out it was a dead rat and it made me sick. I’m thinking of becoming a vegetarian.

Since Stanley had only met a couple of people at UCLA, I thought what better time for him to make his debut. It’ll be quite awhile before he’s ready to start visiting patients but it was the perfect opportunity to introduce him around and just happen to mention his test results.

We stopped in administration to say hi to Phyllis and to the other women in the office. They had heard about Stanley and seen lots of photos but this was their first official meeting. Stanley did not disappoint. It was love all around.

Then we headed down to the volunteer office. Big and sweet and fluffy, he reminded everyone of the late wonderful Charley. He even did the Charley “lean.”

No matter how any times I test the dogs, there is always such a sense of joy and accomplishment. Anyone who has ever had the privilege of holding the leash of a therapy dog understands what a unique experience it is. Surprisingly, it’s hard for me to find the right words to adequately express my gratitude to Charley, Elbee, Gus and now Stanley. They have led me down a path of purpose and wonder.

You would think that meeting Clayton Kershaw at UCLA would make the rest of the morning pale in comparison. Instead it just kept getting better.

After recovering from the Kershaw encounter, I brought Gus downstairs. Blue Moon an adorable miniature horse, who is a special part of the People Animal Connection, was doing visits in the atrium outside the lobby.

Since we had to hang around to meet a few people, I took Gus outside to see Blue Moon. A teenage girl in a wheelchair had been slowly but happily walking the horse. She noticed Gus with his still slightly blue Dodger ears and her smile grew even bigger. By the way, she liked my hair too.

ELBEE Really?

That opened the floodgates for her to start telling me about a special Yorkie she used to have. I believe it was for emotional support. The teen was incredibly animated as she shared photos and videos of the dog dyed different colors and in costume.

What I didn’t learn until later was that it was the first time she’d left her hospital room in a month! She was such an animal lover that the thought of seeing Blue Moon and the dogs had been the incentive to get her out of bed.

On the patio by one of the entrances, some of the PAC dogs were doing a visit station. It’s a monthly event when people coming in and out of the hospital have a chance to meet the dogs and to find out what they do. That was our next stop.

Gus was meeting and greeting everyone with tail wagging when suddenly he was sitting in the middle of a bunch of teenage girls who were squealing his name and hugging him like an old friend. Turns out they were old friends. A therapist had brought down some patients from the Eating Disorder Unit to see Blue Moon and the dogs.

Gus, Elbee and, even Charley before them, have worked in that unit for years. Unfortunately, over long periods of time, many of the patients are in and out of the hospital. On the bright side, they come to know and love the dogs. There is a real bonding that occurs.

Perhaps seeing that interaction, Yancy, another dog lover, who was covering the event for UCLA social media, asked if I would do a short interview.

ELBEE That was a no brainer.

I almost didn’t have to answer his questions because there was a constant stream of people around Gus and the other dogs showing Yancy exactly what they do. From a staff member who’d had a rough morning, to an autistic boy in a wheelchair, to a family that had flown to California in support of a critically ill relative, all we heard were “thank you” and “this made my day.” It was like a collective sigh of relief.

Sometimes the universe just validates our decisions. Recently I shared that I turned down the chance to throw out the first pitch at a Dodger game. To be honest, it was one of the toughest decisions I’ve ever made, but turns out, it was probably one of the best. It would have been the chance of a lifetime but I really have no baseball skills.

THE DOODS She wonders why none of us fetch. We’ve seen her throw. It’s dangerous.

Coincidentally, a few days ago, the husband was watching a television program where they were showcasing some of the worst first pitches in history. One person bounced the ball. Another rolled it. Then there was the young woman who hit the cameraman with the baseball! I cringe to think that could have been me.

Then, as if I needed another sign, I met one of the greatest pitchers of all time. Gus and I were at UCLA helping out with a few special events. As we walked into the playroom at Mattel Children’s Hospital, we ran into a group of visitors.

In the center, towering over the others, wearing a baseball hat and a Dodger tee shirt, was none other than Clayton Kershaw! My first thought after, OMG that’s Clayton Kershaw, was thank goodness he had never seen me throw a baseball.

ELBEE I’m sure he would have been waiting anxiously for her to throw out the first pitch.

Gus, as you can see from this photo, looked at him with complete adoration. He looked at Kenta Maeda the same way. He truly has become such a Dodger fan. I managed to restrain myself and not say anything completely embarrassing. Even when I chatted with Kershaw’s wife for a few minutes, I didn’t point out that we were both named Ellen.

ELBEE Shocking.

STANLEY I don’t understand why I didn’t get to meet Kershaw. I love him.

I must admit that after meeting Kenta and Clayton and experiencing how nice they are, I feel personally involved when I watch the games, almost maternal. My friend Donna, whose Bichon Tommy is Gus’s buddy, has the same issue.

ELBEE Some would call it stalkerish. And I love how she’s on a first name basis.

When I thought the whole crazy experience couldn’t possibly get any better, I found out that after Gus and I left, Clayton commented how true it was that some people really look like their dogs. Then someone told him that Charley and I were in I Love You Man. He knows about my movie stardom.

ELBEE Stardom? I don’t know how much more I can take. What she doesn’t share with many people is that she and poor Charley were on the gag reel. It was totally not his fault. Come to think of it, it’s a good thing she wasn’t on the bad pitch reel. We never would have heard the end of it.