UCLA – Page 10 – Me and the Doods.com

Pandemics, Protests and Positivity

With the COVID-19 pandemic continuing and black lives matter protests taking place around the world, I once again questioned if I should be striking a more serious note. I mentioned my concern to a few friends who immediately said “absolutely not.” They wanted my posts to be about love and positivity, not conflict and negativity.

ELBEE At least she’s not giving people heartburn with their morning coffee.

A lot of the credit goes to Gus and Stanley for helping me keep it together in these difficult days. They have been incredibly patient.

ELBEE That’s obvious.

It’s widely accepted that 10 minutes of petting a dog lowers your blood pressure, releases relaxing hormones and reduces psychic stress. Now studies show that cuddling with us may lower dogs’ blood pressure and cause them to release relaxing hormones. That made me feel so much better.

ELBEE Where does she come up with this stuff?

On another positive note, I’ve seen lots of UCLA signs popping up for the class of 2020. Every time I see one, I’m tempted to pose Gus and Stanley in front, because, after all, they are honorary Bruins. The signs make me think about the many patients, families and staff who are benefiting from the Zoom visits that the People Animal Connection teams are continuing to do.

ELBEE She forgot to mention that most of the signs were put up by UCLA alumni. That would include me.

To be honest, the virtual visits still seem odd to me. Yet how can I argue with the people who say that simply seeing the dogs and hearing about them, makes them smile.

I was given another gift of love from Marsha, the groomer, when I went to pick up the dogs at the “spa,” in itself a wonderful moment. You try drying Gus and Stanley.

GUS & STANLEY Hey, fabulous takes upkeep.

She told me that a woman, seeing Gus from the doorway, said he looked just like a dog that had visited her mother when she was a patient at Providence Tarzana Hospital. Turns out it was Gus. Her daughter said that the timing was perfect. Her mom had been so cheered up that she’d gotten out of bed and dropped down on the floor with him. Knowing how the visits still resonate is so comforting.

I had another beautiful encounter with a woman who was drawn to Stanley as soon as she met him. Knowing that he was a therapy dog and that I’d had others, she looked me in the eye and very quietly and sincerely said, “Thank you so much for what you do. I can tell you from personal experience that it works. It saved me.”

I truly hope these Dood moments that help me can help you too. I hope they can make these dark times a little brighter by chasing away stress and anxiety, even for a few moments.

Signs of the Time

It seems like forever ago that COVID-19 first came into our consciousness. At the time, trying to focus on the positive I wrote about the chalk drawings that were suddenly appearing on sidewalks. Some were funny. Some were grateful. Some were encouraging. They were early signs of this surreal time.

Over the last three months, the signs have changed. Seeing them when I walk the dogs is like an emotional gauge. I simply have to observe to get a sense of all that is happening.

In March, closed signs started to appear as stay at home orders were issued. Non-essential businesses had to lock their doors. The beaches and parks were shut down. Then, hard as it was to believe, the mountains were off limits.

ELBEE That one by the beach has a mixed message.

A few weeks ago, when I was walking the dogs down Ventura Blvd., a normally bustling street, there was barely any traffic. Stores and businesses were closed. In almost every window were signs indicating that they were shut down until further notice due to COVID-19. It felt as if I was in a science fiction movie.

This month, as things have gradually started to reopen, there has been a shift in the signs once again. Stores are announcing new hours and new rules. Masks are required along with social distancing. There are notices at crosswalks, warning you not to touch the button for the light, just to wait for it to change.

My favorite signs, like the chalk messages in the beginning, are the ones of celebration and gratitude. After months of home schooling, parents are showing lots of appreciation for teachers. The teachers, having missed the kids, are also reaching out.

June, usually a joyous month of graduation, has become a time of virtual celebration. I’ve lost count of how many signs of congratulation I’ve seen and how many drive-by parties and ceremonies. This sign for Justin touched me because I graduated from Syracuse University. I can only imagine his disappointment at missing all the pomp and circumstance.

ELBEE It was so long ago, I bet she can’t even remember the ceremony.

Gus and Stanley have even joined the chorus of well wishers. They are sending congratulations to the class of 2020.

ELBEE I can’t believe it. Stanley is wearing my favorite Grateful Dead tie.

We have been faced with so many deep rooted challenges in the past few weeks. I hope that the next signs I see will reflect love, honor and healing. Let them be signs of kindness and respect.

Who Ya Gonna Call? Virtual Stress Busters!

During final exams at UCLA, the PAC dogs serve as stress busters at Powell Library. As soon as the dogs walk in, the mood lightens and studying takes a temporary back seat. On one visit a girl kept hugging Gus and crying, reassuring me that they were happy tears. During Stanley’s first time at Powell, one of the students lay down on the floor with him.

Last week, since the pandemic made it impossible to bring the dogs in, virtual visits were the next best thing. Having done several meetings, I confidently logged in with Gus and Stanley. That’s when it happened. My computer told me that I couldn’t log in because I had to update Zoom. Two months ago I’d never even heard of it. Now I had to update it?

ELBEE What happened to her tech “savvyiness?”

With great trepidation, I pressed the update button. The blue line started moving but I don’t think it could have gone any slower. When it finally finished and I was about to congratulate myself, another message came up informing me that I didn’t have the necessary authority to install the update. It even asked if I was a robot.

ELBEE I was laughing so hard.

Then the invisible “it” who was controlling all of this wanted a password. By some miracle, after three wrong ones, I got it right. Then, totally stressed, I joined the other teams at the anti-stress meeting already in progress.

Gus, done by then, went to take a nap. Stanley, on the other hand, loves Zoom and shares the screen with me. One of the girls started smiling as soon as she saw his big shaggy head. She remembered him from a pet visit station at the hospital. She had been having a really bad day and Stanley had turned it around. A moment later she help up a photo of her and Stanley that she had saved in her phone.

Stanley watched as everyone introduced their dogs to the students, shared stories and answered questions. All of a sudden he saw Blue Moon, the adorable miniature horse who is in the program. Stanley has met her a few times and is a little obsessed. He couldn’t take his eyes off the screen as her owner Victoria had her do a few tricks.

ELBEE When Blue Moon played her piano, I thought Stanley was going to dance.

Obviously, it’s harder to gage the effects that the dogs are having during a virtual visit. It’s “pet” therapy and there is no petting. The only feedback comes through the comments and questions. On that day, someone had typed in, “I’m so happy now.” That made me so happy too.

It’s a Virtual World

Everywhere you look people are Zooming… book clubs, dog classes, family get togethers, cocktail parties. UCLA, in an effort to keep everyone connected and to let more faculty, staff and students meet the dogs, has been holding all sorts of sessions. We are experiencing this difficult time together so it’s also a chance to communicate, commiserate and support each other.

With the variety of virtual visits the Doods and I have been doing lately, I’m proud to say that my tech “savvyness” has grown by leaps and bounds.

ELBEE That is not a word. And “leaps and bounds” means that she can now log in to a meeting and actually get the video turned on.

This week some of the teams from the People Animal Connection did a teleconference with the history department. I think that’s what it’s called when you can see everyone, including yourself, in little squares on the screen.

It was going great. Students and staff from the department were so enthusiastic about meeting the dogs. Someone even commented that Gus’s hair looked just like Brian May’s from Queen. Being a fan, I loved the comparison.

ELBEE Bohemian Rhapsody is my favorite movie. Yes, we have screenings up here.

Then I had an etiquette dilemma. I noticed that my blush, which I was wearing for the first time in days, was too heavy. I didn’t know whether to discreetly try to blend it or duck out of the meeting, fix it and return.

ELBEE Is she kidding?

On another morning we did a virtual visit with the younger kids and the teens from the neuropsych units. We’ve done a couple before and have been trying to figure out ways to get the patients more engaged.

Shortly before we were going to start, Ursula, an amazing therapist whom we’ve worked with for years, e-mailed me and said how about costumes for the dogs. Having dressed up the Doods more times than I care to admit, it was a no-brainer. I threw together hats, scarves, sunglasses.

It was a hit from the beginning. The kids were laughing at the costumes and voting on the costume changes. We let them choose red hat or tan, pink tiara or blue? By the time we signed off, I was as happy as the kids had been.

A short time later, I received another e-mail from Ursula. Prior to the visit, one of the girls had been extremely withdrawn. During our onscreen costume party she had suddenly come to life. According to Ursula, “she was totally engaged and distracted while she was watching.”

It was one of those moments that make me look at Gus and Stanley, plus Charley and Elbee before them, with such incredible gratitude and wonder. No matter how many times these little miracles occur, they will never cease to amaze me.

**Elbee & Charley, gone but not forgotten.**

Can Dogs FaceTime?

As if there’s not enough pressure with social distancing during the pandemic, we’re being advised to be social at the same time that we’re distanced. Experts keep saying that in order to ward off feelings of depression and isolation, it’s important to reach out to other people.

This creates another kind of pressure because in order to connect, unless you just want to talk on the phone, you have to be somewhat tech savvy. There are some who have issues with my peeps (yes, seniors) because we’re not up to speed. The other day I even heard a comment from someone who said that he had no patience with old people being so techno challenged.

ELBEE That was her four year old grandson Ryder.

My prior experience of any kind was occasionally FaceTiming with the daughters or grandkids. It was casual. It was fun. It wasn’t a “thing.” I figured I could get by with that. Gus and Stanley had even done it.

GUS & STANLEY We enjoy FaceTiming

Then UCLA started sending out e-mails about virtual dog visits on something called Zoom. The only Zoom I’d ever heard of was the Zoom Room, a doggy exercise place. I was pretty sure that wasn’t what they were talking about. I wanted to help but I was hesitant. How would I join a Zoom meeting? How would the dogs participate? Would I need hair and makeup?

When Ursula and Robbie, two of my favorite therapists from the neuropsych units, reached out, I decided to give it a try. I asked a few very patient friends from the People Animal Connection to help me with some casual practice. I worked on logging in, camera angles, placement for Gus and Stanley.

ELBEE Casual practice? Camera angles? It was like she was auditioning for a movie.

On the big day, semi-prepared, I logged in for our visit. I was so excited when Ursula’s masked face actually showed up on my computer screen. The virtual visit with the kids in her unit was really happening.

Apparently, Gus and Stanley were excited too because they started competing for attention. When Gus danced, Stanley did his peek-a-boo trick. As Gus waved, Stanley jumped in the air. This whole show continued when Robbie joined us with the kids in her group.

Between the dogs leaping around and my asking every two seconds if the kids could see them, it was slightly chaotic. On the bright side, there was a little applause during the few times that I managed to get the dogs in the right place.

There was also laughter. I’m sure that my not being exactly tech savvy was very entertaining for a bunch of undoubtedly tech savvy pre-teens and adolescents.

Another Sweet Coincidence

My post this week is not about me or the Doods…well not totally..

ELBEE That is shocking and to be honest a little disturbing.

Recently, I ran into a woman whom I’d met briefly in the past. From a socially responsible distance, we began chatting and commiserating. I think that is often the case these days when we’re feeling so isolated by COVID-19.

The conversation, not surprisingly, turned to dogs. When I mentioned the comfort I was getting from Gus and Stanley, she suddenly remembered from our prior, very brief meeting, that I was involved with therapy dogs.

ELBEE Is there anyone who doesn’t know?

Her voice got emotional as she began to tell me about a therapy dog visit that held special meaning for her. It was 2007 and her mother, whom I believe was near the end, was a patient at UCLA Medical Center. During that difficult time, someone brought in a “big beautiful, white dog” to see her.

Then the woman held up a photo that she had saved in her phone for all these years. To my amazement, it was my friend Laura from the People Animal Connection and her beautiful Poodle Apollo. They joined the program around the same time that Charley and I did.

Apollo and Charley were truly the old guard. Both large, striking white dogs, their memories still light up people’s faces. Their accomplishments are legendary. Apollo helped bring a little girl out of a coma. Charley got a catatonic woman to smile and pet him.

Several months ago, Laura’s newest Poodles, Jackie and Kennedy, did a pet visit station at UCLA with Stanley. I couldn’t help but think how fortunate we were to still be holding the leashes of our special dogs (you too Gus) and enabling them to create memories for patients, friends, grateful family members and staff.

The woman I met that day, happened to tell me a story of coincidence, something that is always a gift when you work with therapy dogs. The dogs leave a legacy of special memories that we may never know about. Thanks to my encounter with a near stranger, I learned about one of those moments and was able to share it with Laura.

As she told me the story and showed me the photo, the woman and I went from being virtual strangers to being almost friends. She even shared that if she was ever to get a dog, she’d name it Apollo. I swear if not for social distancing, we would have hugged.

ELBEE Did you really think I’d let her completely leave me out? Please!

Accentuate the Positive

ELBEE Something about the title of this post made me want to sing along. Then I realized she’d stolen it from a classic song written by Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer in 1944.

CHARLEY Where does he come up with this stuff? I was the smart one before we moved up here.

The first positive news is that I haven’t been arrested or fined $1000. The mountains, my sacred place, have been closed due to the pandemic. I have tried to do my part by respecting the rules and not sneaking up there.

A few weeks ago I took a photo of the Doods next to a sign that first announced the closure. The new warning is a lot more emphatic, possible six months in jail emphatic, plus there’s police tape blocking the entrance to the trails.

ELBEE The thought of the daughters seeing her in handcuffs is just too much.

To make up for the restrictions, I started exploring different neighborhoods with Gus and Stanley. I was delighted to find so many small positive things that lifted my spirits.

GUS & STANLEY Not to break the mood but she also got us lost when she was exploring some of those neighborhoods.

A few times on quiet residential streets, when families walked by on the other side, small children called out to the dogs. Since I couldn’t bring them over, I had Gus dance and wave and Stanley play peek a boo. One little girl in a stroller clapped and giggled “bow wow.” Older kids laughed and waved back.

I saw a huge Laker sign on a house. How great that fans are still showing their love even those this magical season may be gone.

Someone else had put up this simple message by the mailbox.

A few homes even had Easter decorations. This holiday is very different from from those in the past but it gave me hope to see that people were celebrating.

ELBEE Isn’t the Easter bunny an essential service?

I think what I enjoyed most was the chalk art that has sprung up on so many sidewalks. Games of hop scotch have been replaced by messages of humor, support and appreciation.

I thought this one was perfect for the youngest daughter who’s home with her four year old and six year old. Even though she’s a teacher, it’s different when your students are still there at bedtime.

These two made me laugh out loud and think about my outfit. Yes, I was wearing sweats.

The outpouring of support for doctors and nurses touched my heart, especially since the middle daughter is still on the front lines as an ICU nurse.

It was also very moving to see neighbors supporting neighbors and strangers alike. In this often dark time how beautiful to see these displays of kindness and caring.

The Universe Is Knocking

The universe truly seems to have gone crazy this week. Covid-19 is causing fear, chaos and plain old stress. People are in masks. Market shelves are empty. Restaurants are closed. Then, after a prolonged dry spell, it rained for almost 24 hours in Los Angeles. What better time to share a more positive message from the universe.

A few weeks ago, before the virus reared it’s ugly head, I was visiting at Providence Tarzana with Stanley. I was about to knock on the door of a patient’s room when it suddenly flew open. The hospital rabbi, who was just leaving, saw me and Stanley and burst out laughing.

About to end her visit with the teenage patient and his mom, she had asked if there was anything else she could do for them. Simultaneously they’d answered that they’d love a dog visit. A moment later, there we were.

The patient seemed quite ill and I believe had gone through many hospitalizations, but when he met Stanley all I saw was total joy. At his request, I positioned Stanley next to him on the bed. The boy was suddenly so relaxed and at ease with my huge puppy cuddled at his side. Somehow the topic turned to sports and we were off and running.

We talked about the baseball scandal, agreeing that the title should be taken away from the Astros but not awarded to our beloved Dodgers. We shared our adoration for former Dodger announcer Vin Scully who, coincidentally, attends a church across from the patient’s grandma’s house. We both thought that Joe Davis and Orel Hershiser were excellent replacement choices when Vin retired.

Next we moved on to basketball. That’s when the mom, not really a sports fanatic, joined in. She said that she’d seen a tie-dyed Bill Walton at a Grateful Dead concert. Then she went back to what she was doing. Both Laker fans but also amazed at what the Clippers were doing, the patient and I applauded the season. Next it was UCLA basketball, men’s and women’s. We shared our excitement over a game winning buzzer beater the night before.

Looking back at our conversation, it’s hard to believe what has happened in the interim. Baseball and basketball seasons are on hold. March Madness has been cancelled. I am just grateful that on that particular day, all was well in the sports world and we were able to bond. Talking sports while petting Stanley had transported the boy away from his hospital room and his pain. We were simply two overzealous fans that the universe had brought together.

The Universe Is a Strange Place

On a beautiful morning, the Doods and I were enjoying a walk up one of our semi-regular routes, when a man started waving enthusiastically and then came running over. He’d seen me with the dogs for years and wanted to tell me how special they were. Of course, I immediately shared about all of the work they do.

ELBEE She actually bragged but I have no issue with that.

As soon as I mentioned UCLA Medical Center, the floodgates of conversation opened. The man, whose name is Montana, had suffered severe injuries in a motorcycle accident (two cars were involved) and said he owed a lot of his recovery to the hospital and to his faith.

He was telling me that he was a songwriter and musician and had worked with Bon Jovi when a lovely young woman, named Julia (pronounced with an “h”) approached. Apparently, she’s another fan of the dogs and was very excited to be petting them for the first time. And what are the chances, she was a singer songwriter who blogs about goodness.

ELBEE This woman looked better going hiking than certain other people look going out to dinner.

Being tone deaf, I couldn’t get in on the whole songwriting thing. Still, in our mutual spirit of oversharing when Julia spoke about having just written a song in Spanish although she barely speaks Spanish, I confessed that I’d recently written a children’s book. It was not something I’d ever thought about doing. It just came to me from the universe as I was climbing a steep trail.

ELBEE Oy. That’s a story for another day.

Anyone walking by would have thought we were old friends. We were laughing, playing with the dogs, taking photos. Julia even asked if it was okay if she set the photos and videos of the dogs to music. The whole encounter was getting better and better.

ELBEE Not to mention crazier and crazier.

Suddenly, Montana suggested we form a prayer circle. Never having been in a prayer circle in my life, I joined hands with them as if it was the most natural thing to do. There we were, the five of us, three relative strangers, Gus and Stanley, at the top of a busy street adjacent to the hiking trails in a prayer circle.

GUS AND STANLEY I hope none of our friends saw us.

After the prayer circle, we exchanged numbers, said our good byes and went our separate ways.

I admit this whole encounter was a bit unusual, even for me, but every word is true. I’m not even sure how it all happened except that it’s the dogs’ fault. Next week I will share a more profound story of the power of the universe.

A Horse Is a Horse of Course

Stanley’s second pet visit station at UCLA Medical Center was very special. Not so much because he’s grown into the job, but because of the illustrious company he was keeping.

STANLEY What does illustrious mean?

ELBEE You don’t want to know.

First there was Blue Moon, a miniature horse who does the monthly visit stations in the peace garden outside of the lobby. Adorable and smart, Blue Moon was in this year’s nationally televised Tournament of Roses Parade.

When Stanley was still a puppy we went to the Gentle Barn, an amazing animal sanctuary. He was very taken with the horses and even nuzzled a blind one named Hiro. Apparently he blocked all of that from memory. When he saw Blue Moon he was baffled. What was she? A dog? A horse?

Initially he was a little hesitant. Then he moved in closer and decided she was okay to play with so he went for the puppy “bounce.” To her credit, Blue Moon was extremely patient even though I’m sure she thought he was ridiculous.

Then we headed over to the patio on the other side of the hospital where we joined a husky named Izzy and her person Melissa. Izzy has the most beautiful blue eyes. If we combined Izzy’s eyes with Stanley’s long eyelashes, they’d have a cosmetics contract sewn up.

Izzy was recently voted America’s most popular pet on Good Morning America, so Stanley was in very good company. Although Stanley doesn’t have her credentials, the two of them were a huge hit. I lost count of how many people going in and out of the hospital stopped to pet them and take photos.

I wonder if Stanley was blocking me on purpose.

ELBEE Yes he was.

As so often happens amidst all of the dog festivity, I ended up in a serious and touching conversation. An older man approached and jokingly said that he’d like to pet Stanley but was afraid he’d want to steal him for his son.

He confided that his adult son had severe psychological issues. The man often felt that a dog would be of help. Coincidentally, I had recently read an article about organizations that were training psychiatric service dogs.

They are taught to sense anxiety and depression. They learn to stop someone who is self-harming with cutting. An agoraphobic woman said that her dog enabled her to leave the house. A very young boy with severe problems was able to return to school.

I truly wished that I’d had specifics for the man but when I shared the information I had, he was so appreciative. He was glad to have a direction where he could search for help for his son. He even took a moment to hug Stanley.