Jefferson University School of Nursing

It was so nice being a part of a visit to the nursing school at Jefferson University last week. Although the weather was rather dismal the mood of the college students was anything but. We were forced to meet indoors as the weather did not cooperate, but our numbers were significant. Maggie and I arrived along with one other dog, Izzy a Greyhound and two rabbits, Marble and Bubbles. The excitement could be heard in the voices of the students when they realized we had finally gotten there. Each of us was assigned a corner of the room to allow the students the ability to visit with each animal without disturbing one another. In some of my other visits to universities I have noticed many students stop by and spend a few minutes with Maggie. At this visit many of the students spent a large amount of time with us. If they got up to go visit either Izzy Marble or Bubbles, they found their way back to us. There were the bits of conversation I overheard about Maggie resembling their dog back home or how they miss their dog and couldn’t wait to see him/her. Lots of pictures were taken of Maggie (with my permission of course). As is my norm I never ask a student about what they are studying or how it is going in school, but I did overhear bits of conversation. A large percentage of these students are in their first year of nursing school and are feeling stressed out. Maybe this is the reason they stayed so long visiting with Maggie. This made me feel good to have been able to help de-stress them. Towards the end of the session a young man approached me and put his phone in front of me. I looked at the screen and saw a picture of Maggie-or at least what I thought was Maggie. When I asked who it was he told me it was his dog. Wow, definitely a strong resemblance. The coloring was the same and the size also very similar. He told me his parents got his dog from somewhere in Pennsylvania- really could be Maggie’s brother as they were the same age and Maggie was from a litter of eleven. I am always hoping one day to meet one of Maggie’s siblings. This young gentleman was in a hurry otherwise I would have had him contact his parents to find out the exact location of where his dog came from. Maybe the next time Maggie and I visit Jefferson University we will be able to continue the conversation. I’m always so curious where everyone’s Goldendoodles come from. So far I have heard Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Kentucky.

Kohelet Yeshiva Lab School

I had the opportunity to visit my granddaughter’s school last week. I was invited to bring Maggie and talk about my book “Maggie the Therapy Dog”. The first thing I heard upon entering the building was the sound of children talking and playing. Maggie noticed it also and perked up right away! I saw coats lined up on hooks by the doorway and I thought back to the days when my kids attended school and wondered where did the time go? The children have been learning what it takes to write a book themselves and had prepared a list of questions for me. Some of the questions included: Why do you like to write? What do you write about? How do you feel at the end of the day after writing so much? Why do you write every day? Why do some authors write short stories and some write chapter books? Why are you an author? I thought these children in kindergarten and first grade had prepared mature thought out questions. I was more than happy to answer these questions (as well as more questions they thought of when Maggie and I came into their classroom). I enjoyed reading my book to them. The children seemed very receptive to the story which is told through Maggie’s eyes of how she became a therapy dog and how she enjoys helping people feel better. At the end of our visit each child had the opportunity to pet Maggie. I could tell right away which child came from a household where there is an animal present (and so could Maggie as she felt at ease with these children). They know how to approach Maggie and the correct way to pet her. All in all it was a good visit and I hope each child will remember our visit for a long time.

Current Events and Book Club

I found out at my latest visit to the VA hospital that they have a book club that meets every month. How wonderful for the residents. Someone actually comes in and discusses a book-great for the mind. How did I find this out? One of my regulars told me. I met him in the hallway as I was on my way to visit him in his room. He apologized for not waiting to see me and Maggie but when he explained where he was going I told him I wished I could go with him! He invited me to join him, but I had not finished my visits yet so I declined his offer and told him maybe next time. I also found out that every Tuesday at 9:15 in the morning there is a current events class. This keeps the residents up to date with what is going on in the world. This class is good for residents that are not able to read a newspaper, navigate a computer or have family members that visit them regularly. I will make sure to ask my regulars about what they learned in this class as my day to visit is Tuesday afternoon. On another note, I find it interesting that some residents prefer to talk about themselves and others prefer to talk about the world. This week I met a POW, and on the hospice floor I met an army officer that went through the Korean War. He seemed rather lonely and would have liked for me to pull up a chair and spend the afternoon listening to his wartime stories. I felt badly but after a short period of time I had to leave and visit with other residents. I promised to come back the next time I was at the hospital. The gentleman that was a POW wasn’t interested in talking about his army service he just wanted to spend some time with Maggie. Another gentleman chose to discuss the results of the elections. I felt he craved basic conversation so I stayed as long as I could before I felt compelled to visit with other residents. Another thing I find interesting is that with certain residents Maggie will choose to stand and wait until I am finished talking and with others, she will get comfortable and sprawl out on the floor. When she is comfortable on the floor I usually point this out each person I am talking to. I do this as a compliment to let them know how comfortable they make Maggie. This is usually followed by a big smile. I hope it will last them throughout their day!

Veterans Day

We celebrated Veterans Day last week (November 11th). Maggie and I are fortunate to be able to visit and meet many veterans at the VA hospital. Many of them are our regulars but every so often we meet new people who amaze us. This past week on the hospice floor we met a woman (while women at the VA hospital are not the norm I would not call this unusual) who heard about the “dogs” coming for a visit and put in a request for a visit. The minute I checked into the recreation department I was told of this individual and to please be sure to make my way to see her. When I got to her unit I was told again of her request and I assured them that I wouldn’t forget. I found her room and when I did I was not sure what to expect. But when I walked in I found a vibrant excited almost gitty woman that proclaimed “oh the dogs have finally arrived!” Obviously since she was on the hospice unit she belonged there but from an outsiders look you would never believe it. She was attached to an oxygen tank but otherwise she appeared healthy. She called Maggie over right away. Maggie has as ability to read a person’s aura and Maggie responded positively. The woman invited Maggie to join her on her bed (this is something that is frowned upon) but I did not protest as Maggie jumped right on her bed. I can say this woman was happy. At this point a nurse walked into the room and said “I don’t see that dog on your bed, but so nice to see that smile on your face!” There was not a lot of conversation needed in this room. I believe this woman just needed some time giving and receiving some love from a dog, and of course Maggie was happy to fulfill the need. I had a hard time leaving her room but the time eventually came to visit other residents. The rest of our visit went well. Many of the residents chose to talk about the elections (as our visit was on Tuesday-the results were not yet in). I listened as everyone voiced their opinion. I did inquire as to how they vote-absentee ballot is their mode. I can’t wait to go back and talk to them about their perception of the results. Should lead to a good discussion.

Is Maggie A Therapy Dog?

I love being part of the literacy program. What better way to encourage a child to read by having an understanding dog at your side. Especially one who isn’t judge-mental, one who is encouraging, and of course one who is nice and fluffy. Maggie and I visited a special needs elementary school this past week. This school has different levels of functioning students. The session started with some non-readers who were accompanied by their aides. They were a rather active group. When this happens my radar goes up and I go into protective mode. Protective mode that is for Maggie. Although we discuss with the kids the proper way to handle the animals the information doesn’t always sink in. But a shout out to the aides for doing a wonderful job! They maintained their students properly and the session went well. Towards the end of the hour we had a higher functioning group, one that reads books. Some of the students remembered Maggie from last year and I noticed that most of the kids had grown since last year. So, why am I commenting on this group? After one of the students finished reading his book, he was petting Maggie. He looked at her tags. Maggie has two tags attached to her collar. One is her name and contact info in case she gets lost, and the other tag is the name or our organization, “Pals For Life”. The other side says “I Am A Therapy Dog”. When this young student read this he looked at me and said “Maggie is a therapy dog?” I was taken aback for a quick second and then I responded, “Yes, I take her to hospitals and nursing homes to visit with sick people to help them feel better.” “Cool,” he said and continued to pet Maggie. I never stopped to think what goes through these kids minds when the dogs come to their school and I never stopped to think what the school tells the kids. But now when I think about it I assume the school tells them the dogs (and rabbit) are coming to hear you read. The kids take it at face value. But I can assure you the next time Maggie and I visit this school I will be sure to ask. And of course as usual since she is so chill, Maggie just goes with the flow and is happy to get some love!

College Days

The beginning of our college visits has started. We had a successful visit this past week at Bryn Mawr College. Despite the cold wet weather (we moved our visit into the gym) we had a good turnout from the students. A lot of them recognized Maggie from last year. Our visits usually go on for an hour but for the college visits we have two shifts (2 hours) to enable the students to work around their classes. In the hour that Maggie and I were there we must have spoken with at least 100 students and I’m sure the 2nd hour was just as busy (as when we were leaving the gym there were groups of students still coming in). After introducing Maggie and telling everyone about her age, breed, likes and dislikes I always engage the students to see if they have any pets at home. I find that the majority do and like to talk about them. Most like to take pictures of Maggie and in turn I ask to see pictures of their dogs. After a bit I give the students the space they need to just be with Maggie, petting her and admiring her. I do love listening to the conversations between the students. I can tell you I did not hear anything about any classes, obviously this was their time to decompress. (This is a stressful time of the year for them-mid terms!) Some of the interesting comments I heard were: -best day of my life -worth getting out of bed this morning -I feel so fulfilled -my batteries are recharged -I want to come back as a dog and spend my days being petted -so glad my professor let us out early for pet therapy I had a nice conversation with one student whose family has a Goldendoodle. She started be asking me questions about Maggie’s health. At first I was a little confused and turned the tables by asking her why all the questions? She told me their Doodle was just two years old (Maggie is seven) and she is just trying to figure out what the issues will be down the line. I explained to her that every dog is different (and I am not an expert). But she persisted. So I told her Maggie’s issues have been that she has a tendency to get ingrown hair which causes cysts. She also has had a bout of pancreatitis and when she was just a pup she contracted Lyme disease through a bite from a tick. As I’m talking with her I see her taking out her phone and start typing. When I stop talking she looks up at me and says “I’m going to send these notes to my parents so they will know what to look out for. Clearly a diligent person! Needless to say Maggie received a lot of attention at this visit which she enjoyed and when we got home she slept the afternoon away!

After School Program

One of my favorite visits is the ones we do at the libraries. So when we went to the Lawncrest library this past week it put me in a good mood. I grew up spending a lot of time in a library. I loved the excitement of combing the shelves looking for a mystery or a book about animals. My weekly excursions there usually netted me a pile of books that would start a new adventure for me. Our visit at the Lawncrest library was part of an after school program that was catered to the neighborhood kids. This is an area in Philadelphia that is doing its part in rejuvenation. The neighborhood even has a small garden behind the library for the local kids to work on. I noticed a patch of vegetables growing and even a friendship bench. Since this was a new program for this library it was limited to 20 students. The students were in the 5th and 6th grade, and all of them were accomplished readers. After our general introduction where we each said a little about our animal (we were there with 3 dogs and 1 rabbit) the kids were split into smaller groups so each child would have an opportunity to read and interact with an animal. After 15 minutes the groups would rotate and at the end of the hour each group would have visited each animal. A few kids were creative and while they read turned the book so Maggie could see the pictures. So does Maggie really listen to the stories? She does. She will watch the kids and even lay her head on their laps. At some point she may fall asleep. If one of the kids mentions this to me I tell them they have done a good job soothing her. I also tell them that she is still listening. Sometime I compare it to them listening to their parents even when they are not looking at them. They seem to like that explanation the best. This turned out to be a really nice visit. I do have a couple of thoughts about these kids. Compared to other places we have visited, these kids did not come in and start telling me about their dog(s). I can really only think of two kids that mentioned their neighbor’s dog or a cousin’s dog. One girl mentioned that her father promised her a dog, a Golden Retriever. When I asked her what she planned on naming the dog she said she didn’t know. I suggested she go home and think about it. There was one girl in this program who had difficulty sitting still and following directions. This could be for any number of reasons, but it was something that bothered me only because I found myself correcting her several times throughout the program. Maggie has sensitive areas and doesn’t like to be pet on her paws, around her face and we never allow anyone to touch her tail for fear they will pull it. So when this girl couldn’t listen to me I found I had to put myself between her and Maggie , basically to protect Maggie. So what did this girl do at the end of the program? She came running over to me and gave me a big hug and thanked me for coming out and bringing Maggie. I found myself overcome with emotion and I wish I could tell you why. Before I could regain my composure and respond to her she had skipped off. I find myself constantly reminded not to judge anyone. As we never know what is going on in someone’s personal life. The small act of gratitude this young girl showed me is something I will cherish for quite some time.