Therapy Starts at Home

I was wracking my brains trying to figure out a blog to write for this week’s installment. As I have been sick and unable to take Maggie on our usual therapy visits I had resigned myself to skip this week. But finally feeling a little better I took Maggie on a walk this morning and ended up at Starbucks. As we sat outside (me drinking my chai tea latte and Maggie drinking her water) Maggie got to watch everyone coming and going. A number of people approached us and asked permission to pet her. Well this made Maggie’s day! A conversation or two and then we set off for home. Some of my greatest thinking occurs on my walks with Maggie and it occurred to me while I was sick with the flu (and I got the flu shot I might add!) Maggie being a therapy dog, was actually giving me therapy. She stayed by my side without complaining. Actually I did enough complaining for both of us! For four days I would crawl out of bed to let Maggie outside to do her business and then let her back inside. We would then go back upstairs so I could lie in bed. Maggie either lied in bed with me, on the carpet next to my bed or in the bathroom (she likes the cool tile) that connects to my bedroom. When I would turn over she would poke her head up to see what I was doing but then she would lay her head right back down when she realized I wasn’t getting out of bed. Not once in four days did Maggie whine or bark at the change in our regular routine. On the fifth day when I had a little more energy and I managed to sit in the den, Maggie was thrilled! I could almost detect a smile on her face. At one point she brought me her favorite toy, a stuffed armadillo, and we had a nice game of tug-a-war! They say therapy starts in the home and Maggie has proven that concept. Thanks dear Maggie for keeping me company when I was at a low point and needing someone by side. Sorry for the cliché but a dog is truly man’s (woman’s ) best friend!

Agent Orange

Maggie and I met an interesting individual this past week. He was at the VA hospital so he could receive attention to help him manage his pain. When I popped my head in and asked if he wanted a visit from a therapy dog he answered that it was just what he needed! He mentioned that he was at the hospital last year but I do not recall meeting him. As he was petting Maggie he told me that his time spent in Vietnam led him to be come in contact with Agent Orange. Coming into contact with this chemical caused him much pain over the years and this led him to years of drinking, which damaged his liver. Eventually he was added to the transplant list to receive a new liver. No judgement here as to who gets to be put on the list-where you are on the list depending on your habits drinking vs not drinking after all this man served our country! This individual did eventually receive a new liver but while on the operating table coded and had to be brought back to life. His wife didn’t tell him this right away but when he found out he turned to religion. Why? Because he felt God kept him alive many times. We had a pretty good discussion about his experiences. He said he still did not know why God chose to save him while in Vietnam when his buddy to his left was killed his buddy to his right was killed and he was spared. Then again on the operating table his life was spared once again. I answered quickly and said your purpose on earth in not yet finished. He stopped petting Maggie turned to me with his deep blue eyes and nodded his head with an understanding. As I exited his room I turned one last time and saw him looking out the window. I had no idea what he was thinking but I do hope my visit with Maggie was beneficial and eventually his pain will subside.

Words of Encouragement

When Maggie and I enter a facility we never know what (or who) we will encounter. Over the last couple of weeks we met with a few individuals that were “down in the dumps”. One of our regulars “Dave” who is confined to a wheelchair would wait for us outside his room. Although he cannot move his arms or his hands we always make sure to stop by and engage him in conversation. Maggie sits by his side patiently listening to our conversation. This past week when I turned down the corridor and didn’t see “Dave” outside his room I became concerned. I poked my head in his room and noticed him in bed with the covers pulled up to his chin. I put a smile on my face and Maggie and I entered his room. He explained that he was under the weather. I asked him what he was under the weather with and he responded a cold. I know he isn’t telling me the whole story as a cold doesn’t put Dave in bed, but I don’t pry. I talk about his favorite topic-politics, hoping it will distract him for a few moments. At this point Maggie has made herself comfortable on the floor. As we finish our conversation and get ready to leave I wish him a speedy recovery. His comeback is “it is what it is” I smile as I direct Maggie out the door and wonder if he has any family members planning on visiting for the holidays. At another facility I encounter a woman calling me over. “I love dogs, I just love dogs,” she says “I rescued five greyhounds!” “ Wow,” I said “what were their names?” I ask “Can’t remember,” she says after a pause, “What’s your dog’s name?” she asks, “Maggie,” I reply, “Oh, that’s the name of my daughter in law…I don’t like her,” she continues. “Well if you prefer you can call her Margaret, she’ll respond to both.” I’ve seen this woman before but have not officially introduced myself to her. She proceeds to pull out pictures of her dogs, but ends up showing me pictures of her and her husband. So nice I respond. Well, it wasn’t such a good marriage she answers. I realize this woman must have had a lot of knocks in her life, but her dogs were a positive aspect for her. So I sit there with her and let her pet Maggie and listen to her complain in hopes it will make her feel better. “I just love dogs and if I wasn’t living here I would have two or five,” she adds “Well I’m happy to be able to bring Maggie here to visit with you.” I say We banter back and forth until she abruptly turns her wheelchair and exits the room. I’m sure I will see her again at a future visit and we’ll do this over again! I can’t help but think of these individuals over the holiday and wonder how they are fairing.

Bryn Mawr College

“Maggie’s Back” is something I expect to hear when I visit an elementary school, but as I entered the library at Bryn Mawr College I was surprised (and pleased) to hear this. Libraries and dogs-my two favorite things, and as I entered the library and looked around at all the books I was in heaven but my focus was pulled away to the dogs and the students sitting on the floor (I did notice a cat as well). After parking my car and walking through the campus in search of the library I couldn’t help but notice the large stately buildings. The scurrying students brought me back to my youth. I felt the pull of the classrooms calling my name and a pang of jealousy as I observe the students moving about in groups of three and four. Do they realize how lucky they are? I think of the saying “youth is wasted on the young”. When I think back to my college days at the University of Maryland I do remember some key classes I enjoyed, but mostly I remember the feeling of “I can’t wait to finish and get out in the real world”. Now I would love to trade places with the college kids Maggie and I are visiting. As always I promised myself I wouldn’t ask the students what they are studying or how the semester is going. Just the fact that they show up to de-stress with the dogs (and 1 cat) is an indication of how they are doing. There are streams of students coming and going. Sometimes it slows to a trickle but in the hour that Maggie and I are stationed in the library it’s pretty steady. I did manage to glance up once and look around the library (It appears to be three stories tall, oh so many books to look at!) Many of the students inquire about Maggie and I ask if they have a dog at home. This usually opens the door to a conversation-what breed, how old, tell me something funny about your dog etc. I do hear bits of conversation between the students about their professors and their upcoming exams. I usually just sit there quietly and let them talk and pet Maggie. When I think about my visits there are usually one or two people that stand out during the hour. During this particular visit there were two students I kept thinking about long after we left. The first student arrived with a group of friends and sat with us right away. She jumped right in and started petting Maggie (of course Maggie really enjoyed this!). She turned to her friend and started talking about her classes, her schedule and her exams. Her stress level seemed rather high and the more she talked the stronger her hand motion seemed while she was petting Maggie. When her group of friends left she remained. Another group of students took their place and this student continued the conversation without even taking a breath in between.(although at this point I realized it was one sided) and I don’t even believe she realized the switch had occurred. This happened a couple of times. After about twenty minutes she did get up and move on. On a totally opposite extreme another student came by and sat petting Maggie for most of the session. She didn’t really talk except to answer a few questions I asked her. I found out her family has two dogs and she can’t wait to go home and see them. I watched her watching the other students coming and going but she stayed in the same spot the whole time. At one point Maggie put the head on her lap. I pointed this out to her and managed to get a smile out of her. I felt her stress (and sadness) and was so happy that Maggie and I could be there for her. Although I have no idea what is really going on in her life my hope is that our therapy session was able to give her a little reprieve. I always find it fascinating that people (students) exhibit their stress in different manners. The first student I observed couldn’t stop talking and didn’t even care who she was talking to. The second student didn’t even want to talk. I go back to my life and these students continue theirs. Do they think about us? From our initial entrance to the words “Maggie’s back” I can only assume a few of them do!

Training Video

I was so thrilled when Maggie and I were asked to be a part of a training video for my organization “Pals For Life”. We were not told too many details ahead of time, just asked to show up at noon at the Haverford Estates where Maggie and I had been before for visits at the wonderful nursing home. I made sure to feed her a little early that day so she wouldn’t be hungry and distracted. When we arrived we were joined by a Golden retriever, Uno, whom we had never met before and a Collie, Caleb whom we had done some visits prior at the center. All the dogs hit it off and before we started filming seemed to enjoy each other’s company by doing what dogs love to do, smelling each other.. The purpose of the training video is to show the right and wrong way for therapy dogs to behave while on a visit. (The video will be viewed by all new candidates of the organization). Here are a few examples of the scenes we filmed. We first filmed the correct way for two dogs to approach each other while entering a building. Dogs are allowed to greet each other before a visit, but while they are “working” they are trained to ignore each other and focus their attention on the humans they are visiting. So the incorrect way we filmed this was to let the dogs interact and even get a little “rowdy” while they were in a social situation. We had to get them a little excited for this and at times they seemed a little confused as if to say-I thought you want us calm and now you want us hyper, “what gives? But it was only for a few minutes. Another scenario we filmed was the correct and incorrect way to approach an individual. The correct way is in a calm manner, no jumping. The incorrect way we filmed was with a dog jumping on an individual and the individual appearing taken aback and stunned. Some of the dogs would not even jump on an individual that’s how well trained they are. We next filmed the correct way to walk our dogs on a leash. This is with your dog beside you and the leash somewhat slack. A well trained dog does not have to have the leash pulled tight against your body. The incorrect way we filmed this is with the dog pulling at the leash and you following behind. The way we filmed this is rather interesting. Off to the side so it wouldn’t be caught on camera we had a person holding a treat so the dog would be tempted to lunge for it (and let me say it worked!) This video when completed should be amazing! A big shout out to the film crew who were patient with the amateur actors, humans and canines alike. I got a glimpse of the time and effort it must take to film a true movie or documentary. This was a lot of fun ! Maggie went home with a belly full of treats (even thought I had fed her earlier) and slept the afternoon away Can’t wait to see the final cut!

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.