Last week we were fortunate enough to spend a couple of days visiting with mental health patients. Sam here. First we visited at the Senior Behavioral Center and then the next day at West Pines. Talk about feeling blessed beyond measure.

It was a glorious day for a visit, one of those cornflower blue Colorado skies with a golden autumn light to make me look good after a nice floof job by mom. I’m still not keen on the bath thing, but visiting with mental health patients makes up for it.

At the Behavioral Center, we visited with a really nice lady named Agatha (all names have been changed in accordance with HIPAA privacy regs) and she was one of the nicest patients I’ve visited with in a long time. We visited with a couple other patients in the Day Room who seemed to enjoy my attention and then I went in to Agatha’s room for a one-on-one. She couldn’t stop saying what a nice boy I was, so naturally my tail went into overdrive. Yeah, I. am. shameless. when it comes to attention but seriously, she was so sweet and kind to me and rubbed my ears just the way I like it. Swoon. We visited for a long while and she told mom stories about all the German Shepherds she owned over the years. While she doesn’t have one now while she’s transitioning to a new living arrangement, she misses having a dog in her life so I just ‘made her day’ (her words, not mine).

The next day we went to West Pines. I absolutely love all the peeps there. I visited with Suki who spoke to me in a low melodic voice, I practically melted looking into her kind, soft eyes. Then I met Rachel who owned 3 Standard Poodles! She was missing them very much while she was receiving care so my visit was very welcomed. She talked so much with my mom that we were late visiting with other patients throughout the campus. Oops. Sometimes mom loses track of time when someone is enthusiastic about my breed but I try not to hold it against her. Then again, I know exactly how to get her back on walks. {snicker}

As we were ready to leave the main reception area, I was visiting with a man who had come to pick up his wife. Guess who his wife was? Yup, my fur-iend, Suki waltzed through the doors and squealed with delight when she saw me. She then told her husband to stop ‘wearing me out’ saying she thought I might be ‘full.’ Mom said I was full alright, but I think she meant something else. I snuck in a tiny little kiss and she smiled deeply. I’m very happy she got to go home and mom wished her well as we left.

All in all, we had such meaningful visits both for me and for the patients. I love it when they enjoy my tail wagging escapades and I’m happy to sit, listen and stare deep into their eyes. Sometimes I see a lot of hurt behind those eyes but then they seem to brighten for a few moments and their eyes show some momentary relief to the often chaotic lives they are experiencing. Life can be hard and overwhelming-we all know that, but when I can bring a moment of cheer and make them feel a little better, then I’ve done my job. And so long as mom doles out loads of treats, then she’s done hers as well.

Live, love, bark! 🐾

 

Seriously…it’s August? Where has this year gone? As I sit in my studio and contemplate how two-thirds of a year seems to have flashed by, my thoughts turn to other ponder-ables. At this stage in my life as a recovering cog in a large law firm, life has given me the luxury of contemplative reflection after an early morning walk with the Knuckleheads. Acknowledging “life is good” I stop to wonder about some of the patients Sam and I visited last week.

We arrived at West Pines only to find the discover the entire parking lot is filled to the brim. Grr, I growl. We end up finding a spot in a nearby parking lot and will need to dash back toward the facility. It’s a silly annoyance but one that seems to wrap its ugly tentacles around my brain. It makes me feel rushed knowing how critical adhering to the schedule is for the facility and we’re close to being late because of this inconvenience. Finally I arrive and take a relaxing deep breath. Donna, the coordinator seems frazzled herself and asks if I mind if a colleague conducts the visit. I realize then we each have our own little crosses to bear, whatever they might be. Mine is a minor inconvenience, Donna’s is a state of overwhelm of more work than seems possible to manage while filing in for others on vacation while having thoughts for her daughter who recently had knee surgery and how she will function easily with a toddler and newborn without her help. It’s there that I realize everything is relative to the moment, and reassure her it’s no problem, no apologies are necessary and Sam and I are there to make things as easy as possible for her. She smiles gratefully, Sam wags his tail at her and we are introduced to her substitute, a lovely woman whose name sadly escapes my memory and we move toward the first building. Let’s call her “Chris.”

Chris is a warm soul, gentle with a cheerful smile. She’s worked at West Pines for many years, knows the ropes, the people and the mission. We move toward our first stop. She tells me the facility is at capacity, somewhat unusual. She also tells me our visits will be closely monitored as the patients we are visiting may be potentially combative and our safety is paramount. I understand and put on a brave face. I can’t help but wonder if the upcoming lunar eclipse and blood moon has some impact on these folks.

In the year and a half we’ve been visiting West Pines, we have been fortunate to never have any negative incidents where I thought Sam might be at risk. His calm nature and sweetness in fact, seem to calm everyone. I rely on his posture and physical signals to guide me as to how we function in each situation.

When we arrive, the floor facilitator cautions us again. ‘Chris’ reiterates the message and I acknowledge my understanding. As soon as we walk into the ‘day room,’ one young man slowly moves over toward us and politely asks if he can pet Sam. Sam wags his tail in agreement and I stand close, observing him. His somewhat vacant eyes suggest there’s a lot of mileage on his soul, despite being maybe in his late 20’s. We chat casually when I catch a glimpse of another very young man who clearly is interested. I watch him and ask if he’d like to pet Sam…he nods affirmatively. A quiet, dark man with long slender fingers, he moves over to sit eye level on the floor and pet Sam. His whispers his name is Robert.

Robert clearly is troubled, though I know nothing of what led him to this mental health center. He starts to babble a bit in unintelligible phrases and Sam looks deeply into his eyes. Robert’s calm but potentially capable of changing quickly. Within a few minutes he hollers “Jesus!” a couple of times. I’m not certain how to respond, looking both at the unit facilitator as well as Chris for clues. Their reassuring smiles comfort any trepidation on my part.

Another young man, perhaps in his mid-30’s, comes from down the hall and wanders over. His name is Chad, he’s warm and engaging-the exact opposite of Robert. Sam picks up on his energy which is, dare I say…normal. I can’t help but wonder what it was that brought both of them here. And then it occurred to me of all the different and sometimes serendipitous life happenings for the Robert’s and Chad’s of the world…and I can only conclude…but for the grace of god, there go I. While my heart is sad there are those who are less fortunate, I am grateful at that moment.

Visiting patients always impacts me deeply, but none more than last week. I know there are those less fortunate than me and I recognize how truly lucky my life journey has been. While I can’t say with 100% certainty that I’m ‘normal‘ by comparison, I do recognize my good fortune of at least being considered socially appropriate enough to function without medication or intervention and lucky enough to meander through life with a sweet furry companion. I am blessed and easily conclude that visiting patients like Robert and Chad is a privilege and hope to continue bringing them a moment of respite, even a smile or two to those who are sick or troubled. Sam will do the work and I will drive and find that elusive parking slot in a stressed world. And while doing that, I will remind myself to not grumble about it. Life could be so much worse.

Life, love, bark! 🐾

This past weekend mom and I ‘pawticipated’ at Lutheran Medical Center’s Heroes of Hope race featuring a 10K, 5K and a 1-mile walk. Sam here. Like a few others in the pet therapy program we competed in the 1-mile walk. But first we had to check in at registration where this terrific volunteer had to have a photo with me. She told me I could help her check in the other pawticipants but it was such a lovely cool morning so I decided to ‘walk the walk’ with my peeps figuring there would be all kinds of fur-bulous adventures just for me. It was a good calculation on my part as you can see from mom’s gazillion photos below.

Lutheran’s Heroes of Hope Run/Walk is the largest National Cancer Survivors Day event in Jefferson County (which is just west of Denver). We had a good time and got to see some of our favorite therapy peeps. Naturally there were a ton of kids, dogs and folks walking along the scenic course through Lutheran’s tree-lined campus. This race, designed for fun for the whole family, celebrates and benefits the hospital’s cancer survivorship program including “genetic counseling program, patient navigation, survivor and nurse education and patient care on the oncology unit.” Following the race, we met some hopeful candidates wanting to join our therapy program. Woo-hoo, that means more cool dogs! Well color me happy on this gorgeous cloudless day.

I finished first among the pet therapists though mom was a little cheesed at me since I stopped to say hi to a bunch of kids lined up along the curb several yards before crossing the finish line. She said I could check out my adoring fans AFTER we actually finish the race. Oops. Still it was only another 3 or 4 minutes additional time. Sheesh…talk about competitive-lighten up, ma!

After the post-race celebratory refreshment, I begin to mingle. This is our fur-iend Zoe, (whose mom is also a blogger (check out her blog here). She’s going to be joining our ranks in about 6 months (she’s a little under age now as dogs must be at least 2 years old). Is she just as cute as a button?!

Here are some other photos from the event.

Meet Calypso, a Keeshond who is currently a pet therapist at a non-hospital facility but who is interested in joining our group.

Naturally I had to scope out all the cute girls. Here’s Jillian, who placed first in her race.

Last but not least, is our own little Bindy, who is the current Miss June in the calendar. You may remember I was Mr. May. What a cute little pocket dog! Everybody loves Bindy who has been a long-time therapy dog.

We had a great time, for a great cause. Mom took me home where I got to have a nice nap while she then went over to the Rocky Mountain Pet Expo. She’s working on a post showcasing that event for later this week. If you follow us on Instagram (you do follow us, don’t you?), you may have seen some of the photos posted there. Mom said it was a nice expo and she learned lots of interesting stuff.

Live, love, bark! 🐾