Even though it was a few days before July 4th, I didn’t get a chance to share our adventures last weekend when we had shifts. Sam brought the same red, white and blue spirit to hospice and hospital as he does every time we go. When we went into the gift shop to say hello to the volunteer high school girls he loves so much, I spied a battery operated necklace that would show off Sam’s ‘howliday’ spirit. Everyone seemed to love it especially when Sam cast a handsome pose my patriotic buddy in the lobby, all lit up.

A young woman came down from visiting her mom while Sam was posing and asked if we wouldn’t mind dropping in to say hi to her folks-she thought they’d both enjoy the visit. Of course, I said and we went up to her room; sure enough she was right. The mom and dad very much enjoyed Sam’s visit (even though he seemed pretty interested in the dad’s roast beef sandwich-oye that dog!). Then we went off to our assigned floor to visit the short-term behavioral patients. When we arrived, “Mary,” was one of the patients who instantly captivated with Sam. He patiently allowed her to hug him repeatedly around the neck while she practically squealed with delight. Both her and the therapists kept saying how calm and sweet he was to allow all that neck-hugging attention. It’s always rewarding when we can put a smile on a patient’s face and make their day a little bit brighter for them, both literally and figuratively. The light-up necklace was a huge success. 🙂

Live, love, bark! <3