Day 48

6/28/22

Today was a busy one for my goldens! About noon, someone at the hospital asked me what we had done today. I thought I would share that response with you!

6:30: Feed and send them out in the backyard

6:40: All three receive a peanut butter bone to "brush their teeth" while we have our morning coffee.

6:55: Everyone has their Cheerios!

7:00: I head out for a walk with Gus down by the river.

7:45: Quick photo shoot to share bandana pictures with a new friend.

8:00: Lilly and Ranger get a shorter walk because they are heading out to do their Therapy Dog rounds.

9:00: Arrive at the neighborhood senior establishment. Lilly rides the elevators to get to her dear friend.

10:00: Quick switch of clothes for me and a change in dogs! Ranger and I head to the local hospital.

10:10: Arrive at the hospital to sign in.

12:30: Photo shoot with Gus and the Subaru!

Now, for those of you who like order and lists, this itinerary seems pretty straight-forward. If you were to draw a straight line (Our agenda) and then drew zigzags through that line, you would find our reality. The "zigzags" are the best!

Here are some of the best parts of our zigzag:

We visited our friend at the senior living home and Lilly was beyond excited. We go twice a week so we can visit our special guy who has dialysis on our regular day. We were greeted with treats, smiles behind the mask and a half hour of amazing, fascinating

conversation. Before we left, I asked him what was the most amazing, crazy thing he had chosen to do in his lifetime. He paused and said, "I haven't done much, so I suppose meeting you with the dogs each week has to be my answer." I told him we would take that as a compliment!

At the hospital, Ranger and I visited SO many patients and staff. Wherever we went, people would run up to greet us and rave about the benefits of Therapy Dogs. After some pats and scratches, all parties would say something to the effect of "That made my day!"

Our challenging patient was even charmed by sweet Ranger today. She has been there for a lengthy stay and seems to be a bit demanding. Example: She told me I didn't have to speak so softly and sweet...like I was talking down to her. I assured her that this was the only voice I had and she apologized. The visit went well and the staff was quite surprised by the outcome.

As we headed down to sign out, a man stopped us and asked if we could visit his wife. She had just learned she would need additional surgery and was very depressed. I let him know we would have to check with the charge nurse, but otherwise, we would be happy to stop by. Getting the green light from the desk, we walked down to the room...stopping to greet staff along the way...and knocked on the door. I could tell she had been crying, but when the husband introduced us, the smiles began. When we left, she seemed in much better spirits from the golden love.

Finally, we had another photo shoot with Gus and our Subaru. He has a "girlfriend" in Colorado and they correspond daily. She wants a playdate soon, so the two go on about how Gus will get to the mountains. The cowboy hat was a reference to Aubry's love of hats!

So, there you have it! We never know what awaits us on a visit or during our day, but it is always fun, loving and full of heart! It's time for a late lunch now! I can't wait to see what the afternoon brings!