My name is Scrappy and I have a job.
I make smiles.
Now, I know that everyone doesn’t like dogs. To tell you the truth, there are some people I’m not too crazy about. If elders don’t want a visit or are afraid, I just pass them by.
I wish the people I’m thinking about knew those rules.
We are a team
You need to know Eleanor. She’s my grandma. She doesn’t have a dog so she borrows me. Don’t get me wrong, Eleanor isn’t one of “those people” mentioned above. She’s had lots of dogs and loves them. But she thought maybe she was getting too old for a dog. I think that’s nonsense, but nobody asked me. Anyway, once or twice a week, Eleanor comes and gets me, and we go and do our job together. We’ve been doing this for seven years, but who’s counting?
Job application
When I’m at home, I’m Mommy’s baby and I can be goofy and even borderline naughty sometimes. But when Eleanor and I go to work, that’s serious. I had to apply and pass a test. I don’t growl, I’m patient and take treats nicely. No grabbing. No getting spooked by loud noises or all those rolly things they call wheelchairs. I passed the test and I get to wear the scarf of a St. John’s Ambulance Pet Therapy dog.
Pretty cool, huh?
Each week, we go to a building where a lot of people live. I know exactly which rooms to go to, and they wait for me.
My friends
Sometimes when we come in, it’s noisy. Someone might be upset and yelling or crying, so I go to work. I look at them and give them a paw and calm them down. They smile, and they know that someone cares for them beyond their family. Sometimes there isn’t a lot of family, so we become theirs.
One room I go in is a couple who only speaks Italian. I only speak dog. Eleanor only speaks English, but we get along just fine.
Lots of people used to have dogs at home, but now they can’t look after one, and that makes them sad. I get that. So I become their dog for a few minutes, and the sadness leaves.
Some of them do silly things like pretending they are going to eat my dog treats. Really? I know you don’t eat dog treats. I sit patiently, and eventually, the treats come to me.
When my friends are sick
One time, I went to visit one of my regulars, but she wasn’t doing well. She lay on the bed and her voice sounded weak. When she saw me, she wanted to sit up, so Eleanor helped her. We got nose to nose and she kissed me. She had the biggest smile. I didn’t see her after that. I wonder where she went?
Another time I went in and my friend lay in the bed with the whole family around. They sniffled and blew, but I went right up to my friend. His eyes were closed but I nuzzled his hand. He woke and did his best to reach out to me. I put my paws up on the bed and kissed him. He smiled and closed his eyes again.
That’s something odd that happens. I know the rooms where my friends live, and I head right to them. But sometimes they aren’t there. They didn’t move, they’re just–gone. I stand at the door and Eleanor has to pull me away. It puzzles me. They should be there.
Other service animals
It’s a given that dogs are the best service animals (just my opinion, of course) but I’ve heard of cats, pigs, goats and even horses. Look at this!
An Apple A Day
Fred and I were old friends. He used to go out to the store and make sure he had an apple for me when I came. He’d cut it up and feed it to me every time. Fred was the best! Then he was in hospital and rehab and I missed him (and my apples…) When he came back, he couldn’t go to the store for apples so Eleanor would bring a cut-up apple which he could feed to me. Sometimes, we’d even share it.
It’s all about me
Recently, Eleanor attended a volunteer appreciation event without me. (Honestly, the nerve!) They didn’t recognize her and kept asking her what she did to volunteer. They missed the most important part of the team.
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Care Partner Wednesday–This Brilliant Visitor Is The Best!