Happy Birthday Willard!

Happy Birthday Willard!

Willard turned 94 years old on June 1st.  Chester and I were deeee-lighted to celebrate this day with our dear friend. We were his only visitors.... sigh....  How glad we were to be there :-)

Chester brought a 5x7 photo of himself as a gift for his buddy. A handsome beach picture! Willard smiled big, so big in fact that his top teeth began to fall out :-) .  (You just have to keep a sense of humor during these moments ~ It didn't bother Willard in the least, he just gently gave them a push back in place! I just love this man!) 

Willard held  the framed photo gently, a treasure, examining it closely.  Then,  he made those happy sounds that make me smile deep in my heart. I placed the photo on the window ledge where Willard could easily see it.

After presents, we did what we usually do. I sat on the chair at Willard's bedside. Chester climbed onto the bed with his friend. And the two snuggled.  Chester's breathing became steady and his eyes heavy.  He fell asleep enjoying gentle ear massages, neck rubs, and paw pats from the birthday boy.

After quite some time Willard reached out and touched MY arm. "Thank you for the picture," he said.  I was so startled....stunned might be a better word ~~ that he spoke so clearly and made the connection that the picture was our gift to him on his birthday. Another Alzheimer's miracle moment...... tears spilled over my cheeks.

"You are so very welcome." I replied.  "We love you, Willard."

Happy Birthday dear friend.



In Memory of Janet

Our Friend Janet

My heart is kind of achy this week......Chester and I attended a memorial service for Janet, a woman we visited regularly on the Alzheimer's floor. She LOVED dogs and had a sweet connection with Chester. The staff on her floor were OVERJOYED when  we came, as Janet's disease made her way-difficult to get along with and not fun to be with (if you catch my drift)....that is, except when Chester pranced through her doorway. When Chester was on site, Janet became a different person, probably her real self  ~~~~ full of spunk, but so tender, kind, and thoughtful.

The first time we visited Janet, she told the staff that she would indeed like a visit from THE DOG. We walked in her room, moved near her bedside, and accidentally, I gave Chester the wrong command.  The way I patted the bed told him to JUMP ON, rather than PAWS UP.  (Oopsie Daisy)  Chester looked at me, grinned,  and gently jumped up on Janet's bed.  I knew that he knew that I knew he was totally taking advantage of my mistake.  It delighted them both to no-end. And that was the beginning. I did command Chester off the bed, as Janet told me, with a sparkle in her eye, "that dogs were not allowed on the bed at her home!"  But, I could tell she appreciated the fact that he broke the rules :-) .

Whenever we visited, Chester would come along side Janet's bed on the right hand side, put his big ole front paws up on her bedspread and inch-in as close as he could.  She would talk to him in such a sweet voice, stroke his big ole paws and soft ears,  feed him treats, and ask me the same questions each time we came....and tell me about her dogs. Her Boxers.  And whenever we left, she would thank us over and over for visiting.

On our last visit,  Janet was on oxygen and had pneumonia. I knew, I think we all knew, it was the last time we would see each other on earth.  I took her hand, and told her I loved her and so enjoyed our visits.  She told me she hated being sick.  In less than a week she had passed from earth to heaven.

I wanted to attend Janet's service.  To meet her children and grandchildren and tell them how much we loved their Mom and Grandma.  And... well I wanted to know Janet. The real Janet.  As a few shared about her life, .....well....She was just as I had imagined her. :-) Full of life and love and spunk. She was a woman who spoke her mind clearly, with a  feisty twinkle in her eye.  She was a no-nonsense school teacher who was loved deeply by her students. And she loved dogs. Her Boxers.  

Our lives are all the richer because of our Thursdays with Janet.

You will be greatly missed.

But I wouldn't wish you back, not for anything.

A Hui Ho ~ Until we meet again.

With Hugs and Tail Wags.  

LEAVE IT! probably saved his life.....

A Teachable Moment for all KPETS Teams

& Doggie Owners

Today on one of our regular KPETS visits, Chester's quick response and obedience probably saved his life. When we walked into the room, my buddy sniffed under a table and I noticed a blue capsule/pill. I commanded him "Leave It" and he did so immediately. I then notified the staff who removed the medicine from the area.  I was so thankful my eyes were on Chester, and he obeyed without hesitation.  A great reminder for us all to make sure our pups are confident in this command, and to stay alert on our visits. I really never thought this would happen ~~ and it did.   I'm thankful for the training KPETS gives ~~ so valuable for the safety of our pets as we serve others.

De-Stressing During Finals Week

When I read the request for Pet Therapy Teams needed to help de-stress students during FINALS week at a local University  ~~ well OF COURSE I answered the call. How fun is this?! One very Creative Counselor at Millersville University decided to implement a program to help encourage and de-stress students during a very stressful week of finals. KPETS Teams were invited to come throughout this week, and Chester & I gladly signed up for a two hour time slot. (Where were golden retrievers during my finals weeks? HELLO?)

When we arrived on the busy campus, we found the student union, & Chester immediately trotted in and assessed the situation. Tension.  We met our host from the counseling department and then... well, we just hung out. No program.  No agenda.  We were just THERE.  The students came in and out, some were walking through, others sitting on chairs, a few on the floor ~~ studying, talking. When they noticed Chester, or his KPETS Collie-friend, Romeo --- well these students visibly DE-STRESSED  in front of our eyes.  Smiles emerged. Shoulders softened. Easy conversation flowed.  These pups worked the crowd...and knew just who to go to and what to do. Chester and Romeo wandered around, hung out with new friends, climbed up on laps, checked out computer screens, layed on the floor, got tummy rubs, gave a few kisses, performed a few tricks, received countless ear massages, and heard warm-hearted TAILS from students about their own pups on the home front, who were greatly missed :-(  ...... sigh.

Who woulda' thought  ~ Pet Therapy during finals week?  What a pawsitively great idea! All week long different KPETS teams came in and out.......and as word spread throughout campus, more and more students came, to forget about studying and pressure and finals ~~ they came to sit on the floor, and relax...with a dog.

Life is good.



Ain't it good to know... that you've got a friend...



Middle School Dance!!!




   

              Chester, waiting outside Melissa's school for his FIRST dance!

 

Friday night, Chester attended his very first DANCE.  He was invited by his best buddy, Melissa. Her class was hosting a Middle School Dance Fundraiser for his Big Dog friends, the UDS Dogs, assistance pups in training.  Melissa asked Chester to be her companion.  He was paws-itively ecstatic and thrilled.



Doggies and Students....getting pre-dance-hosting instructions!



The dance was a great success.  Lots of kids, dogs, and FUN.   Chester had a blast with his cute date. He greeted people. He danced. He got his picture taken a kazillion times. He hung out at the snack table. He went EVERYWHERE with Melissa, proud to prance by her side.

 

A couple of dog-gone memorable moments....besides the snack table...

At one point, Chester told Melissa "I have to go."  We took him outside to the grass. We let him run around a bit in a fenced in area. I gave him the command, "Go Now!" She gave him the command, "Go Now!" He rolled in the freshly-mown grass.  He romped. He smiled. He sniffed.  He raced.  He did everything but "go now."  Melissa thought this was hilarious.  I rolled my eyes. A friend of Melissa's who was watching said, "Melissa, I've never seen you laugh like this!"  I thought... hmmm, we do this every week during PT at Schrieber...this IS Melissa and Chester. Always.

Well, after not-going we went back inside for more fun, then, a tour of the school. One of our stops was the Biology Room. I don't know if I'm supposed to tell you this or not... but... I will, our tour guide took the BIG white rat out of the cage ;-) .  He carried the creepy rodent (rats with beady pink eyes and looooong naked tails are not my favorite creature on planet earth)  to show Melissa and me...and Chester, up close.  I was not sure if this was a good idea or not.  Rats look sort of  like squirrels, if you catch my drift.

Well, the rat got a little frisky and started nibbling on our tour guide, who was fumbling to hold on to this critter -- .  I was thinking, hmm, this could be very interesting. Biology room, slippery floor, rat running free, Chester.  I started laughing. Melissa started laughing.  We could not stop.  Chester was salivating.

To make a long story shorter.......and less exciting than it could have been.... our tour guide got control of Mr. Rat and put him back in his cage.  In the meantime, I tried to drive Melissa's chair out of the Biology lab, crowded with classroom furniture.  We were stuck.  I was flunking wheel chair driving 101 ....  Imagine bumper-cars.  Poor Melissa, I kept running her chair, and her cute tennies, into tables and chairs and cabinets. I continually apologized, "oops, sorry Meliss....uh, sorry.... you OK?...uh, didn't mean to do that...is your foot OK?"  To which all I could hear was laughter.  Thankfully. I love Melissa's laughter (and patience with crazy drivers).  And Chester, well he was wedged in there somewhere, praying he could get another chance with white squirrel.

Eventually, and miraculously, we did bump our way out of the Biology Lab....with our sides and faces aching from laughter.

At the end of our evening, I told Melissa, it was the best Middle School Dance I had been to in my entire life.  And that is the truth.  Chester agreed it was a fairy-tail evening.

Oh....and the cherry on top.  Well, when Mom and Dad came to pick up their Melissa, they brought their dog, Rufus, a big-ole chocolate Lab who made Chester look small.  What a hunk of chocolate LOVE.  Though Chester has been waiting to meet the dog he has heard so much about, initially he let it be known he was not especially thrilled to shake paws with this Chocolate Big Boy. Either he was a weee bit jealous or self-conscious about how he looked in his yellow vest, hard to tell???  Regardless, when I took his vest off,  he went from working mode to play mode,  & fully enjoyed romping and wrestling with Melissa's dog, Rufus.  They were buds.



Rufus, Melissa, and Chester



What a dazzling day~~ Bus ride (see previous post) AND Dance....all in the same day.  When we drove into the driveway, Chester was snoozin' and my face still hurt from laughing ~~ dog-gone wonderful!



The Bus Ride

Chester, checkin' for squirrels.

Fridays is our day to visit and share tail wags with our friends on the Alzheimer's floor at a nearby retirement community. This past Friday,  rather than visit inside, we joined a handful of men and women on a bus ride, over the meadow and through the woods.

Oh my.  Never have I had so much fun on a bus!

It was a gorgeous day, bright blue sky dotted with fluffy white clouds, the fields  lush and green,  trees laden with lavender, white, pink blossoms.  The perfect day for a ride through Amish Farm Country.

Riding in a small van like bus over hill and dale is an adventure. No matter how slow you go, or how careful you take the turns, it is bounce, bounce, BOUNCY, when you are in the back.

One dear woman, grinned and held on for dear life....her constant comment, with every turn we took, was "eeeee Gods.....eeee Gods!"  It was like background music.

I pointed out cows and horses, Amish clotheslines heavy with clothes whipping in the wind, teams of mules tilling the soil for spring planting, tulips and daffodils.  Our eight bouncing passengers looked at the sights, to the sound of "eeee Gods, eeee Gods" with every hill and bend in the road.

Chester swayed to the turns and bumps. Each time I told him "hang on", he braced for another curve.

Towards the end of our journey, we hit quite a bump....and from front to back, heads bobbed up and down, ...picture ~~ the people on the bus go up and down up and down up and down.  And then I heard, "Whoa, I left my ass in that hole!"   I turned and saw a smiling grey-haired gentle-man.....with a twinkle in his eye, holding on tightly to the seat in front of him.

Ohmy, I started giggling and could not stop.

The bus driver looked in her rear view mirror and said, "That's Frank (name changed).  You just gotta love Frank, he always tells it like it is!"  "Frank, tell Diane and Chester who you are, about your mom and dad!"  She whispered to me that Frank's Mom was Portuguese and his Dad was Norwegian.  I thought, what a grand combo of cultures blended into one sweet-spunky man.

Chester and I turned to face grinning Frank.  "Frank, tell us who you are!"

"FRANK!" Frank replied.  Head bobbing up and down and swaying with the bus ride. 

I smiled, Chester did too. "Good to meet you, Frank!  Tell me about your parents, and your heritage, what do you call yourself!"

Shouting and Beaming, "Oh, I'm Portu-wegian!!! My Mom was Portuguese, and my Dad, he was Norwegian, I'm Portu-wegian!" 

I smiled back at him, "Frank, I've never me a Portu-wegian before!"

Frank's eyebrows rose, and his face lit up with a surprised expression that said,  NO WAY! , then he proudly proclaimed, " Well, .... I'm Portu-wegian!" 

I could not stop laughing.

Frank beamed.  His innocence, smile, and humor, brought joy to my soul.

Chester shook his head and braced for another turn.

Over the meadow and through the woods...
"eee Gods"... laughter is good for the soul.

High Five, Low Five

I mentioned a few posts ago, that when we visit UDS Adult Education, I often am touched especially by one person, or a moment. And it happened again this week.  On Tuesday it was Lynnie. Lynnie is a petite young woman with pixie cut brown hair. She sits in a wheel chair with a padded tray,  communicates through her eyes and has a bright smile. I've heard the term "dancing eyes" before, but with Lynnie, I SEE dancing eyes.  Her eyes do dance when she is happy and excited.

Her eyes sparkled when I asked her if she would like Chester to  put his big ole paws on her cushiony tray. Chester gently placed his paws up on top, and then kissed her petite frail fingers.  Lynnie's eyes boogied :-).

That wasn't even the best part though. When it was time to leave, Chester was giving high-fives to a few friends gathered around Lynnie's chair. The students were overjoyed connecting with Chester's paw in high-five fashion.

I asked Chester to give Lynnie a  high five, sort of like a wave, knowing she could not reach her frail tiny  hand to Chester's paw. But, rather than go HIGH, Chester went low, gently touching his paw to her leg.

I was amazed.  Amazed.... and thinking surely this was an accident, surely he meant to go HIGH ~ obviously the poor pup was just plain pooped.

Again, I asked Chester to high five Kate and John.  He did, waving his furry paw HIGH.

And just to double check, again, I asked him to high five Lynnie.  Reaching low, he touched his paw gently to her leg. 

Lynnie's eyes were Dance Dance Dancing...

I pray I never stop being amazed.