Dear Diary,
I had a quasi hospice visit last week. It wasn’t scheduled or formal, we just happened to be with our pet therapy director at a new to us facility who mentioned staff had requested a hospice visit for this particular gentleman not too long ago and she had to pull her son’s elderly dachshund out of retirement as the man really, really likes small dogs. Her dogs are border collies and the man likes a dog in his bed. She knew he was going to be so happy that we had 3 smalls in tow that day.
We enter the man’s room and he IMMEDIATELY taps the bed for mom to help me onto it. You don’t have to ask me twice, snuggling in big beds is the reason I exist. I’m always freshly bathed and smelling nice for nursing home and hospital visits in anticipation I get invited into the bed. I lost track of time, as I often do, and it was the next dog’s turn. However, this sweet man was not quite ready to release me and asked us. I call that a double feature. A twofer.
We are joined by Allie the senior pug. He lights up like a Christmas tree as she rolls in. Literally rolls in, in her stroller. He asks my mom to help him with his phone and she’s thinking maybe he wants her to take a photo, or maybe he wants to take a photo and needs help locating the camera. It seems to take forever as he is scrolling and scrolling, ignoring all offers of assistance coming from my human. I don’t have thumbs so I just stayed focus on my task- just laying there.
When he finally hands mom his phone, we discover what has taken him so long.
He was trying to show her the photo of his own pug from 2022.
Mom snapped a photo of sweet little Allie looking at the photo on his phone. She printed and framed the photo for his end table, just as she did in the past with Milo’s dementia patient in hopes seeing both pugs will brighten his remaining days, same as Milo did years ago. Unfortunately, we received word that he passed away the following week and before mom could deliver the photo and surprise him with another visit with me.
Though I wasn’t the star of the show this day, I like to believe that the happiness my fellow “therapist” and I brought to this man’s heart in what we would learn was his final pet therapy visit is immeasurable.
It’s why I’m so proud to do the “work” that I do.
-Goosey
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