Stuart, our family dog, is also a registered therapy dog. He and I visit schools, hospitals and nursing homes. We have done this for over 13 years. On Stuart’s last birthday, he turned 17 years old. That makes him almost 120 years old in dog years.
For the past few months, we have been noticing that Stuart has been having some physical problems. We got worried and made an appointment with his veterinarian. Dr. Jones at The Southside Animal Hospital has taken care of Stuart for many years.
A day or so later, Stuart and I were visiting one of the nursing facilities. He has a very special friend that is a resident there. We have been friends with her for over 10 years. She and Stuart have a very close bond.
After much thought, I decided that I should explain a little of the problems that we had been noticing in Stuart. I really didn’t want to explain to her but I did talk to her about how he was doing and the veterinarian’s appointment. She quietly listened as she gently stroked his head and ears. I could feel that she was a bit upset.
Later that evening, I received a call from one of her doctors that she was very upset and had been crying. She was distraught about Stuart. He assured me that they would take good care of her and would help her deal with this depression.
On the day of Stuart’s veterinarian appointment, we made a short visit to the nursing home and visited with her. She petted Stuart and softly talked to him. I assured her that the medicine that Dr. Jones prescribed the week before seemed to be helping Stuart.
Later that day, we had another appointment. Dr. Jones gave Stuart more of the same medicine so he could get better.
After that, Stuart and I returned to the nursing home to give his special girlfriend a good report. He cuddled up with her on her bed and she again petted him and quietly talked to him. I saw a few nice smiles. There were no tears from her on this visit.
The next day, one of her nurses said there was a positive difference and that she kept talking about Stuart’s visits. She seemed very happy again. Stuart is still being known as “the miracle healer”.
Stuart seems to be having fewer physical problems each day and takes a lot of naps. He seems bothered that we haven’t visited many areas of the nursing home or any of the school reading programs that we normally do.
On a different note about Stuart, our next-door neighbors have been dealing with a big project. They hired a contractor to remove their old asphalt driveway and replace it with a new concrete one.
These neighbors, Mark and Carolyn Leigh, are also good friends with us. They keep some very tasty treats in their garage. Stuart would quickly notice the opening of that overhead garage door and scamper over to accept some treats.
The pouring of wet concrete created a challenge for several humans. The garage door needed to remain closed and Stuart was supposed to have his leash attached to prevent any dog paws in the concrete. That went for Harry the cat and all 10 chickens also.
On the final day of concrete pouring for the driveway, Mark came over to our house and got Stuart on his leash. He walked him to a wet part of the new driveway and helped him sign his name. It is beautiful.
Stuart has many friends and I have lots of friends because Stuart lets me hang out with him.
For the past few months, we have been noticing that Stuart has been having some physical problems. We got worried and made an appointment with his veterinarian. Dr. Jones at The Southside Animal Hospital has taken care of Stuart for many years.
A day or so later, Stuart and I were visiting one of the nursing facilities. He has a very special friend that is a resident there. We have been friends with her for over 10 years. She and Stuart have a very close bond.
After much thought, I decided that I should explain a little of the problems that we had been noticing in Stuart. I really didn’t want to explain to her but I did talk to her about how he was doing and the veterinarian’s appointment. She quietly listened as she gently stroked his head and ears. I could feel that she was a bit upset.
Later that evening, I received a call from one of her doctors that she was very upset and had been crying. She was distraught about Stuart. He assured me that they would take good care of her and would help her deal with this depression.
On the day of Stuart’s veterinarian appointment, we made a short visit to the nursing home and visited with her. She petted Stuart and softly talked to him. I assured her that the medicine that Dr. Jones prescribed the week before seemed to be helping Stuart.
Later that day, we had another appointment. Dr. Jones gave Stuart more of the same medicine so he could get better.
After that, Stuart and I returned to the nursing home to give his special girlfriend a good report. He cuddled up with her on her bed and she again petted him and quietly talked to him. I saw a few nice smiles. There were no tears from her on this visit.
The next day, one of her nurses said there was a positive difference and that she kept talking about Stuart’s visits. She seemed very happy again. Stuart is still being known as “the miracle healer”.
Stuart seems to be having fewer physical problems each day and takes a lot of naps. He seems bothered that we haven’t visited many areas of the nursing home or any of the school reading programs that we normally do.
On a different note about Stuart, our next-door neighbors have been dealing with a big project. They hired a contractor to remove their old asphalt driveway and replace it with a new concrete one.
These neighbors, Mark and Carolyn Leigh, are also good friends with us. They keep some very tasty treats in their garage. Stuart would quickly notice the opening of that overhead garage door and scamper over to accept some treats.
The pouring of wet concrete created a challenge for several humans. The garage door needed to remain closed and Stuart was supposed to have his leash attached to prevent any dog paws in the concrete. That went for Harry the cat and all 10 chickens also.
On the final day of concrete pouring for the driveway, Mark came over to our house and got Stuart on his leash. He walked him to a wet part of the new driveway and helped him sign his name. It is beautiful.
Stuart has many friends and I have lots of friends because Stuart lets me hang out with him.
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