Pet Talk: Therapy dog makes patients smile, owner proud
It happens to just about every pet owner at some point: a moment of pride so intense you can’t help but grin like a fool.
For my friend Charlotte it was when, the day after she brought her newborn home, her goofy, lumbering shepherd mix, instantly besotted, raced to the kitchen wearing an unmistakable expression of disgust because the baby cried for three seconds longer than Harley thought necessary without response from any grownup. Charlotte still grins like a dope when she speaks of that six-months-ago moment.
For my friend Stephanie it was when her cat, Chino, badly injured in an awful accident that left a leg almost useless, fought to regain his courage, then his mobility, and one awesome night made the same flying leap from floor to her arms that had been his habit for years.
For me it was last Thursday, when Jasper, my rescued mutt, strolled into the chemo area of the local cancer treatment center, and two families began cheering: “Yay! It’s Jasper. Jasper’s here.” My affable little dog’s step went all prance-y, his butt shifted into full-swing mode, and, without a backward glance at me, he beelined forward, doing his best to spread his special brand of love to five people at once. He knew exactly why he was here, and so he sat tight-as-a-tick against the woman in the recliner who was attached to a bag of chemo meds, reached a paw out to the relative there to support her, and eyed another patient a few feet away as if to say “don’t worry, I’ll be right there.”
Jasper’s a certified therapy dog