At the hospital I pranced around this week and handed out Valentine’s Day cards. Of course they had pictures of dogs on them and a little lollipop to boot. One of the boys took two cards. That was a good idea, I thought.
Now he has love in both of his pockets so he will be sure not to run out for Valentine’s Day!I don’t usually visit the emergency room, but a nurse asked me to stop in as there were some little kids who needed a special visitor. No problem, I barked - I am always ready to help!
When I stopped in to visit a little girl, Lisa, another nurse came to the room to take her blood. As you can imagine Lisa was not happy with this.
As the nurse started to prepare the needles I said good-bye to Lisa and wished her well. Both Lisa and her father asked me not to go and the nurse nodded in agreement.
Lisa whispered to me, “stay with me.”
Lisa began to cry when she saw the needle and as soon as I saw the tears I tried to lick them away. This helped a little bit, but I could tell I would have to bring out my best tricks to make the pain and fear disappear.
So I sat on Lisa’s bed and gave her a “high five!” She giggled. I also showed her the shave marks on my front legs from when I had an IV in the emergency room back in December. Lisa was doing ok until she looked back at the needle again.
Treats I though! My Mom read my mind and put dog treats in Lisa’s hand. I think she forgot she was in the hospital and started to have me do tricks for the treats. We both were having such a good time!
People often ask, “what is pet therapy?” I am not exactly sure, but there is something about my soft fur and warm belly that is perfect for cuddling in a hospital bed or maybe it is the motion of my wagging tail that is soothing.
I probably will never see Lisa again, but I know that we will remember each other. She was a brave little girl and I am glad I was there to help her find her courage.
2 comments:
Will you be my Valentine Bella?
Woof! Woof! aka .... Sure!
Post a Comment