In My Dreams

When I went to visit Sister Edith Alice on one of my regular pet therapy visits, she wasn’t there.

I was confused and began to sniff around hurriedly searching for her scent.

Where could she be?

One of the staff members came over and told me that Sister Edith Alice had passed last week.

My heart sunk to the floor and tears uncontrollably burst from my eyes. The kind of tears that leave little burn tracks around your eyes because the pain hurts so much.

I wanted to stop crying but my heart just wouldn’t agree.

One of the residents came over to console me. After some hugs and rubs on my back, we started to share our favorite memories of Sister Edith Alice.

The spirit of Sister Edith Alice will forever live in my heart and although I won’t see her on my routine pet therapy rounds, I promise to continue to visit her in my dreams.

Keep on Paddling

Some might say life is a journey.

This weekend my journey began in a kayak.

As I prepared for my trip I tried to think of all the things I might need: an energy drink, a life preserver, a paddle, sunscreen and my GPS watch.

That morning the sea appeared so peaceful and tranquil.

About half way into my journey, out of nowhere, the water started to get rough and my kayak was spinning out of control.

Waves crashed all around me without warning.

As I gripped my paddle with my paws and calculated the quickest route home with my GPS watch, I closed my eyes and hoped someone would save me.

Although I was vigorously paddling, the current kept pulling me farther and farther from my destination.

I was ready to give up, but I realized that if I stopped and didn’t fight back I’d never return home.

I took a swig of my energy drink and determinedly fixed my eyes in the direction of home.

Even though I couldn’t see anything in the thick fog, I had faith that if I kept paddling eventually I would get there.

Little by little my home came into focus.

As I approached the inlet in front of my house, the storm seemed to subside and a beautiful rainbow appeared.

Again, the sea was tranquil and I was thankful to be home.

A Salute

My family and I recently took a short vacation to Gettysburg.

One can’t help but learn a little history along the way.

As many of you know the main attraction in Gettysburg is the battlefields.

The vast grassy green fields extend for miles and are covered with monuments and tributes to all who valiantly lost their lives in battle.

On one of the battlefield tours our guide asked us to imagine what it would have been like to be a soldier at that time.

First thing that came to my mind was, scary!

Thinking about it further, it made me more deeply appreciate the selflessness that those soldiers exhibited.

To sacrifice their lives for the sake of our country is something we will never be able to repay them.

The closest we can come to a form of repayment is by being thankful and respectful of each other and honoring the spirit of our country.

So here is a salute from me to all of our troops both near and far. Thank you for making us proud!

The Puzzle

Many of you know my heart was broken a few days ago.

Not to fret though, my heart is on the mend.

A broken heart is sort of like a jigsaw puzzle. Some puzzles only have a few pieces while others have many.

I have a feeling this is one of the puzzles with a lot of pieces. Little by little, though, the pieces are coming together and a beautiful picture is surfacing.

The picture is full of the love from my family and friends – how lucky I am to have you all.

The Agile Picnic Participant

And who said the playground is just for kids!

Today I attended a picnic party with a bunch of my pet therapy buddies.

It was a blast to get together to share stories and sample some traditional picnic cuisine (aka the scraps that fell off the picnic tables).

After barking with a few dogs, I learned that a few of my furry friends are accomplished agility competitors.

So I decided to take a crack at some of the agility course obstacles.

It took a lot of coaxing and treats, but as you can see by the end of the day I made it through the circular jump.

At first some things in life may appear too difficult or scary to approach.




But with a little help from friends and a sweet treat waiting on the other side of the jump, I believe anything is possible.

A Good Hand

They tell me you have to play the hand you are dealt.

Well, someone dealt me five aces. I keep checking to see if I am seeing things but, go ahead and count ‘em – there are five!

What luck!

Some might say my life started out unlucky as I almost died as a puppy and had to be hospitalized for a week to recover.

It was very traumatic, but somehow with a little oxygen, medication and love I pulled through.

As you see, I kept on playing my cards and here I am today – licking my chops, spreading cheer and always having faith that tomorrow will be an even better day!

The Throne of Kisses

The other week I was giving out my usual puppy kisses and for some reason it caused quite the stir.

One of the senior residents, Bertha, was hanging onto my coattails following me around the center.

Each time I visited someone, Bertha would run up to them and asked if they got a puppy kiss. And each time she became more enthusiastic with her questions.

I think Bertha’s zeal made the other residents think that something super special was being given out. And who would argue – my kisses are special!

So many residents were eager to get their kiss that they lined up at my feet. Since I am so short, I jumped up on a wheel chair – sort of used it for my throne.

It cracked me up especially since the residents would hurry to line up for a kiss and then wipe off the puppy goo with laughter.

Kisses, puppy goo and laughter- the perfect recipe for fun!