Pet Therapy Dog
Bodhi of the Rockies
Bodhi and I were glad to get back to work after a Christmas break. I noticed that everyone was in a good mood and so friendly. People don’t always agree, but most people love dogs and are happy to see them.
And if people received as much attention as dogs, the world would be a very happy place indeed!
We can get a list of which rooms the covid patient are in, which was almost every room on the floor we were supposed to visit. I chose to say safe and not visit patient rooms today.
The adoring staff
We started out visiting Bodhi’s buddies in medical records because they adore him and he brings them so much joy. They always remark on how he cheers up their day. He loves the attention…and he gladly (and gently) takes their treats too.
A volunteer in the surgery check-in area also particularly adores Bodhi and loves his visits. Some of the other staff in that area also like seeing him but sometimes, like today, they were too busy with patients to pet him so we try to stay out of their way.
While we were visiting with a patient in the surgery waiting area, a staff member came down the hall and I could see she was so excited to see Bodhi. She intercepted us and took us to her back office area to see her coworkers. We’ve never been there before but it’ll be a regular stop from now on. It’s a competition with the medical records staff on who adores Bodhi the most!
The dog-loving family members
Our other assigned areas were waiting rooms, which were quite full. People really connected with Bodhi for a long time, and he was happy to calmly stay with them and help them forget their troubles. Most of the folks were dog lovers and talked about their dogs too.
The remarks
People always remark on Bodhi’s handsome looks, how tall he is, how cool his dark red fur is, and how full of love his beautiful amber eyes are. They also a remark on how calm and loving he is, and how perfect he is for this job. People are also interested in the evaluation process to become a therapy dog so I tell them all about it.
The quotes
Along with people telling Bodhi how handsome he is, everyone thanks me and most everyone say “you made my day!”
That makes my day!
I talked to a woman in the ER waiting room for a long time and we discussed how beneficial these therapy dogs are. I gave her Bodhi’s business card and told her about this blog. After getting (and giving) some Bodhi loving, she gave me an awesome quote:
“I will remember this all day!”
So will I.
The drive home
On our drive home, the song “Life Less Ordinary” by Carbon Leaf came on with the lyrics:
Live a life less ordinary
Live a life extraordinary with me
And that’s what we do, Bodhi and I.
Live extraordinary.