Napoleon and Dusty
Posted by TeamCharlie on July 23, 2008 under Kids are Heroes, Wags for Hope | 
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Last night I shadowed two new animal teams at Citizen’s Care & Rehab. Having visited there now for four years, I sometimes get moments where I question my own commitment, and wonder if the residents start to take us for granted. It has also been a bit sad for me personally lately, since many of my “regulars” have recently passed away. Make no mistake about it, this is part of the territory. I was speaking to a woman yesterday who is anxious to start this activity. She had recently been in a nursing home herself and had felt the loneliness that many of the residents suffer. She wanted to get her dog started, but wasn’t sure if the dog would be a good fit for the visitations. She said that she would just do nothing if the dog didn’t work out. I suggested to her that she could do a world of good just visting alone. Her response was that she didn’t want to get close to the residents and then have to suffer their passing. My answer to that is that just because you bring in your pet doesn’t mean that you will not establish relationships with the residents. The alternative is to not visit and not suffer the loss of friends. Doesn’t that sound a bit selfish? I know that this sort of thing cannot be handled by everyone, but just think of the pleasure you give a person as you are helping to escort them from this life. Is it better that they all go this journey alone? I think not.
Anyway, back to Napoleon and Dusty…
