How many words does this picture need? Not many.
I only need to tell you that this man is severely disabled and was lying on the floor facing her so that he could be assisted to pet her. That he laughed and smiled the whole time and didn’t want to let go. That the Princess, in her capacity as a PAT dog, is endlessly patient and gentle with her clients, and that I was holding the young man’s arm so that he didn’t accidentally pull her tail.
Oh, I should maybe add that the Princess, being the Princess, was nearly asleep when this picture was taken. She takes a very relaxed attitude to her work!
well you know how I feel about it all, tears come just re-reading it. Thanks for all you do Jay and Miss May!
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Oh, I love this picture. And the accompanying story. Animals that help people in this way have a special place in heaven.
JD at I Do Thingss last blog post..I Flush so you don’t have to
Ditto what Dawn commented. The joy you and Miss May bring to these people is wonderful. Keep up the good work!
TJ
Thanks, everyone! The joy flows both ways.
I do little enough for my fellow man, but this is something I can do. I’m privileged to own a suitable dog for this type of voluntary work, and The Princess, aka Miss May (also Miss Jan, Feb, March and April) is very suitable.
She lives to be petted – as TJ can confirm!
Wow. That’s awesome. I bet my Ranger would be good at that. He’s sweet and mellow (most of the time).
Hi Agent M, and welcome!
You should see about getting Ranger tested and certified! Maybe you’d both enjoy it!
I grew up with an Afghan hound, which is basically a hairy greyhound. My sister has a greyhound now and she’s a wonderful dog.
Thanks for commenting on my blog. Feel free to visit any time.
Hello and welcome, Libertine! Yes, Afghans are sighthounds, too, aren’t they? And stripped they’d look pretty much the same, but I think greyhounds have the edge on laziness!
Awwwww! When our granddaughter had surgery at Geisinger Children’s Hospital in Danville, Pennsylvania, to close a cleft palate (in July of 2006, when she was 18 months old), an extraordinary highlight of her stay was the PAT dog visit. This dog was incredible. We all fell in love with her and it was such a wonderful moment for Melanie.
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Hi Jenny – thanks for visiting!
Yes, it’s amazing how people respond to the dogs. I took The Princess to visit Alzheimer’s sufferers today at a day-care centre. She can sometimes get people to open up who won’t normally speak, which is so nice to see. Three of them took turns to walk her around the garden today – then when it was time to go home the staff wanted a turn too, but that’s fine, because they have a very stressful job.
I asked at the hospital if they wanted her on the children’s ward but they didn’t get back to me. Maybe I should ask again.