Jim and Jackson The first room on our list -- think it was room 8 or 9 -- was an elderly lady who was visiting from Erie PA.   Her husband was sitting at her side.   They were visiting Colorado for the holidays and she ended up in the hospital.   Anyway we had a nice visit and they asked many questions about the program and about Jackson, etc.   He is apparently the editor for a newspaper in PA, and took some notes -- I gave him the deltasociety website URL too  -- he was very interested and impressed with the program.    Near the end of our visit the man took out his wallet and attempted to give me a $5 bill for the program!  I told him how much I appreciated it, but if he wanted to donate it would probably be better for him to check out Delta's website.    In Peds room 2 there was a young (~4 year old?) girl with a hurt arm and a shiner under an eye.   She and 2 or 3 of her  sisters were all sitting in her bed -- the eldest of these girls -- all blondes -- probably wasn't more than 8 or so.     Anyway, Jackson did "paws up" on the bed, and what a visit!    10 minutes of pets, hugs, kisses, and wet noses.    Usually Jackson wants to "get down" from the paws-up position in about 2 mins, but he just hung out this whole time -- in heaven!    The parents were beaming.

Splash and Michelle   Most of the time, folks are so appreciative of Splash, and want to make sure she will come back for a repeat visit. A visit with Splash encourages them to talk about their own dogs, the dogs of their childhood, their own great love of dogs. For most, it’s a brief respite in a day filled with screenings, testing, and uncomfortable procedures. A Splash visit is the bright spot in their day.   This is a patient letter that came to us after a visit from Splash.   Splash is Amazing!   I came into the hospital for a rather unpleasant procedure this month.  While I was waiting in the Surgery Waiting Area, I noticed the therapy dog come into the area.  I was really in no mood to play with a dog so I continued in my gloom and didn't pay much attention to the dog.  I did notice that she wouldn't stop staring at me, though.  After sizing me up for a while, she dragged her master to me and the master said "She found you".  I found this amazing because there were so many people in the lobby, but she noticed that I was sad and needed some love.  There's more...   I pet the dog a little bit and thanked her for coming to see me.  When I stopped petting her she looked at me with her gorgeous eyes and thought, "I'm not finished with you yet".  Then she jumped on my lap and gave me a big hug, as if to say "I know you need this!”. Needless to say, the tears starting rolling in full force!   She is such a sweetie and I'll never forget the love and support she gave me when I needed it.  I thought that therapy dogs were just around to keep people smiling (which they do); I did not know that she had a strong intuition to seek out the people who really need it.    I'll never forget the joy that Splash brought to me that day.  Thank you!

Charlie and Oliver Let me tell you about my adventure in the EGSMC ICU last week... First of all, the staff went wild.  They were coming out from behind the nurses' station to pet Oliver and stopping us every foot along the way.  I was headed for a particular room but was asked to visit another also.  That one was closer, so I made a short stop there.  Got to the originally-requested room and the patient had something like six visitors there.  His motor skills were very weak, so someone -- son or son-in-law -- sat adjacent to the bed and pulled Oliver's front feet up onto his lap and then brought his dad's hand over to O's head.  It was just beautiful. It's pretty wonderful that EGSMC allows a group like that; often ICUs only allow one or two visitors.  This man was sooooo happy. Later, I found out the rest of the story: The patient was clinically dead and had been revived.  He was on a respirator and when they took the tube out that morning, the first thing he asked for was a dog! Were we lucky to be the ones there, or what???

Rich and Jake    A man and his dog walk into a hospital.   Jake and I made our inaugural visit on Thursday June 1st. Everyone on the fourth floor enjoyed receiving a visitor, especially when the visitor has four legs, fur, and a wagging tail.   Jake has an amazing Lassie-look for an over-sized sheltie--even his fur has fur, and he was a big hit. We brought smiles and laughter to one patient who had not smiled or laughed her entire stay. Another woman with dementia focused on Jake and even gave treats to Jake--Jake brought this woman into the present moment--with a lick of her hand, and the touching by the patient with his soft fur.   Pet therapy programs have been shown to help patients achieve positive health effects, such as decreasing blood pressure levels, stress, and anxiety--visits can result in fewer requests for pain medication, and shorter recovery times. Jake provides a break from the normal hospital routine, eats up the affection, provides companionship, and helps patients feel connected to the outside world that they can only see through their window.   Jake has a special connection to people - Jake is just a magnet of love - whether they are patients, guests, or staff - I don't pretend to understand it. I don't want to analyze it. I accept it with gratitude, awe, and thanksgiving.   I am glad Exempla Hospital is going to the dogs.

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