A Sad Goodbye to Toebe

In honor of my pet dog, Toebe, I am going to write about what a wonderful pet therapy dog he was. I bought him one Tuesday night from Dumbfriends leaque. The following Wednesday he was going to work with me every day. Some days I believe he was the one getting the therapy. He loved being petted. He was very loyal and I never had to scold or leash him. He brought much laughter and comfort to a lot of the residents at the nursing homes I visited and worked at.
Residents at the Long Term Care facility where we worked loved to spend time with him. One gentleman in particular always tried to train Toebe to do new tricks. He was always telling visitors what a loyal, well behaved dog Toebe was. Another resident had his son bring in a bag of dog bones so he would have them on hand when we came to visit.
There were little things Toebe had to overcome. He was very afraid of other dogs and children. It must have come from living wild on an indian reservation. But within a few short months, he came to treat children and other dogs as if they were his bestfriends.
The elders at the facility would take turns brushing him, going for walks and training him. (Of course he already knew the tricks, but they didn't have to know that).
So why am I sharing this? Because Pet Therapy is a vital part of the residents in nursing homes lives. It gives them a sense of importance to help take care of an animal. It also helps them forget about their troubles for the short times they spend petting or talking to an animal. You see, they knew Toebe was safe to tell their troubles to; he wouldn't laugh, nor would he tell them it isn't important. They knew thier secrets were safe with him.
On a few occasions, Toebe was known to get into the bed with residents who were unable to stay up for long or were terminally ill. He would gently jump up and slowly lie down beside them, and put his head on their chest as if to say, "I know how you feel."
So, if you have a dog that you feel is great with people; please consider visiting one of your area Nursing Homes. All you have to do is call the Activity Director and set up a time to meeet so she can test your dog, we have to be sure the residents are safe of course.
I had to put Toebe down a few days ago and it was a great loss to me and to many who knew and loved him. Even family members and staff would bring treats and gifts for him. I will miss my best friend a great deal. But now I have a new little girl named Madison who I am now training to visit Nursing Homes. I will keep you updated on her progress.