04/22/2026
A Testament to the power of therapy dogs:
Phoebe and I entered the hospital with our es**rt, and walked down the long, empty hallway. At the very end was a patient sitting with a nurse. It was clear that the patient was agitated, and reluctant to follow the nurse into another room. The more the nurse prompted her, the more agitated the patient became. The patient just was not having it today. My es**rt quickly asked if they would like to say hello to the dog. I chimed in with my typical intro of: "Would you like to say hello to my dog, Phoebe?". The patient, still leery of the nurses, nodded and said, "Sure." We spent a few short minutes with the patient. As we started to leave, the nurses again started to encourage the patient to move to another room. The patient immediately started to protest. Phoebe turned and went back to the patient. The patient, smiled and said, "She likes me." I smiled and said, "Phoebe knows who needs her." Phoebe wouldn't leave her side until the patient agreed to move to the other room. Phoebe even followed her into the room, and waited as she got settled in. The patient gave Phoebe a hug, and said, "I'm ok now. Go visit other people. They need you too." And with that, Phoebe took the lead and we went to see the other patients.
I am always in awe of watching therapy dogs work. I am in awe of watching Phoebe work. She is a working machine in the weight pull chute, but there is such a deep connection to her work as a therapy dog. She is able to sense who really needs her, and I've learned to follow her lead. She has a knack for navigating her way through the groups of people, the long hallways of similar doors, through the strange noises, unfamiliar smells, and finding those that need her the most. When she pulls me into a room or near a person, I've learned to heed her que. She senses it, and it gets sharper with each visit. I always joke that I am just the person at the end of the leash or her chauffer, but it is an honor to be that person. Therapy dogs are working dogs.
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