The Bluegrass Bunch

[Randy]

Yeah, but that's okay. That was the first time that has happened in the ten years that I have been visiting there. There have been a couple of times that I showed up and nobody came into the room to participate, but that has happened rarely. And there is probably a good reason why it does. I know one day when I showed up, they had two deaths during the night so things were in a bit of turmoil. My little effort is really pretty unimportant at times like that. Unfortunately on that time though, I lost one of my favorite people. He was a man that would greet me every week when I came through the door. He knew I was a gardener and he would ask me every week what I was growing, even in the winter months. He never knew my name but he always called me "Governor". I think he was either a University of Oregon alumni or had family that was, because he was a "Ducks" fan. I had to try and bone up on my college sports, so I could talk coherently with him. It's been awful quiet when I walk through that door now.

 

[curbhopper]

There's a fellow at my Dad's nursing home who will not speak except to his daughter and there is another lady who I call "Mom". She has a personal care giver also, who is there almost every day. She can't speak. Her caregiver says,"She speaks with her eyes, if she could just keep them open, she could say more." I adore both of these people and many more. We always take our dog (choc. Lab) and folks love her~ "OH THEY'RE HERE! WHERE'S ELLIE?????" The nurse has already taken Ellie to visit in a different wing of the facility! It's amazing how many elderly miss having a pet around. One lady ALWAYS says,"You don't have to go home do you? Stay another day ~ just one more day." My Dad says things like,"Let them go ~ let them go. They cause too much trouble here." ~

 

[Randy]

I haven't seen her for a couple of years, but there was a lady that came with her dog every week also. As far as I know she still does, but not at the time that I do my thing there. You are right about the pets though. Those that had pets love to see the animals show up.

 

[curbhopper]

Someone asked me if Ellie (our dog) is a certified therapy dog. We take her one place ~ to see my Dad and nobody seem to mind b/c she minds her manners. She has this uncanny ability to know 'who' needs her most ~ such a giving dog ~ not certified ~

 

[Randy]

What does it take for certification? The receptionist where I go brings her dogs in once in awhile. She has a couple of pugs and they just wandwr where they want to. The nursing home my wife visits also has a couple of dogs in the office, so they probably take them in to the residents' area for visits too.

 

[swindy]

Where I live is an over "55 Community" and we do have some Tenants that are way over 55 and many of them gather in the Community room for card playing and just visiting. My Cat Missy loves going out in the hall and I use to take her for a walk out there after all the old ones returned to their apts or very early in the morning before anybody was up and around. Missy would go into the community room and spend a lot of time smelling around the tables and chairs. One night I brought her out a little early and there were still ppl in the room, well in she goes and starts visiting with all the ppl who she knew so well from their scent.(she is a very friendly cat and really loves people)
She was so well received by the folks that now it is an everyday thing for her to go hang out with the girls. If I should go down there without her all I hear is Where's Missy why didn't you bring her down. And she is so good that she doesn't jump up on them, when one of them calls her she will go to the chair to visit and stands on her hind legs with her front paws on the chair and let the girl pet her. I think Missy Certified herself as a therapy cat.

 

[curbhopper]

Isn't that wonderful! When my Dad was in Independent Living unit there was this orange cat who would wander around the hall ( I love cats). The owner would simply prop open his apartment door and the cat would wander back 'home'. One day while my Dad was in the hospital, I propped open the door to my Dad's apartment. Cat walked right in .........and MY cat walked right OUT! The 2 of them ended up wandering the halls together. They both returned to their homes. (My Dad would have been SO mad!)~

 

[curbhopper]

Oh, certified therapy dog.....it has to listen to your commands so you have to go through a class. I have this brochure and it SAYS: "Dogs entering the Fidos Therapy Dog program must pass temperment and obedience tests. Volunteers and their dogs must attend special classes where they are trained to participate in this program." Our dog is a chocolate Lab and 4 years old. She is the most kindhearted dog I have ever had. My daughter said when we got the dog, at 4 months old,"Mom, never yell at her." We never have. She knows hand signals now. We have our DogPatch right outside our gate (big field where dogs come to run) It is not unusual for there to be 18->20 dogs up there. Ellie (dog) runs amd romps but when I whistle, she comes. This one guy says,"WHY does SHE come and my dog WON'T?" She knows she is supposed to. But we have to go to classes to 'prove' this dog is certified??? The classes are only offered twice a year. Certified? Dumb idea in my humble opinion. I take her to see my Dad's nursing home and nowhere else. You know your dog or you don't.~ Curbster

 

[Randy]

I'm sure Patti's dogs at Cedar Crest are not certified either, but it doesn't stop the residents from enjoying them.

 

[curbhopper]

In my opinion, folks who own the dog know whether it is 'certified'. Ellie is the most low key pleasant dog ~ she doesn't bark, she doesn't jump up, she judges her situation, she looks to me for clues. She senses who she is with ~ a little dog, a BIG dog, an elderly person, a little kid. She has this knack. She breaks up disagreements on our DogPatch. She protects our cats from the dogs. We are blessed. ~

 

[Randy]

We have two dogs here that would not work. Both are too big and too bouncy to be around old people. They have even come close to knocking me down on occasion. They are sweet dogs, just too active.

 

[lynpenny]

And then there is Tex. He is spoiled and standing by me growling right now cause he wants out. He doesn't take no too good. now he wants back in. He is friendly and loves people he only barks if someone knocks on the door. He acts like he is a big mean dog until the door is open then he goes into lick mode. poor thing his head is obviously too small for his tongue. it is always licking. but we love him anyway.

 

[Randy]

The new dog here is just a little over a year old now, so he still has a lot of puppy attitude, but he weighs over 90 pounds (yellow lab). His bark is very impressive, but he is also a pussycat when it comes to being mean. He has learned to flop over on his back to get his tummy rubbed too. He learned that from the other dog.

 

[curbhopper]

We are very fortunate to have our DogPatch b/c the dogs DO learn a LOT from each other. People are yelling at them but they are learning 'dog things' FROM dogs. Yellow Labs seem to be, typically, the largest of Labs I do believe. We have black Labs and yelllow Labs and chocolate Labs on our Patch. Each color also seems to have the same dispositions but that may have to do with various ages and qualities of owner and male versus female. When our Lab barks, she looks around to see who woofed ~ "Couldn't have been me, was it? I really shoudn't have said that, right?" She is our chunka chocolate ~ Curbie

 

[Randy]

My wife and I have had a couple of black labs and loved them both. The first one was a rescue. The second one we bought because we had such good results with the first one. We raised the second one though from puppyhood so there was no emotional baggage to deal with. With the first one, we never had to discipline her and just a stern word just demolished her. So we were very careful not to ever sound irritated.

 

[curbhopper]

I remember growing up with a Mom who simply had to give you 'a look' and our dog is exactly the same way. I look at her in different fashions and she knows. There is a person on our DogPatch who keeps asking me,"How do you do that?" uh....look at her? Labs are a phenominal breed. I've had a Corgi, a Sheltie, a Brittany Spaniel, a Collie ~ never have I had a dog so easy as this one. ~ Curbie

 

[Randy]

Fiona had a dog before this one and I loved that dog. He thought I was okay, but he adored Fiona and that is why I thought he was so neat. David tolerated him and I guess Groucho tolerated David, but David also knew that he had to be careful how he interfaced with Fiona. Groucho bit him twice on the rear end. The first time was when he bent over and kissed Fiona when he was leaving for work. The second time was when David was showing off to a friend about how upset Groucho got when he would hold Fiona. David grabbed Fiona and started dancing around with her and before he could let go, Groucho had nailed him again. Prince also adores Fiona but he is not nearly as territorial as Groucho was. Groucho was not really all that happy when I would hug MF. He would try to get between us, but he never attempted to bite me. I am sure though that if I had ever tried that with Fiona, I would have been nailed also.

 

[Dor]

My two little chihuahuas are really protective of me and well but overly with my granddaughter Mya. My daughter Rosalind can't reprimand Mya in their presence at all or they will try to attack her. When my youngest would take them walking and Mya would go with her once a large dog got too close to Mya and Taco the mother chi chi was ready to attack the larger dog.

 

[curbhopper]

Groucho 'belonged' to Fiona We have 4 cats and 3 of them truly 'belong' with me. Hubby says it has to do with feeding them. I think iit has to do with who pays the most attention to them. ~ Curbie

 

[Randy]

So do I. The cats here have their favorites too, but MF and I are acceptable when no one else is around. It's so funny though. Every night about 10:00 the smallest one comes into our bedroom and hops up onto MF's lap and snuggles down. She has gotten on my lap, but it happens rarely.