Well, I’ve been terrible about blogging about Gabby’s job in Animal Assisted Therapy.  Especially today, I regret I didn’t write more often.  We’ve been thoroughly enjoying each and every visit and came to the point of being fairly consistent with 2-3 different elderly care facilities here in San Francisco.  But today I had to send the following email to the SPCA Program Gabby has diligently worked for the past 4 ½ years:

Good Morning,

It is with great sadness and a heavy heart that I write to you this morning. Gabby has not been well for the past 2 weeks. We've had to cancel her last appointment due to a condition that recently came about....long story short, she has hip dysplacia and has had a bad flare up. Currently she is on cage rest, wearing a diaper and feeling pretty miserable. At this time as we look at our course of action, I'll have to remove her from active duty until further notice. 

I apologize for the inconvenience and I'll keep you posted on Gabby's progress.

Thank you!

The first signs of trouble began when she refused to jump on the furniture and would paw at us to pick her up to place her on it.  Next came refusing to go up the stairs in our house and uncontrollable shaking of her back and hind area.  We took her to her vet when she refused to even go on a walk and would not squat to urinate or defecate.  It was determined she had ‘degenerative disc disease’ and a possible prolapsed disc, which is highly prevalent in the Lhasa Apso breed.  Since she has been 2 years old, she’s been taking a veterinarian prescribed anti-inflammatory for hip dysplasia and knee joint issues.  We came home and the following day was back at the vet because her legs were worse.  They kept her for 2 nights on cage rest and observation to determine the next step.  They gave her extra doses and an injection of the anti-inflammatory meds to aid in the flare up.  When I picked her up she lost all control and began randomly defecating diarrhea and urinating.  Big problem, to say the least.

We bought baby diapers and cut a hole out for the tail but the sizing was all wrong.  We finally made a trip to the Pet Store for the official dog diapers and they are still not quite right but better.  Of course she hates to wear them.  Our first night home was pathetic.  She just looked at us and whimpered in a way we’d never heard before.

Today is Saturday and thankfully the diarrhea medication worked and she isn’t having that issue anymore.  She’s had a healthy appetite and hasn’t been whimpering anymore either.  An issue that seems to be getting worse is when she makes the attempt to twirl in order to potty, her legs drop from underneath her body and then she stops and just stares at us.  This leads to major lack of bladder control.  Also, she has always had a beautiful fluffy tail and unfortunately I just had to trim it down to the bare tail due to matting and getting in the way.

Medically speaking, her vet is presenting a few options at this time.  She is only turning 7 years old in April so she is still very youthful! Her x-rays were sent to a surgeon and they will be getting back to us this next week.  There is a procedure called a Femoral head ostectomy or Girdlestone’s Operation.  They pretty much remove the ball of the femor, and a ‘ghost like’ one is formed and the muscles in the hip mold and shape to assist the dog in walking and living a normal life.  The degenerative disc issue is non-operable.

We are trying to keep her comfortable and waiting to see the surgeon for our options.  It would be wonderful to wake up and all of this will be gone but I don’t see that happening.

Life Lessons

Seems like every time Gabby has a job, I get a review on lessons in life. What I was reminded today:


1.  An elderly man from Carrington, North Dakota. He says, "it was the perfect town to grow up in, and still is."  I said, "many cities could learn from it." He said, "no, we won't tell anyone, we'll leave them alone! We don't want anyone else corrupting it." hahah. He talked of his career during his youth and his eyes began to sparkle. He created shopping malls all around the world. He especially enjoyed living in Europe. He said, with the memory clearly in his eyes, "I loved my job. I loved working every day. It was fun!"


Gotta love what you do!


2.  91 year old African American lady, never had any children but was a nanny to 3 for a family. When the mother passed away, the now adult children called and told her and asked, "Can we call you Mother?" and she calls them her kids. They live back East but every birthday they send a card and money. She said, "I've lived my whole life, accepting everyone for the way they treat me, not by the color of their skin." Later in the conversation she told me that her "kids" were white.


Treat others the way you want to be treated!


3.  Elderly lady, with Gabby's head on her lap, telling Gabby, "I love you Gabby." I let them know, "Gabby loves you too!!" She then answered to Gabby, "I got your sugar!" 


"The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return."




4. Crotchety older man in the corner says, "Is that a dog?" I answer, yes, this is my dog, Gabby, do you want to see her?" He answered gruffly, "No, I was bitten by a dog once! Get out of here!"


Being crotchety is unattractive!






I was recently asked, "What do you enjoy, where you just lose track of time?" I thought of gardening, listening to music, reading a good book, and of course, taking Gabby to her 'job'. Seriously, I can get so involved with the individuals, I completely lose track of time! There are so many people in need and so little time!! I am always reminded of how fortunate I am to have Gabby in this program and the time to share her with others. 

Hospice?

So when I received the list from SPCA of our assignments this half of the year, I won't lie....I was a little nervous about today.....

Today's location was in The Castro at a Hospice House. Yea, after only a few months ago, we were moments away of placing my father-in-law into Hospice care and here we are, visiting a Hospice Home. Well, one big difference is that the in this particular house, there are probably a few Aids Patients, along with other terminally ill. I talked about my reservations to my husband, prayed that I would gain the strength to deal with this. Well, as the day was approaching, again, it was clear, as in the past when I was unsure of an environment that I was unfamiliar being in.... "this has nothing to do with YOU Barbara! It has everything to do with the patients and Gabby spreading joy with the patients ability to LOVE and receive LOVE, unconditionally!

So, we arrived at our destination about 10 minutes early and went right to work.

Our first visit was with a 69 year old gentle man (yes, splitting the word on purpose). With barely a voice left, we talked about the past, pets that we owned that made an impression in our lives, Gabby antics and her day-to-day life. It was a sweet exchange all the while Gabby snuggled beside the gentle man in his bed. The patient received a personal phone call. I asked if we should leave and he nodded his head in agreement.

Our 2nd visit was with another elderly man, he did not state his age. Gabby felt at peace with him, crawled up to his upper arm, enjoyed his calm demeanor, and swiftly FELL ASLEEP!!! I asked the patient if he was OK and he answered, "Can you just leave her here?" How sweet is that? We talked more Gabby stories, his Christmas cards hanging on the wall, and the presence of Valentine's Day approaching and how he needed to purchase a few cards. Finally, after about 15 minutes, he said, "Well, maybe someone else will enjoy a visit with Gabby." Instead of saying Good-bye, sounding so "final".... I said, "Thank you for loving Gabby. She really enjoyed that."

Our next visit was pretty difficult. An older woman, lying in the bed, hands clenched together, eyes mostly closed, with another woman by her bedside. When we approached the patient, the other woman at her bedside said, "Mom, there is a little dog here to see you. Do you want to see the dog?" Ohhh, it was her daughter.....the patient really did not understand. After talking to her, placing Gabby on her bed, and talking some more...the daughter and I were able to get 'Mom' to open her eyes eyes a few times. She actually answered, "Yes" when asked if she liked dogs. Meanwhile, the daughter continued to get her mother to open her eyes, acknowledge Me or Gabby, pleading, "Mommy, do you want to see the dog?" the daughter was so desperate to get her mother to 'connect'.. This simple conversation made me ponder how death is so difficult on so many levels. There is no easy way out of this life. It is difficult for everyone involved.

Our last patient of the day was upstairs. Once we arrived, I placed Gabby on the woman's bed, as she sat in all of the previous visits. Gabby refused to lay down. She would only sit. The woman and I talked about Gabby's history, stories, blah blah, still, it was apparent that Gabby was not comfortable. Not sure why. The woman was very nice, talkative and pet Gabby on her chest the entire time. I just found it very odd that Gabby would not relax as she did on the other beds. Maybe after 45 minutes Gabby was tired of visiting? Did Gabby sense something else? Not sure.

We said our good-byes, thanked the staff, and directly behind us in the hallway, a funeral home personnel was arriving with a gurney to pick up a body. Yes, we were at a hospice home. Death is here, but you'd never know it with the sweet, loving, understanding staff that truly loved their roles.

So, as apprehensive as I was to arrive to this new place, I depart with a high regard for individuals who opt for such a position in working in this environment, am humbled in my own existence, forever grateful for each healthy breath I take, and thankful that Gabby played a roll in providing a bit of happiness and contentment to someones last days on this earth.

We'll return to this particular home later in the month and THIS time, I'll truly look forward to spreading our love and reaching out to those who need it most. Yup, chalk this one up for another successful visit.

Happy New Year!

Tuesday, January 24, 2012 Gabby had her first job of the year. We returned to one of our favorite locations. It was soooooooooo crazy! I tried something new, parking in their parking garage that allows visitors. Well, apparently they DON'T allow visitors. I wasn't "approved" prior so it made A LOT of confusion. Finally, they ended up giving me a spot.....Funny thing? There were TONS of empty spots!! This is an elderly residential care facility and not many DRIVE so there were sooooo many spaces available!! As I left the garage and walked up the stairway, I was all turned around by not walking into the front door as usual. I asked someone to point me in the direction of the front door when a worker saw us and was excited SPCA arrived! I explained that I was here to see a certain person in a certain program. She ignored me and literally whisked me away to a room I had never visited before. I again explained that all I needed was to find the front door because another program was waiting for me. Well, we entered a smaller room, elderly people in wheel chairs were sitting in a circle. I asked this gal to please let my gal know where I was and that I would be there shortly. We made our way around the room and most responded to Gabby. It was GREAT because the director in charge of the room just let me be! I told Gabby stories, she performed her 'tricks' as we made our way around the room.

We came upon a lady reclined in a chair. I told her Gabby's name and age. I asked her if she would like to see my dog. She was happy to reach out with her arthritic fingers to touch Gabby's soft fur. She looked right up at me and said, "You love Gabby?" I said, "Yes, I love Gabby." She said many times that Gabby was a lucky dog to have so much love from me. She explained that she can tell that I loved Gabby so much. It was the sweetest moment and she was so genuine.

Yea, I'd say Gabby and I are such a perfect match when we visit. It is such a great, giving feeling that we BOTH get, being close to those that are sometimes unreachable in our society.

After making our rounds in this one room, we departed and ended up in the room that had the original appointment. Thankfully, the director in this room is so sweet, she totally understood why someone would 'snag us up'. We made our rounds and we spent most of our time at a table of Chinese woman. It was very interesting. They haven't spent much time around a dog and did not know how to 'pet'. They would poke her face with a finger, tap her chin and poke her body. Needless to say, Gabby wasn't too pleased. She gave me a look that clearly said, "PLEASE, make them STOP!" It was hilarious!! Poor girl. I just allowed them to poke but would eventually take their hand and show them how to 'stroke' instead of poke. At one point, one lady poked Gabby's face so hard that Gabby YELPED!! We quickly ended the meeting.

One of the last people we visited was completely blind. This lady is such a beautiful woman. I don't know her story.....was she born blind or did it develop with age? I don't know. She isn't very old, maybe in her late 50's. Her heart is so unbelievably SWEET! She strokes Gabby lovingly as she speaks of wanting to take Gabby home, or teaching Gabby how to play dominoes with her! haaha!! She is amazing and I am always happy when she is in the room. We can learn so much from others.

So, the New Year is off to a GREAT start. We are working on our 3rd year of being in the SPCA Animal Assisted Therapy program and both Gabby and I could not be happier to reach out to the animal lovers of the world!

Bless Their Hearts

OOpps, again, sorry for not updating after each 'job' that Gabby has completed......my personal blog is way out of date too! Try finding the time to sit, think, and type just doesn't happen as often as it should....

I knew it would be an interesting time with Gabby today. When we went into her 'room' in the morning, she just stayed in bed!! She kind of rolled around on her back for us to scratch her belly, but laid in bed for a lot longer than usual!! I thought, "Yup, on this slightly drizzly day, you have the right idea!!"

But, Gabby had a job today at a home for the, well, we'll just say, 'less fortunate'. At first, going to this home was a slight challenge because the staff is so unorganized. Upon arriving, they would say, "Oh! We have a visitor today?" Well, Yes, I called in the morning to verify our time slot..... and no one would have a clue. Odd indeed. Our visits started at only being 15-20 minutes MAX! Almost not even worth the time to give Gabby a bath, and drive the distance! But, we would continue to meet when called upon to meet.

The ground was still a little wet from the rain last night. This is always a slight bummer because then Gabby's feet get wet, which means her belly then gets wet when the wet feet splash the water up onto her low belly! So, the raincoat came out for her walk before her job. Gabby isn't much of a fan of her raincoat. Thankfully, it ended up being fairly dry and we didn't need the coat for the visit.

We arrived at 10:30, and Gabby bounced in like a bundle of energy! That has been her latest routine.....she is soooooo excited and her entire body shakes and jiggles upon arriving. At times it startles the Activity Directors! Today was just the same. Finally, she settles down and enjoys the attention.

We sat in a small front living room. There were 2 couches and 2 chairs. Gabby would hop from couch to couch and chair to chair, snuggling up to all. One of the individuals had at least 20 questions about Gabby:

1. Does she like to walk through the forest?

2. Do you think Gabby needs a playmate?

3. Does she favor anyone special?

Bless his heart....The question that really topped them all was: If you could trade places with Gabby, would you?

My answer was: Only if my husband would still be her owner! hahahha

She gets treated pretty pretty well! I'm no fool!! hahahaha

Gabby did her typical tricks and ALMOST fell asleep a few times! Must just be a 'low biorhythm day or something! How funny.

We stayed until the program director called to ask me to move my car from blocking the driveway or we'd probably STILL be there!! haha The time was 11:45!!! Where did 75 minutes go? Weird! Time just flies now at this house.

So, from being a little annoyed at their lack of organization, we've come to grow to love this house and the people. Bless their hearts!

Happy Days!

Gabby had a job last Tuesday.....we returned to a previously visited location, one of our favorites! She walked through some wet grass on the way so when we entered, I wiped each foot separately on the mat as we walked in the door. The receptionist said, "Well, I've never seen THAT before!" hahaha!!! Hey, gotta be contentious of tracking feet prints everywhere!!

We made our rounds about the Activity Room and everyone loved on Gabby soooo much!! I love how her name is Gabby and I tell the Croatian, Russian and other European countries, "Gabriella" and then they make so many ooooohhhs and aaaaahhhhhsssss.... GABRIELLA!!! One lady said, 'Like an angel!!" hahaha!!! Many are CRAZY about 'SABATCHKA'S'!! Of course, Gabby just eats. it. up!! It is so funny to watch her soak up this attention. She still enjoys just flopping her head on their shoulder while they turn and give her many kisses.

There was the usual woman who says, "I had a dog that looked JUST LIKE GABBY!! His name was Bruno!! I think Bruno and Gabby would be friends!!"

As Christians, we are all called to serve. I truly believe this is my calling....It is such a blessing for me to take Gabby, allowing her to make so many people smile and feel loved and for me, lending a listening ear to their stories of old. There are so many lonely people in our world. Reaching out to them, spending time, sharing and caring for them always does my heart good!!

The other day, while driving along Ocean Beach, it was so beautiful, we had to pullover, stop, and run along the beach for awhile. Oh the life of a Gabby Girl!!

Now THAT is one happy doggie!!

Oh Where Oh Where Have We Been?

I know! Life sometimes just gets in the way of the things I enjoy....blogging! Gabby has actually been pretty busy since my last blog. I promise to get back to blogging....

Today we revisited a familiar spot and stayed for one hour! The previous visits were 20 - 30 minutes, MAX and today about 16 of us were in a large room, relaxing on the couches. Must have been this rainy, dreary day, bringing out the laziness in us...

I love it when people want to hear stories of Gabby....mainly because I enjoy telling them! :-)

She has two special people in her life....Big Mom and Big Dad. They are a couple we do a lot of things with. They had to put down their boxer, Jingles of 13 years a few years ago and have replaced him with our Gabby. We actually say they have 'joint custody'! hahah!! They love to take Gabby to their home and watch over her whenever we leave town. Gabby was almost falling asleep on the couch with her head on someone's knee when I was telling the story of Big Mom and Big Dad.....at the mention of their names, her head SNAPS up, her chest sticks out and she concentrates on my words! It was sooo funny!! Then, I had to tell her, "we'll see them later," as she went back into position.

One of the members of the house asked, "Do you think Gabby is the way she is because of your training or is that the breed?" I'd LOVE to take credit for some of her loving, kind ways....but, I think, as with people sometimes, she was born this way. They say we are a 'product of our environment' and to some extent I believe that.....but, I also think, we are born with certain characteristics/inborn tendencies and if nurtured can be a part of who we are in a positive way OR if neglected, they can be demons inside our bodies.

As I was answering her question, keeping in mind that my audience consisted of people that may fall into the category of neglected pasts....I had to choose my words carefully. So many people hurting in our world from so many issues. Today my heart was happy to have made a few smile and receive unconditional love from me and Gabby.