This is a series of caches at or nearby sites that my geodog, Redtail, visited as a certified therapy dog. Redtail is my golden retriever who loves to geocache with me. He’s got a nose for a cache and knows when to sit and stay while I sign the log. He is exceptionally sweet and kind. When he was a puppy Mr. Redtail2000 and I promised that we would get him certified as a therapy dog. Admittedly, he had to take Canine Good Citizenship twice because during the final exam he jumped on the instructor… but only because he loved her so much. Those goldens sure do love to be a puppy! Finally at the mature age of eight, he’s made the ranks as a therapy dog certified by the Southwest Canine Corps of Volunteers. Now I get to share with you some of the more poignant events that occurred during our visits. Please always be mindful and respectful of your surroundings when caching at these sites.
This is a visit that we do with several teams. Often 10 to 12 teams make it so we usually split ourselves up into two groups so that we can cover more territory as this is a very large hospital. When we visit Presbyterian Hospital downtown we can barely get through the lobby upon arriving as well as departing. There are so many smiles as we make our way through the lobby that we just have to stop to meet as many folks as we can. The hospital is usually packed when we arrive so the smiles are analogous to the domino effect! {I tell myself that I’d like to someday keep count as to how many lives we touch.} There are usually several patients that have made a special request to see the dogs while we’re there so before we leave the lobby we get those room numbers. But the staff also loves the therapy dogs… so much that just about every unit has a supply of treats on hand. Folks stop in the halls to meet Redtail. They come out from around their desks to meet Redtail. They set aside their carts to meet Redtail. Many of the staff knows him by name because they’re just so sweet on him. When they’re unable to stop they say hello to Redtail when passing us on the units. Some of the best visits are when we’re all on the elevator with whoever gets the bonus rideJ He just spreads a whole lot of joy during the three hour visits on Thursdays when we can make it there.
The ripple effect not only brings smiles but it also brings tears and comfort. Towards the end of one of our visits, we came to a unit with a very vocal patient who was obviously in distress. After asking the nursing staff if it would be all right, we then knocked on their door and asked if they would like a visit. They nodded because it was difficult for them to speak with the oxygen mask on. We entered with a Goldendoodle team and proceeded to guide his hands to the dogs. The moaning stopped. The screaming and yelping stopped. He was calm and at peace. When we left that room we then greeted a middle age woman in the hall whose husband had passed on just minutes before that. She hugged and thanked all six of the therapy dogs before leaving the unit with her son.
Cache on…
Congrats to Duck-Boy and fgfsumh on their FTFs. We love a show of good sportsmanship:)