Heeling Friends Stories
Martha and I visit at the hospital two days a month. We went Monday and Tuesday this week. There is a woman, estranged now from Heeling Friends (for longer than I have been in the program) who was, apparently, our contract evaluator, consultant and friend of the founder for the first 10 years of Heeling Friends’ existence. She lives in Craig, the next town west, which may have contributed to her departure (just the physical distance). She was one of the animal therapy ‘experts’ that our founder, now deceased, Valerie Appel turned to for help in the beginning. This woman actually came up with the Heeling Friends name.
We met only briefly once. She is in failing health now. When we walked into the hospital yesterday, we were handed our regular room census, showing names and conditions of all patients, with the regular black line through the ones that we are not supposed to see. But, this woman’s name was there and her condition: Hospice.
The end was near.
Obviously, this woman loves dogs.
We knocked on her door and opened it. Her husband was there. He smiled and motioned us over to the bed. There she laid. Weak. Barely conscious. We approached the bed, put the cover sheet down to minimize dog hair and dander and I eased Martha’s head toward hers. Without opening her eyes, her hand came out from beneath the sheets and she pulled Martha’s head closer, to touch hers and she began to pet Martha’s pretty head. Then, time stopped for the better part of 10 minutes. Cheek to cheek. Animal’s eyes closed. Human’s eyes closed. Both were very content. Only the motion of her hand stroking Martha’s head. There was a slight smile that, by the way, I will never forget. No words were spoken. She began to weaken, slowed the petting and stopped. We slowly pulled away, smiled at her husband and left.
Powerful. Very powerful. What a dog can do.
One Monday afternoon my mom and I were wrapping up another rewarding day of giving love and getting love. Word of our presence in the hospital must have gotten back into the Emergency room patient area. The Head Nurse came out and asked us to visit a 7 year old boy who had a bad bike accident. This was new for us! We do not get to go into the actual ER….just the waiting room. The little boy was the only patient in the ER at the time. When I saw him he was laying on the gurney shivering and breathing hard. Dogs breathe hard, but humans usually do not. I lay down next to him to warm him up. I looked into his big blue eyes rimmed with long, wet eyelashes. Big teardrops were dripping down his red cheeks. I nearly started crying myself, but I knew this little boy and his scared dad needed me to be calm. Dogs like me know it is our job to help scared, sick people feel like everything is going to be okay. We stayed for a little while and my owner used human words to assure the boy and dad that they were in the good, capable hands of the ER staff. I reassure humans by just staying close to them….breath to breath, heartbeat to heartbeat. It was hard to say goodbye, but soon I got to help again because mom and little brother were in the ER waiting room. Mom was pretending to be calm, but I sensed her nervousness. She told my mom they were from out of town and this was the first day of their family vacation. Little brother just wanted to play with me. Playing easily distracts humans from what worries them. After 6 years as a Heeling Friend, I know these tricks of the trade!
I have gotten used to the idea that we really never know how things turn out for the humans we meet. I like to think everyone of them gets all better and goes home to their own dog and the rest of their family. But, I just never really know.
My mom and I thought a lot about that little boy and his family all week long. I guess because we do not get to see sick kids very often. Then came the big star spangled day! On the 4th of July all the Heeling Friends folks march in the parade. Steamboat Springs’ parade is all red, white and blue as it goes down the main street, Lincoln Ave. It seems like there are thousands of humans, big and small, waving and cheering as we pass by. I was prancing and smiling when all of a sudden two little boys ran out of the crowd yelling “Willie, Willie, Willie!!!!!!” My mom and I were not quite sure who they were until the older boy took off his sunglasses. There were those big blue eyes! But this time they were crinkled up with laughter as he said, “Remember me? Willie was with me before my surgery!” After hugs and smiles we looked up to see mom and dad giving us a thumbs up. My mom and I now had the tears in our eyes…tears of joy and gratitude that we had helped a little boy and his family have a star spangled 4th of July celebration!
