Pet Therapy Dog
Bodhi of the Rockies
It was day of the dog-napping. Lots of people wanted to steal Bodhi and take him home and love him forever! No way…that’s my job! Well, not a job…it’s a privilege. I get many offers people wanting Bodhi to hang with them all day, or that they’d take care of him if I needed a dog sitter. He is that dog that everyone falls in love with. Even when I’m walking Bodhi outside or at a park, people stop to pet him and instantly realize how special he is. I’m so grateful to be his mom.
Special visits…and more dog-napping!
Bodhi sat with one woman outside of the waiting room who was visiting a cancer patient there. He stayed with her for about five minutes. I let Bodhi do his thing and stay with each person as long as he wants…sometimes he knows they need more loving.
We met a pregnant woman walking with her family outside and she requested us to come to her room. We stayed in there for 15 minutes and she said we made her day! She is 36 weeks pregnant and has to be in the hospital long-term and is really missing her dog. That was pretty special. She wanted to dog-nap Bodhi too!
We often see people walking around the hospital and they ask us to visit their family member in a room. We met a man who wanted us to visit his dog-loving daughter. His other two daughters were there also, and they really thought Bodhi was so very calm and loving (and wanted to take him home!). They were interested in hearing about how he was evaluated to be a therapy dog.
It’s not often that we see a patient twice, but we visited a man who we also visited on Christmas Day. He was glad we came back and said he told his wife about Bodhi and that he had a business card and a blog. He said he really appreciated the visit on Christmas and that it was very special. Super nice guy. Makes our “job” so rewarding.
Nurse Amy, his #1 fan, said the first thing she thought of this morning when she woke up was that it was Tuesday…Bodhi day! She would dog-nap him any day…I have to watch out for her!
We went up to the seventh floor for the first time. The nurses really appreciated us being there and we saw a few patients who appreciated the visit too. Usually, Bodhi is a bit hesitant to squeeze around equipment to get to someone in bed, but he even walked over some chords to get to woman in a chair, that was cool. She was a big dog lover.
Not everyone wants to see him though
We saw a 4 -year-old child in the waiting room who was afraid of Bodhi, but Bodhi didn’t seem to phased by it and moved on to someone else. That was the first time I encountered a kid who was afraid – usually they run up to him and want to pet him. Once in a while someone doesn’t want to pet Bodhi and I respect that. Not everyone loves dogs, and some people are allergic.
Soulful eyes
Someone remarked on Bodhi’s beautiful eyes today, not just the color and that they are beautiful (he has amazing amber eyes that match his fur), but that his eyes are full of love, and he connects with each person’s soul. He really makes a connection with every person and seems to understand them.
I am so grateful for his special abilities and happy to share him with the world.
My favorite quote from a nurse:
Bodhi makes my heart happy and makes the day worth it.