”The day my dog trainer said those words, I didn’t even know what a therapy dog was. I certainly had no idea what traits my little Havanese had that would make her a candidate. But why not, I thought, if I can help people in need of some cheering up?
Now here I was, escorting Sophie into the hospital for our first day on the job. In the year and a half I had spent getting her certified, I’d learned what to expect. I would bring Sophie into a patient’s room for a brief pick-me-up visit, then we would move on. Of course, Sophie herself couldn’t understand her purpose in all of this, but she was always happy to meet new people, and that was enough.
We walked through the wide automatic sliding glass doors and into the lobby, where we were met by the nurse who ran the therapy dog program at the hospital. “Welcome, Sophie,” she said. “I’ll be taking you two around today.”
I followed the nurse down the hall. Sophie trotted along at my side, just as she’d been trained. “We’re a transitional care unit,” the nurse explained. “Most of our patients are seniors.” I knew how important it was for Sophie to be her gentlest. She’s trained and ready for this, I reminded myself.
Up ahead an older lady was making her way down the hall with a walker. A nurse walked beside her, holding on to a gait belt to keep her steady. We caught up to them, but the patient remained focused on her walker. I made sure Sophie didn’t interfere. As we were passing by at a safe distance, the lady turned her walker toward a chair against the wall. “Okay, we’ll stop for a rest,” her nurse said.
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THE ANSWER
Could my husband’s recent retirement explain his behavior?
Sewing Hope
It wasn’t in my power to mend a broken heart, but I sent needle and thread, with chocolates for good measure
Problems? She Can Relate
Meet New Jersey’s Own Black Fairy Godmother
Valentine Angels
Straight from heaven—with love
The Humility Sisters
What would two nuns know about taking care of a baby?
Sophie's Secret
How could a dog know just what so many people needed?
Built by Angels
My mother called to ask if I knew the story of the 11 churches carved from single stones in Ethiopia
ONE RED GLOVE
Its message helped me shake the blues
Clutter, Be Gone!
Fifteen minutes a day keeps the mess away
A housewarming gift
My husband seemed to be in every room— even though I knew he was in heaven
Anatomy of a Scandal
The Roush Review
Hiding in Plain Sight
Last spring, Jim LeBlond woke in the middle of the night gasping for breath. As his wife, Jeanne, rushed him to the emergency room, they never suspected that the cause could be anything other than the respiratory disease that had the world in its grip. It turned out the threat to his life was more mundane - and much closer to home.
THE Journey
Feminist activist, scholar, and writer Salamishah Tillet has read and reflected on most of Alice Walker's work, and last year released In Search of The Color Purple, a tribute to the enduring power and influence of the epistolary novel. Here, Tillet considers Walker's just-released Gathering Blossoms Under Fire: The Journals of Alice Walker, 1965-2000, in this, the 40th anniversary of the publication of The Color Purple.
LONG RIFLES AND ROUND BALLS
An American rifle story.
IN ‘THE ADAM PROJECT,' A BLOCKBUSTER THERAPY SESSION
Pathos and action are found in equal parts in “ The Adam Project,” the latest attempt by Netflix to create the kind of throwback blockbuster that you might have paid to see in movie theaters.
Albatross Mission
Skip Novak’s final adventure on pelagic Australis was a mission to save the Albatross
Easter Pairings - Chocolate Notes
Instead of your standard pudding and go-to dessert wine, dazzle even your most particular guests with a selection of chocolate paired with the perfect wines, says Jeanne Calitz
Hilary Duff
PARTING SHOT
Extremely Online: Sophie Haigney
The Tabular Self I saw the best minds of my generation being uploaded onto “second-brain” apps.
Walker
SEASON PREMIERE Thursday, Oct. 28, 8/7c, The CW