The Animals Grandma Dorothy Introduced Me Toby Courtney Mroch | More from this Blogger 20 Sep 2008 07:14 PM The last few days I've been thinking about my mom a lot. I think it's because of all that I've gone through with Murphy lately. I remember how Murphy was always on my mom's mind. She thought the world of him. Now with him in his cast and his cone head, I can't help but think of how she'd react if she was here to see him. She'd be so upset he was going through all this, but she'd also love on him and cater to his every need. I guess in some respects she'd return the therapy he gave to her. Which got me to thinking about pet therapy in general and how she wasn't the only one who benefited from it when we were dealing with her illnesses. Thanks to her I met a lot of animals and got some therapy of my own. Animals at the Assisted Living Homes The very hardest care giving duty I had was admitting I was in over my head after my mom suffered her first stroke. It took me six weeks to arrive at this conclusion, but when I did I knew I needed to start looking for a care facility to move my mom to. I only toured two before we got word the oncologist was referring us to hospice, but I was pleasantly surprised to find both had pets. The first had an in-house dog. (Whose name I've now forgotten. He was a cute little bugger, though.) The second also had an in-house dog, as well as birds and fish. But they also allowed residents to have their own pets. From what I could tell during my tour, a lot of people benefited from that policy. Baldwin the Therapy Cat
Baldwin on my mom's lap Baldwin and his mom Nan were the first volunteers we met when my mom went into the hospice. Most therapy pets are dogs. Baldwin was the hospice's only therapy cat. He loved sitting on people's laps and being loved on. My mom, missing her Tabby and Mr. Meow, welcomed him. Baldwin and Nan hold a particularly special place in my heart. The day my mom went into her Death Sleep, I arrived for my daily visit and the nurse pulled me aside to tell me what had happened. Nan and Baldwin were just about to leave, but, seeing my tears, they stopped, sat on the couch with me, and while Nan lent me her shoulder to cry on, Baldwin lent me his fur to stroke. I have no words to express what a comfort this was. Anubis the Funeral Home Dog The last place I expected to find a dog was the funeral home. But when I went to make arrangements for my mom's cremation, here came a black dog to greet me. Of all the tasks I was charged with when handling my mom's care, this was the least pleasant of them all. But Anubis's gentle nature and wagging tail helped see me through. Learn more about Courtney Mroch  Courtney Mroch is a wife, a proud pet parent, and a writer. She's been with her husband, high school sweetheart Wayne Pryor, over 20 years, married 11 of those. She's "mom" to Mr. Meow, a.k. Relevantpets tags User Comments  Michele Cheplic |
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