Search Results for: blog the end of the personal pet therapy project

Wagging My Tail Goodbye to the Pets Blog

I’m sitting in my office looking out the window watching the snow melt from the rooftops and bushes as I’m writing this. Last night we got measureable snow, a bit of an oddity in December for us here in Nashville. Whenever we get snow like this now I think about the first winter I was writing for Families.com. We got snow one February and I took Murph outside to play in it, then wrote about it as my blog for the day later. How much inspiration I’ve drawn from my pets over the past two years since I first began … Continue reading →

Rain or Shine, My Pets Are There

This hasn’t been a very easy year for me. In fact, of all my years on this Earth to date, this past one has been the most trying by far. And the most blues-filled. One After the Other It started last summer when we tried to move back to Jacksonville. Thankfully plans changed, but instead of life sailing along unencumbered as I’d hoped, I got sick in November –the same week Wayne moved home and we left to go to Denver for Thanksgiving. Then Wayne got sick, and I had a relapse and fell ill again. Come January and February … Continue reading →

Pets in Assisted Living

More and more assisted living facilities are welcoming pets along with people! I personally think this is a great idea. Pets have such a positive effect on people — mentally, physically, and emotionally. A transition to an assisted living facility can be difficult; if a pet eases the way, I’m all for it. However, there are some drawbacks to allowing pets to live in a facility. The cons of pets in assisted living: Staff members have to spend time and energy helping owners care for the pets. Pet food and health care is an additional financial burden on owners and … Continue reading →

My Dad Wants to Attend My Mom’s Funeral

This afternoon my sister is going to hold a memorial service for my mom at the church she used to attend. My dad has informed me he plans on going. Which is fine. I told him he could be my personal representative because I won’t be there. (Yes, sadly, the rifts that started between my sister and I when my mom first got sick have only gotten bigger. Now I’m not on speaking terms with her.) I was only joking about the personal representative thing, but my dad did sort of feel he needed an excuse. For a variety of … Continue reading →

The Pets Blog Week in Review for July 7 – 13

The Pets Blog Week in Review endured somewhat of a hiatus the past month or so, but now it’s back. Have you missed this handy cheat sheet way of quickly finding out what Aimee and I wrote about the week before? Sorry about that, but without further ado here’s this week’s installment. Monday, July 7 Aimee detailed the many medications guests at the cat care facility where she works take. Tuesday, July 8 Aimee got in touch with her crafty side and offered some neat suggestions for DIY chew toy projects. After an absence of my own, it was with … Continue reading →

The End of the Personal Pet Therapy Project

It’s with a heavy heart that my first blog back after a lengthy absence is to report that the Personal Pet Therapy Project came to an end on Thursday, July 3 when my mom (a.k.a. Grandma Dorothy to Murphy, Mr. Meow, and Tabby) passed away. The Gift That Proved Significant Since the last month has been pretty chaotic and filled with emotional upheaval, I wasn’t able to chronicle some stuff. Such as, that the little stuffed heart Tabby kept bringing my mom was a most significant gift indeed. My mom’s last oncologist appointment on June 11 proved to be The … Continue reading →

Dementia, Depression, and Therapy Dogs

Since my mom is now living with us, I’ve been trying to better understand how to negotiate her dementia. One of the things I knew would help would be Murphy, Mr. Meow, and Tabby. That’s how it was that we launched an informal but very personal pet therapy project. Homework Assignments Another thing I’m doing is reading anything and everything I can on the subject. One book I stumbled across at the library was Keeping Busy: A Handbook of Activities for Persons with Dementia. It was the “outcome of a program of activities for persons with dementia, developed at the … Continue reading →

The Pets Blog Week in Review for April 7-14

Guinea pigs, poop, and DIY aquarium troubleshooting were among the topics Aimee and I covered last week. In case you had to miss a day or two, here’s your handy Week in Review recap of what we wrote on: Monday, April 7 I’ve had a chance to do a lot of reflecting lately on who I am and how I got to be that way. In What if Animals Hadn’t Been Okay? I pondered what sad shape I’d be in if I had been taught differently about pets. Tuesday, April 8 In DIY Aquarium Leak Fixes, Aimee rolled up her … Continue reading →

The Personal Pet Therapy Project: The Pets Pick Their Parts

As it’s become clear that Grandma Dorothy is here for an extended visit, the only ones not fretting about how it affects their lives are Murphy, Mr. Meow, and Tabby. They have enthusiastically embraced the mission of the personal pet therapy project and have eagerly selected their own assignments for my mom’s rehabilitation. Murphy As he does with all the other chores he helps me with, Murph is glad to lend a hand with my new added chores. Like yesterday. I hadn’t realized I needed to call Apria to have the oxygen tanks delivered each week. I thought they’d bring … Continue reading →

The Pets Blog Week in Review for March 31 – April 6

I had to take a couple week hiatus from Week in Review duties while I tended to family affairs. However, I’m happy to be back to bring you this recap of what Aimee and I wrote about last week on: Monday, March 31 A client with awesome cats sparked Aimee musing about the awesome one in her life. (An “awesome one” being any pet that just has that everything about them. That soul connection.) Aimee discussed who the awesome one was in her life. (You have to read the blog to find out who.) Tuesday, April 1 I had made … Continue reading →