Day 1583

Gus and I headed to Mercy this morning with hearts ready to embrace everyone we met. My boy went in like a tiger…after almost three hours, he was “spent” and crawled out the door. Therapy Dog handlers are trained to watch for signs of exhaustion in their partners and Gus was there. We headed to the car where he received treats, ear scratches and so much love.

Today, we sat with a gentleman who was waiting for his wife to stabilize after open heart surgery, visited with a grandfather who had a son and grandson admitted and connected with loved ones facing sadness. It was a soul-wrenching visit, but we knew what we needed to do. Gus was an angel and I watched as he calmed and softened the day for many. Even at the other end of the leash, my heart was overflowing with sadness at each encounter, but Gus even soothed me.

After regrouping, I looked back on our morning and came up with a conclusion. We do this work to soothe the hearts of the lonely, frightened, challenged and sad. Gus covered all of those bases today.

Right now, he is passed out on the bed in the sunroom. Looking at that sweet boy, I feel so lucky to hold the other end of that leash.