Justin and Vera
Please Note: The dog in the accompanying photograph is the subject of the story, but the child or teenager pictured is probably not the patient in the story.Vera and I walked into Justin’s room on a Pain Management visit and he was still a little sleepy from surgery. His Mom was sitting there and I said “Should we come back?” “No, no,’ she said. “He loves dogs and he misses his – I’ll wake him up.” Although Justin was groggy, at first, Vera jumped up on a chair next to his bed and immediately put her head on the bedrail for him to pet. After a few minutes, Justin asked me what kind of dog she was and I told him Vera was a Labrador Retriever and I had adopted her when she was 2 years old. As I told him more information, he asked me more questions. We ended up visiting Justin for 1/2 an hour, much to his Mom’s delight and his nurse’s delight.
It seems that Justin had been very despondent since he had been in the hospital and would not talk to anyone. Vera brought him out of his shell. We promised to visit again two days later, on Sunday, which we did with Vera’s friend Truman, another black Labrador. It is amazing that we do not have to teach our wonderful dogs what the patients need – they seem to know. Our Pain Management visits are especially rewarding when we see smiles rather than frowns from pain. I am very proud of Vera. Sometimes I feel that all these dogs will be Saints when they get to heaven as a result of their little daily miracles with the children.
about LO4P | events | featured story | photos | volunteer | donate | FAQs | testimonials | contact
© 2004-2007 Love On 4 Paws, Inc. All Rights Reserved. terms of use • home
Site by ReaLife WebDesigns.