Taz
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.A cold nose and a wagging tail are two simple things, and yet they can bring a world of difference to a sick or lonely person. One unique nose and tail belong to Taz, an "all-American" dog, a Beagle/Corgi mix with the golden coloring of a Welsh Corgi but the wagging tail and soft, floppy ears of a Beagle. Taz and I have been working with Love On 4 Paws for two years, and we have loved every minute of it.
Taz and I meet both children and adults at the hospitals we visit. Each visit is different. Sometimes it might be a very quiet visit, with a child simply petting Taz' golden brown fur. Sick children seem to gather strength and comfort from Taz as she wiggles closer to them. More often than not, the patients will tell me how much Taz reminds them of their dog at home or the dog they had when they were growing up. Then I find out that their pet is a Dalmation, or a French Poodle, or a Pit Bull, none of which looks anything like my short, plump, little mutt, but all of them assure me that Taz is just like their dog. Listening to stories about their beloved pets, I understand that what Taz actually has in common with these dogs is the love and companionship they bring to their owners, even if it's just for a short while.
I'm often touched by the gratitude of not just the patients but their families and visitors, who are sometimes there when we visit. They thank us profusely, but I try to explain that we in turn get so much from these visits. Taz, of course, gets the most from the visit. After all, I tell them, what a great job --- to be paid to lie on a bed, be stroked and massaged, and told you're wonderful and beautiful!! And to be paid in “cookies”!! It's a dog's dream come true!!
At the end of the day, our work through Love On 4 Paws reminds me that life's simplest joys and often greatest rewards are the small gestures of kindness that we can give to one another. Our dogs show us that every day, with the thrust of a cold nose in your hand and the steady beat of a wagging tail.
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