I had to go to Bennington this morning to see a doctor, Red and I stopped at Cardiac Rehab to see Irene, a friend we met there.  Irene is an animal lover, she struggles with several chronic diseases, she has cats but says she would love a dog like Red. She keeps asking me if she might buy a puppy from Red, and I tell her he is neutered, but she forgets and always asks the next time we see her.

Red spots her and goes right to her, she puts her walker to the side and leans down to hug him and talk to him. “I didn’t give him a piece of cake,” she said, “I know you don’t like that. If you weren’t looking, I would have,” she said, “a dog deserves a piece of cake.”

I explain to Irene every time we see her that it isn’t good to give food to therapy dogs, it distracts them from the work and teaches them that food is the reward, not the attention of people. Still, Irene is Irene, headstrong and determined. Red’s visits mean something to her, she tells me stories the dogs and cats she has owned. She and Red are good pals.