24 July

Gus Became A Therapy Dog Today

by Jon Katz
Gus Became A Therapy Dog Today

Today was a big day in the life of Gus, and in my own therapy work at the Mansion and other places with my dogs. Red is a wonderful therapy dog, and today, Gus became one too. This was his fourth visit to the Mansion in training, and today he got it. He grasped what he is supposed to do.

Gus lay in the laps of people who needed to touch him and love him at the Mansion today, and he lay still, was endearing and affectionate, and brought great joy and comfort to people who needed it.

Today he lay on the laps and in the arms of several people, he lay still while he was touched and petted, he even fell asleep in the arms of some of the residents, they held him so dearly and smiled so broadly.

Gus is really getting that he needs to be still and move gently and slowly. He loves to crawl up the chests of the residents slowly and lick their chins. In the world of the Mansion, the residents will speak of their loneliness, how they miss being touched, how they miss living things other than themselves.

“It isn’t that we don’t love each other here,” one told me last week.

There are many questions about how much good therapy dogs actually do,but watching Gus today, there was not doubt in my mind he was doing good.

There are loyd of therapy dogs running around, and many do much good. But there are some dogs – Izzy was one, Red is another – who bring a certain intuition to the work, who go beyond training to sense need and dispense love and joy  and connection where it is most needed, safely and sensitively.

A good therapy dog knows who to approach and who to avoid. They do not scratch skin or bump into frail people.

They know how to be still and submit to being touched and hugged and squeezed. The Mansion residents all tell of how sad it is to never be touched. The best therapy dogs know how to offer feeling and love, to leave feelings in their wake.

Dogs provide feeling and emotion, the residents drink that up, like thirsty people in a desert. I wasn’t sure about a small dog, I never did this work with one before. But I saw what i needed to see today, and I will keep on working with Red. He loves older people, he loves to be touched, he can be still and appropriate with people who are not strong and quick. He responds to need and affection.
Red and Gus and I will do some beautiful work together, he came of age today.

I was watching Joan and Gus closely.

Joan has suffered much in her life, her memory sometimes fades, but she remembers when her daughter was murdered, shot by her boyfriend and she has written about it, her story will be in  the book of Mansion stories we are working to publish shortly. She is gifted, she has drawn poignant works of art and told powerful stories.

She remembers my face but often forgets who I am, but I think she will remember meeting Gus, we put him in her lap and she knew what to do. I have never seen her laugh and smile in that way, and he was patient and calm with her. Gus has the makings of a great therapy dog, I saw it today. He is coming of age.

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