Universal Lanuage-Love

Wow, what a day. Cora and I arrived shortly after noon to both sides of our assigned areas full of people waiting for their treatments. Old, young, black, white, brown, cancer doesn't spare any of them or their families the uncertainties that lay ahead. But one thing is for certain, they all need and want someone to love, talk with or simply touch. Cora, a therapy dog provides that for them, if only for a short time. I watched as they gently stroked Cora's fur, telling her what a sweet girl she was and how glad they were to spend some time together. It amazed me when a woman from Mexico began speaking Spanish to Cora, who responded instantly to her request to "sit". The woman lowered her head then onto Cora and continued to tell her a story still using her native language. She kissed her and then left for her treatment, but she left with a huge smile on her face, waving goodbye to us. We met people from the Black Hills of South Dakota, Yuma, Colorado, Southern AZ, Mexico and even from Texas. Everyone with a different accent, clothes styles and mannerisms but not a one didn't look into Cora's brown eyes searching for a few moments of unconditional love. She knows her job is to "visit", so one by one she accepts all the uncertainties, but for certain, she makes everyone's day a little better, because they were able to smile and laugh because of a mere dog.

Comments

A furry Blessing!

Today at Mayo the spouse of a patient commented "What a God send you have been for Me "! T he past few week s Cora has been a source of light for her in a dark time . Re flecting back on that makes me realize even more the need and benefits that therapy animals bring to everyone that they encounter. Often times the caregivers hold a lot of emotion and turmoil inside of themselves, watching their loved ones fig ht this disease. Cora has been there for them , providing a few mo ments of relief by helping to ease the stress. It's good to hear the laughter and see the smiles that surface when we arrive. Cora senses their need for calm and as you can see in the picture above, gives a reassuring touch . What a Bles sing !

Reflections

So many questions today at Mayo Clinic regarding Cora's "job" as a therapy dog. I looked at Cora this time to supply the answers. Silly as that seems, it doesn't take long to realize that her "job description" could fill a whole page. To the woman that needed her dog fix because she had to leave her beloved pet hundreds of miles away, she was a "companion". For the mother of a young girl who wanted to be a vet one day, Cora was a "teaching tool". The "entertainer" part of her then kept a waiting room full of patients and their families grinning and laughing. Showing her calm mannerism to a prospective therapy dog parent made her a good "role model". Behind the scenes, the "therapist" in her licked at a teary eyed face that was remembering a loved one. One dog doing the job of so many, that's a therapy dog.

Contest Time

Cora needs your votes please! For all of her friends that have enjoyed following Cora during her visits as a Therapy dog, please take just a minute to vote for her while she is on vacation! The site is listed below and you have to just register your email to vote. Cora sends a big paws up to her friends! Vote now please, contest only runs this week and she has a chance of winning some extra treats! http://dotheshore.com/photocontest/cora

Cora's Magic

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