The 'Tail' of Steve

Disclaimer:

Names/conditions and other personal information from a Therapy Visit cannot be shared.

Chad Burgess, Carla Donovan-Burgess and Gopher are volunteers and do not officially represent any institution mentioned in these visits.

 The experiences, conversations are true and really took place the names of persons, if given have only been changed to protect the privacy of those we visit.

Carla and I were both warned that at some point in our therapy visits there would be one patient that would really touch us. This is not to say we aren’t touched by all the people we visit, it is that at least one would cause you to look past your objectivity, get close to your dog, and make you stay longer than scheduled. The time has come and for the purpose of this story we will call him Steve.

Steve is a shy little boy who is extremely ill. He is undergoing a dangerous treatment to help him fight a disease that could take this life before he gets the chance to grow up. Steve is only seven and is a typical little boy at first appearance. He is terribly shy and when he talks with you it he never looks at you, always down or through his mother. When I wrote this I had three wonderful opportunities to learn about Steve.

Gopher and I arrived and we took our typical place by the fireplace in the little room where our visits are held. There was a mother and a little boy that were already there waiting for us. This was Steve and I couldn’t help but notice that he smiled at Gopher as soon as we walked into the room. In the therapy setting with a dog it is the opposite as in the public, when walking down the street you should always ask for permission to pet a dog. In the therapy setting you ask the person if they want to say hi and do not approach until there is an affirmation. Steve looked for a moment over his portable video game device then quickly turned to look at his mom who told him it was okay. Instead of getting up and coming over he seemed in sink deeper into the chair, covering his face leaving only narrow slits of his eyes looking over his gaming device. I could not help but smile when I noted the power light indicator was not black and not the glowing crimson or jade when this device was in operation. I looked down at Gopher smiling and gave him a pet. Steve stayed put in his chair.

After a few minutes a few more kids started to arrive and began visiting with Gopher. I couldn’t help but notice the gaming device had slumped away from Steve’s face and he watched closely how the kids were interacting with Gopher and how I was interacting with them. I am not quite sure when or how it came about but without me noticing Steve had moved from his chair and was thoroughly petting Gopher and Gopher focused his soft loving brown eyes directly on Steve and somewhat embarrassingly did not acknowledge the other kids as much. I don’t know if I can ever knowingly explain why he did that, Steve was not stroking a particular spot that Gopher desires he was softly patting his chest something done 100’s of times a day and a move that has never drawn his focus so intently. Did Gopher know Steve needed him ‘more’ than the other kids at that moment? Did he know they were beginning to form a friendship? I don’t think any of us will ever know, but there he was a dog who instinctually will avoid direct eye contact was taking those deep chestnut brown eyes that seem to have wisdom beyond my understanding were staring directly into Steve’s eyes.

The other kids many of them had seen and played with Gopher before excitedly ran off to join in the arts and craft activity happening in the room adjacent to us. This left Steve alone with Gopher. I spoke with Steve a few times, and he would respond, but always kept looking at Gopher. Gopher decided to settle in and lay down on his side to take in the full massage given by Steve. This would continue for nearly thirty minutes when Steve suddenly got up. Gopher raised his head at the loss of his masseur. Steve went over to the chair and picked up his gaming device cam back over and lay down on the floor resting his head on Gopher’s chest and shoulder. I learned as this moment that only the day before Steve had undergone a long and exhausting treatment. His mother asked him if he needed to go upstairs and go to bed, Steve looked at his mother and in a loud affirmative tone said “NO MOM!” His mother had told him how happy this time was making her that due to his illness and his innate shyness he was not engaging with anyone or any thing. I looked back to Gopher and Steve during this discussion and discovered that Steve had turned the gaming device on this time and the glow of the screen illuminating his and Gophers face who had draped his neck over Steve’s shoulder and rested his head on Steve’s chest. I was startled at first and exchanged looks with Steve’s mom to see if this was okay or if I needed to move Gopher. She shook her head no with tears in her eyes watching her son interact with another living being for the first time in months.

Amazed by this I watched as Steve continued to play his game and noticed that he was talking the entire time. Gopher also did not go to sleep or close this eyes he just kept his eyes open looking at the gaming screen and Steve through the corners of his eyes, moving those Golden eyebrows back and forth with his eyes. The time came for Gopher and I to leave came too quickly, and I ignored the clock fifteen more minutes passed this way, when Steve’s mom asked me if I wasn’t supposed to leave. I acknowledged that I was, and Steve sat straight up and turned to Gopher. He looked right into his face and said “I don’t want you to leave Gopher.” I told him I was sorry but it was time for Gopher to go home and get his dinner, Steve kept looking at Gopher and asked “Gopher, can you come back, when will you be back?” I told him we would be back in just a few days as we were visiting the facility twice that week. Gopher had moved into a sit and place one paw on Steve’s arm not breaking the gaze. Steve then said “I will see you when you come back.” putting both arms around Gopher Steve gave him a hug., and Gopher reciprocated by resting his head on Steve’s back. Steve’s mom thanked me for my visit and bringing Gopher and I told her not hanks needed it is always a pleasure to come here. I grabbed Gopher’s pack and quickly and headed out the door before anyone could notice the tears I had in my eyes.

I loaded Gopher in the car and after I regained my composure called Carla and my father immediately to tell them the story. I added that if Gopher decided that this was it and he didn’t want to do therapy work anymore that I could retire him that night and still feel that all the work, time and money spent was well worth it. I am pleased to say that Gopher is not interested in retirement yet.

The time had arrived for Gopher and I to return and he began to whimper in excitement as soon as we turned the corner to approach the facility. We came in and logged in at the office passing the fireplace room on the way. I was disappointed to see that Steve and his mom were not waiting for us. We logged in and went to the fireplace room and took our typical positions. Kids and families started arriving and playing with and petting Gopher, before I knew it nearly twenty minutes had passed and I was concerned we had not seen Steve, when his mother arrived carrying a milk bone. She came right over to me giving Gopher a pat on the head.

“Steve isn’t feeling well today.” she reported to me.

“Sorry to hear that” was my response, keeping a close eye on the crowd of kids that were now surrounding Gopher.

“He has not stopped talking about Gopher since your last visit. He has created all these stories of things they were going to do today. Then last night he started feeling really bad, a side effect of his treatment. He told me this morning that he had to feel better soon ‘cause Gopher was coming to see him. When the time came for your visit he was upset and said he didn’t think he could go, he asked me to bring down this treat and give it to Gopher and tell him he was sorry. May I give him the treat?”

“Sure Gopher can have the treat, tell Steve thank you and that Gopher loves treats, and hopes he can see him next time.”

She knelt down gave Gopher the treat and a hug as well and whispered a “Thank you” into his ear and left.

Gopher and I continued the visit and when it was time to leave we left, no less emotional than the last visit. This is truly why I chose to do therapy work, there is no pay it takes time out of your day, but rewards like this make all the difference.

Gopher and I would return again and this time Steve was waiting for us. Gopher and him played and interacted the entire time. At one point Gopher laid on his side while Steve and another little boy played with Dinosaur toys on his side, becoming his own Jurassic Park. When the time came for us to leave came Steve gave him another hug and told Gopher he would see him next time.

Now I am torn, I cannot wait to return to see Steve and Gopher interact again it is one of the greatest moments I have had the opportunity to witness. Equally though I will be happy for the day when Steve can go home recovered and get to be a child, perhaps even getting his own Golden Retriever to play with, since he asked shortly before we left on our last visits. “Mom, I know I can’t have Gopher, but when I am better can I get a dog just like him?” 

Thank you Steve for letting Gopher and I come see you and be a part of your life. I hope to see you again but more than that I hope to hear you have gone home and are awaiting the arrival of your own Golden.

Is there value in a Therapy Session when you don’t see a patient?

Names/conditions and other personal information from a Therapy Visit cannot be shared.

Chad Burgess, Carla Donovan-Burgess and Gopher are volunteers and do not officially represent any institution mentioned in these visits.

The experiences, conversations are true and really took place the names of persons, if given have only been changed to protect the privacy of those we visit.


Gopher, Carla and I went on a Therapy visit recently to a local Ronald McDonald House. For those not familiar with this charity, the Ronald McDonald House (RMH) provides living arrangements for families and very sick children whom have to be near a hospital for a series of long treatments.

While visiting I have had two experiences one with patients and their families, and sometimes with only the families. The advantages of Therapy Animal Visits with patients are well documented and researched, and are the images most people have in their heads when they think about Therapy visits. When you start training I know our instructor informed us that this is not always the case and sometimes it is just as much for the families and the staff of a facility.

I have witnessed this as well. There are times when a patient getting a visit might not be up for the visit or is unavailable as they are currently undergoing a treatment. The interactions with the families are no less rewarding and it is my judgment no less beneficial to the patient. An ill person especially a child relies heavily on their family and staff for support. This is a stressful place to be especially in regards to a child who is ill and could be fighting for their life before they even have had a chance conceptualize life and death. In some sad instances a child might only know hospitals, clinics, and a facility like RMH. The support and break a therapy animal is able to give these families and staff is no less important than the break it gives the patient. In a previous entry I spoke about a woman who used the fur of a wonderful Golden to dry her tears, not only was that wonderful animal in a place to provide fur as a Kleenex, it gave this mother the opportunity to cry, show vulnerability, not often afforded to her due to the strength she has to show for her child.

Gopher had this opportunity recently, but this time is wasn’t for the mother it was for the sibling. Fifteen minutes after our arrival a young boy approached Gopher, Carla and I where we sat by a fireplace in a public sitting area of RMH and began to talk. He was very curious about Gopher and anxious to share stories about his experiences with family dogs. He would be our primary and almost our only guest during our one hour visit. I don’t think a moment went by when he wasn’t talking and/or petting Gopher. His stories were wild and improbable typical of a young boy his age, speckled with elements of truth and embellished to add excitement, or the ideas of both wisdom and experience on his part. I can’t even begin to recall all of the stories or where one story ended and another began, but I can tell you some truth, not embellished as this young boys story.

Truth: He was young and his sibling was facing an uncertain future, fighting for his life.
Truth: He was living with his family at RMH where due to this illness he had to be part of a very difficult time, attempting to grasp and understand concepts that were beyond his limited years.
Truth: He was not sick, but his sibling was, and due to the care needed he had to live in an environment where everyone he interacted with was sick or caring for the sick.
Truth: For 45 minutes he was with Gopher and us, not directly caring for the sick, and for those 45 minutes he got to be a kid and maybe forget for a moment the scary things going on around him.

Upon leaving, Carla, Gopher and I were exhausted heads spinning from the stories we had been hearing, and watching him tell them. We did not directly interact with a patient that day, but our visit was no less worthwhile, we gave a young boy an opportunity to be a boy. With that respite I can only imagine the stories he told his parents or sibling perhaps making them laugh for a moment in a place where tears are very common.

Why Therapy?

It is hard to believe after only a few weeks Gopher has fans! I truly appreciate the notes and feedback I have received, and every one that has taken a moment to send me a message has done two things. First they have asked me to give Gopher a pet or kiss for them. Done and done. Second they ask me one question, “Why did you choose to do Therapy work with your dog?” To be truly honest I am not entirely sure, but I know a lot of factors that have shaped me into the person I am and thus a person whom would want to do therapy work.

First and foremost I am extremely fortunate in many ways. My family and I never had much in the way of physical wealth or possessions. We never lacked for anything, but we never had many of the extras that so many people seem to covet. What I did have and still do have is a loving home and family.

One of the most fortunate aspects of my childhood and early adult hood was that I had five living grandparents all in mostly good health. I had my paternal and maternal grandparents, and a maternal great-grandmother. I did not lose any of them until I was nearly 19 years old, and as of the time I write this only have my maternal grandparents. All five of these people were unique, different, and influential people in my life. They taught me many lessons, and even as an adult they have stuck with me and I hope I do them justice. None of my grandparents were or are perfect, but all of them were and are good honest people who did the best they could and taught their children and grand-children to do the same. As I don’t use specific names outside of my own, my wife’s, and our pets, I will give my grandparents this same discretion, and I will refer to them all by terms of endearment created by my sister when she was a child.

Great Grandma (no term of endearment here, I guess Sis wasn’t that creative) lived on her own until I was well into my teens and moved to assisted living not long before I graduated High School. She was a healthy opinionated woman whom spent a lot of time telling me stories while the adults were debating and my sister was off in a back bedroom with our second cousin having girl talk. Many of the stories involved my great grandfather who passed away seven years before I was born. I heard these same stories from Grandma and Grandpa Mobo (a little more creative Sis) and my own parents. Since I remember her telling them to me and since she was the oldest I give her credit for the lessons they embodied. She told me how during the Depression, he would come home from work wearing a ragged old shirt and hungry from not eating lunch that day. Not an uncommon thing in the depression, but there was one issue, he left that morning in a new or at least not ragged shirt, and with a lunch pail that was filled with lunch. When he did this and it happened more than once he would come across a guy down on his luck and would literally give him the shirt off his back and his lunch as well. She always told me afterwards that was the man he was, the man your grandpa is, and the man I should be. These were my first lessons of compassion, and I have held on closely to those stories, and have been re told those stories many, many times by my parents and grandparents without the Great Grandma addition at the end. I have always tried to live up to this standard.

Great Grandma was healthy throughout most of my childhood and I spent one week a summer with both sets of my grandparents including a visit to her home during those visits. We would see her as well on special events and holidays. When my Great Grandmother was no longer able to care for herself in her own home she moved to an assisted living apartment. I still went to see my grandparents in the summer and Great Grandma came to respective homes for the two holidays she spent at the apartment. Being a typical teenager, I was too wrapped up in my own activities and failed to make the time to go see her once even though I might have been at my grandparents only a few blocks away. I was always anxious to get home, back to friends and whatever I might be doing. I have always regretted this lapse in judgment. That regret, the stories of compassion she shared with me combined with my parents influence I have since always tried to make time to spend time with senior citizens in my community rather they are related to me or not. This like the therapy work I have got to do with Gopher so far should not be considered ‘self-sacrificing’ as I assure you the stories I have heard, and the lessons I have learned and are still hearing and learning far outweigh any movie, book or gadget I would have filled these hours with.

Grandpa Mobo has always been and still is a simple man. Taking after my Great Grandfather he is kind and generous. He is quiet, not in voice as an internal ear injury from the Korean Conflict makes him speak very loudly. Quiet in that he will tell you his opinions and thoughts, but not as freely as some people, the conversation has to be directed at him. I did not take after him in this way as I typically freely express my opinion, solicited or unsolicited. Grandma Mobo also is not like him either and she freely offers her opinions and thoughts even after two strokes have taken her ability to communicate effectively. Both Grandma and Grandpa Mobo taught me compassion for my fellow human not in discussion, but in their actions in and around their community. Grandpa Mobo also taught me the necessity of honesty and hard work. Every summer when we visited I got to see my Grandfather work as he would take me out on his tank wagon hauling fuel to farms in the area and I saw that man work very hard sometimes from before sun up until well after the sunset. This was especially true during the floods of 93 when he no longer hauled to the washed out farmer but to the crews repairing the roads and railroads damaged in the flood.

Grandpa Cow was a famer and taught me to love animals and nature. Some of my first memories of him are of bottle feeding calves, feeding literally his hundreds of cats. Going out on the three wheeler looking for deer, turkeys, pheasants and anything else we could see. He would get so upset when our adventures didn’t give him a chance to see much beyond tracks. He could be a difficult man at times and the only time I saw him upset was when an animal was ill or killed. He often showed more compassion to the animals than I believe he showed my father growing up. Grandma Cow was equally compassionate toward animals although sometimes annoyed by the number of cats. She was also a unique individual in many ways. My Grandfather who would often sit quietly or take a nap, she was his opposite and very boisterous. I don’t think there was ever a time when you would not know what was on her mind. She took me on my first visits although without animals. We would go through the countryside visiting this neighbor and that neighbor often widowed women. She would talk with them, wish them well and always had stories to tell me about them once we left. The stories were not always flattering, but you knew what was on her mind, and she would go on and tell me how I should respect the older members of the community and listen to the stories they had to tell, as some of them had truly lived.

My parents carried on many of these ideals and continued to teach me others. My family is known for one thing, love us or hate us we don’t seem to know a stranger. We all will stop and talk to everyone. One of my favorite people to talk with was an old man in Kansas; he has long since passed away but he used to live in a senior apartment near our house. He would take up residence on a bench in front of the furniture store and I remember running up and sitting next to him, I remember his hats and cane, I wish I could remember his stories but I was very young. My mom and dad would irritatingly at the time stop and talk with people like him for what seemed to be hours, but as I have grown into an adult myself I find myself taking after therm.

Mom and Dad taught me another lesson probably unbeknownst to both of them. They owned a small flower shop for many years. My mother was an insane perfectionist who would annoy all of us in the 13 plus years of the business I don’t think anything went out the door without her fingerprints. Surprisingly my parent’s marriage survived this as it would irritate my dad to no end. I think the reason it did fine, cause sorry to say Dad, you would do the same thing. A flower shop is an odd place, large quantities of flowers are sent either at the best of times or the worse of times. My mother and my father were always especially anal retentive on the latter, the funeral flowers. My parents became known in the area for their unique tributes to the recently departed. You name it they did it, from full out three dimensional farming or hunting scenes in the center of a casket piece to floral images of horses tractors, cars etc. Mom and Dad were especially proud of these, and with all of their funeral pieces always took extra care, yes it was smart business, but if you took a moment to watch mom and dad you would see it was much more. They always put extra time and effort to make these pieces right, it was their own way of helping the families most of whom they knew well deal with a time of great sadness. Mom and Dad probably don’t know they taught me this, but I am thankful to bear witness to that level of compassion.

So all of those people shaped me into the person I am today, their lessons direct and indirect I was fortunate to have. I had been familiar with therapy dogs for a number of years and had mentioned to Carla I wanted to do it someday to give back to my community as my grandparents and parents did in their own way. After Carla and I had this discussion we were put in a difficult position, our little niece was born with multiple heart defects, and surgery was going to be needed. We couldn’t do anything for my sister and her husband but be there and try to hide our concern and exude confidence. She is doing well now, but on the day of her surgery there were a couple therapy dog teams visiting the hospital. The distraction it provided my grandparents, my parents, others in the entourage was truly amazing. That day confirmed it for me and I could not wait until life would give me that chance. What I didn’t know was the package would come as Gopher, and the lessons and insight that little pup of only 2.5 years would give me.

Gopher Therapy Dog to More than Just Humans: The Story of Barney

As I said before I am going to from time to time share stories of how Gopher has been a therapy animal to more than just humans. No case is this more true than in the story of Barney.

Barney came into our home just two weeks after our previous foster had gone to his forever home. (The foster was Ramsey and you can read his story in a previous entry.) He had been in boarding for some time as he was a ‘more difficult’ foster. He had been labeled as having some dog to dog aggression. From a personal viewpoint I despise the use of the word aggressive in most incidences as the term brings to mind a Cujo-esque personality with bared teeth, growling, biting, barking and the general appearance of a dog that would rather eat you or another dog instead of looking at them. I prefer to state that these are cases of dog to dog reactivity. Barney was dog reactive, meaning he would get excited and scared when interacting with a new/unfamiliar dog. He is still working on this issue in his adoptive home, and will always be something that will need to be worked on with gradual improvement over time. We have the utmost confidence in his adoptive mother that he will always be handled appropriately and continue to build on the improvement he had in our home.

The first two weeks we had Barney were difficult. He came out of boarding anxious, scared and trembling. His initial interactions with Gopher were fine and not something we couldn’t handle so we brought him home. We could not isolate Barney in a crate or another room to decompress as is sometimes is needed for these dogs to survive as either measure would make him more anxious and nervous. So we had to closely monitor him when we were home and his behavior toward Gopher. When we were away the two dogs were separated to different halves of the house as we could not trust Barney alone with Gopher.

In addition to Barney’s issues, Gopher had some problems during this time. He had grown quite attached to our previous foster Ramsey and had been depressed ever since. If you are one to believe that dogs do not suffer depression please refer me to another term that would describe a dog that was medically healthy, but was disinterested in play, even with a tennis ball, laid in one spot on the floor without acknowledging his humans for days on end. Then we brought in Barney who could be reactive to our home with our still very young dog, and when he attempted to play with him was rejected due to Barney’s reactivity. This made Gopher reluctant to be around him and slow to trust dogs a part of his character he has maintained when interacting with any new dog.

Although the first two weeks were difficult, with not once, but two times escalating to dog fights that had to be broken up, we stayed strong although we were more than a little worried about Gopher. He showed us again what a wonderful dog he is by his own personality and once again this was not something we could train him to do. Gopher learned once Barney had started to calm down that he was not as scary or ferocious as he sounded. We noted this as well that often Barney would go into a situation wanting to play, but then would send the wrong or mixed signals. Gopher picked up on this and would then approach Barney on his belly; he would flip a toy or a coveted tennis ball in his direction. At first Barney would growl, he would be hesitant, yet his tail would wag the entire time.

Gopher continued this and Barney and he began to play regularly, this took several months, but allowed us to continue to have many breakthroughs with him. Including this one that is posted on youtube.

In that video Barney is shown playing with another dog, Tobi, that he only met an hour or two before, Gopher shows up a couple of times as well. This level of play had taken Gopher and Barney over a month to achieve, Barney’s ability to do this with Tobi after only an hour or so was entirely due to the diligence, patience of Gopher. He taught Barney how to play, led by example and taught Barney that not all dogs are scary. What would have taken a human handler a year or more to achieve Gopher had done in a matter of months once again showing us his innate need to perform therapy work.

Barney ended up being in our home for nine months and was adopted by a loving and wonderful woman who will be the strong and caring handler/ mom that Barney needs. Before leaving our home Barney was allowed to be on free roam with Gopher and eventually a new foster brother Squirrel when we were not home. Squirrel (Gophers forever little brother) continued to help Barney taking lessons from his big brother, someday he will be a therapy dog as well. Barney’s progress, change in attitude, improved demeanor and all aspects of behavior modification are to be credited to Gopher, Barney’s unlicensed therapist.

Gopher on His Second Visit to a Children's Hospital on 2/8/2010

I got to go back to a hospital for children again last week and it was extra special. This time Mom was my handler, Dad was there too, but Mom was in control. Being the pup I am I did have to try to get away with more with her than I would have even thought about with Dad. I was just showing her how challenging it is for him when Squirrel chooses not to listen to Dad.

Mom and I went out and we visited with about 20 people 11 of them were patients and the rest were the staff and family members. This visit was another group visit, but I was the biggest boy there and the kids loved me.
Mom and I showed them how to high five, roll over, give paw (shake), and just how good of a boy I can be during the show part of the visit.

Before and after the show we visited with the kids and their guests individually. I got to see a little boy and a little girl who were there last time I visited, but I was sad to see the special little girl that dad told you about was not there this time. After the show I talked with a mom and daughter, the mom has a therapy pup like me at home as well, and was very impressed with me. Then mom put me up in a chair so I could see a little girl who had to come to the show in her hospital bed, she was so happy to see me and looked so sad in the bed I thought I should go ahead and climb off the chair and into bed with her, Mom thought differently and quickly put a stop to my attempt.

We went afterwards to Keys to get our now infamous post visit pancakes (thank you Mr. Stein for writing the book so Dad would have me enjoy pancakes like Enzo). Since they were so hot Mom and Dad wouldn't let me have them until I went home and I sat on the edge of the seat casually sniffing the air and letting out mild whines to remind Mom and Dad I knew the pancakes were mine. Since I was sitting so close to Mom and Dad I was able to listen in on their conversations which are typically boring so I just ignore this talk this time though I thought my pancakes might be at stake so I focused in on what they were saying.

Dad asked Mom what she thought of being my handler in a real life situation, since this was her first time. She told him that she was so focused making sure she was doing her job, that she didn't have time to see what was going on around her. Then she said that it didn't really hit her until the last little boy we visited that night. Sorry I forgot to tell you about him, the last person we visited was a wonderful little boy who was in a wheelchair. I did my best golden lean against the wheelchair and he pet my head and scratched my ears with a big grin the entire time despite the surroundings, the wheelchair and medical equipment he was hooked up to the little boy still smiled especailly while petting me. Mom recounted this to Dad and said that was when it finally hit her what we were doing there. I thought I even saw a tear start to well up in her eye and I was going to climb up in her lap and wipe them away. I decided not to as I knew they would think I was just after my pancakes, which was only a little true. Thank you for reading and I will let you know of my new adventures soon.

Gopher Therapy Dog to More Than Humans: The Story of Ramsey

Not all of the therapy work I have had the pleasure to witness Gopher perform has been with humans. He has lived in our home since he was seven weeks old, Carla and I technically purchased him from a reputable breeder in northern Minnesota. This was the first time I had ever gone out and purchased a purebred dog, and although I understood and still feel justified by our decision, I felt guilty about not helping out one of the many dogs who needed a good home. This guilt led us to start volunteering with the local Golden Retirever rescue, Retrieve A Golden Of Minnesota (www.ragom.org). We sent in our application and were soon approved to become a foster home.

Gopher was a year old at the time our first foster came to live with us and had been through a lot of training by that time. When the first foster came in, a middle-aged purebred golden retriever, we soon discovered what many persons who own multiple dogs learn. Our Therapy dog in training was able to teach an "old dog new tricks" and that despite the fact we were training him to handle the complex facilities such as hospitals we would have in our midst a "therapist" for more than one species.

I am going to include in this blog from time to time the stories of how Gopher also provided therapy to one of his fellow canines. I am going to start by not telling you about the first dog, but the second a very ill boy who while in our home was known as Ramsey.Ramsey came into our home lethargic, ghastly thin and had difficulty catching his breath after only a few steps. He had been diagnosed just days before as being heartworm positive, an extremely deadly and devastating parasite. Carried via mosquito the parasite is delivered to the blood stream where it begins to grow, and spread effecting the heart and lungs. This relatively cheap to prevent via monthly pill parasite (approximately $120.00 per year) is terminal if left alone, but also extremely difficult, expensive and life threatening to treat.

Gopher and Ramsey hit it off right away and were close friends throughout their time together at our home. Ramsey was so ill when he came in that he didn't do much so we let the two boys spend the day free roam while we were at work, often coming home to find them cuddled together on the couch, or a dog bed something that Gopher has rarely ever done with another dog before or since, but he and Ramsey were often next to one another. I like to muse and think that Gopher knew he was sick, he did know something was wrong as Ramsey didn't act like other dogs to sand had mell different thanks to those fine canine scent receptors.

As we got through a few weeks of medication and Ramseys lungs started to clear from the fluid build up he started wanting to play so we had to seperate the boys during the day. We didn't want exuberant play to compromise Ramsey's already poor health or create a potential embolism casued by pieces of the worm breaking off and drifting into the blood stream. Gopher would run to meet me at the door and then take off and nose the door knob to the area where Ramsey was kept, anxious to get to his new friend.

It was soon after this that Ramsey began the actual treatment to treat the heartworm. He would receive an injection of arsenic in the lumbar region, the trick was to give enough arsenic to kill the worms, but not the dog. After the injection the risk of emblism increased greatly so Ramsey had to be crated at all times, and went out to the restroom on a leash only. Gopher started working overtime on his untrained therapy work. When I came home from work I would find Gopher laying as close to the crate as possible, or Gopher and Ramsey engaged in a staring contest. When I got home Gopher would bring me a tug toy, one of his favorite games especially with a canine friend he would show it to Ramsey. Gopher always tucked me into bed but when I woke in the middle of the night and my feet were cooler than usual I would find him lying next to Ramsey with only the wall of the crate sepearting them. It is my belief that Gopher allowed Ramsey to survive the treatment through his support and friendship and Carla and myself were merely the taxi service.

After many weeks and multiple injections we were able to start letting Ramsey out for limited and controlled excercise as the weeks progressed we were able to let him be more and more active. He came in a stray, and although he was very affectionate to humans, you could tell he hadn't spent much time in a home and had never been given a toy. Gopher was his nursemaid during the treatment, his friend and supporter, but now it was time to finish his therapy. As Ramsey gained more and more energy and was able to play more adn more. Gopher started to introduce him to the joys of toys, taught him more and more how to play. From what we have heard these games he continues to play in his adoptive home with his fur brother, also we learned at some point Gopher taught Ramsey how to open gates.

Gophers interactions that I have witnessed with humans and canines makes me think of the vet school t-shirts I have seen students wear stating "Real Doctors can Operate on More Than One Species". I guess this goes for Therapy Dogs too, that they can help more than one species, and proves to me that all of the work Gopher is doing is more him and less about his training. The training just gave him the confidence to go into the scary places and do what he does best, give true love and affection.

Excitement!!

We are getting ready to return to the location of our first visit. We will be returning there on Tuesday February 8th, working on some new tricks to make those kids smile. Maybe I will wear a tie this time. A Golden in a tie, that always gets some laughs. I will tell you all about once I return.

Gopher