Josie bringing her love to patients anyway she can

I don't know if any of you remember me talking about a patient named John and his wife Gertrude, whom we got quite attached too. (Re: Pediatrics and Germany! post) Well, on Monday, I actually dropped Josie off at their house in the afternoon so they could watch her while I was at work. That is how close we have become. When I went to pick her up after work I sat with Gert and she told me how much fun it was for both of them watching Josie and having a dog in the house again. They used to have a German Shepherd named Rex in their younger days, so watching Josie was a big thrill for them. Josie hung with Gertrude in the kitchen for a while and eventually ended up sleeping with John on the couch. All-in-all it was a fantastic visit. It felt really great to give them the opportunity to spend some "alone" time with Josie. I mean, Josie and I visited John and Gert while John was in the hospital almost every day since November, and then once he was in Rehab, we visited him there too. He has been home now for about 3 weeks, which is great. He is on the road to recovery!!

Unfortunately, I received a call from Gertrude yesterday morning that John had been brought to the emergency room and was being admitted to the hospital. He had contracted pneumonia. So Josie and I went to visit him and Gertrude last night. We had a good visit, although John wasn't doing too well, but he was stable. He was basically just unsettled.

I heard from Gertrude this morning that he slept last night and that he was doing a little better (yeah!). Josie and I will be going there right after work to spend time with the two of them. Hopefully, the doctors will get his pneumonia under control and out of his system and he will recover and he can go home (soon). But if it takes a few days or weeks, as long as he recovers, well, that's what matters. I know he is fighting an uphill battle, but we are right there along side them both. And I know Josie's visits make a difference and mean something to both of them.

Now, the photo above is of a patient we visited on Monday night after I picked up Josie from John and Gert's and went to the hospital for a visit. We went to the ICU unit. We met a nice woman whose husband had been in ICU and had been unconscious for a week. He finally woke up and she wanted us to visit him. I wanted to show you how she lays on the bed and how patients hold her "nose" for comfort. They just keep petting and stroking her nose and face. She can lay there for hours like that. See how her paws are outstretched too. Sometimes they hold "paws" with her. The red blanket is a blanket that I lie down on the patients bed so Josie lays directly on that blanket as to not get "doggie hair" all over the hospital linens. That patient is doing VERY WELL and they really appreciated our visit.

I'd just like to ask all of you, if it's not too much trouble to please keep John and Gertrude in your prayers for us. I will keep you up to date on their progress and Josie's visits. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

Much love everyone.

Dog-Ma Thought for the Day:
Always stand by the one you love,
And remember to lick their face. (slurp)