My Final Visit to Libby’s House Without My Wheelie Dog Side Kick

Posted by Barbara Techel

Yesterday I made my final visit to Libby’s House, where Frankie and I were a volunteer therapy dog team for 3 ½ years.  The original plan was that it was to be my last visit with Frankie since she was retiring. But as we know, life does not always go as planned.  So off I went alone.

Let me first back up and say that the Wednesday before this, I met with the owner of Libby’s House, Christine. She couldn’t be there for the day of my last visit but had a gift for me.  She gave me the plaque above which is with one my favorite residents- Libby herself, who Libby’s House is named after and happens to be Christine’s grandmother.  This photo was taken two years ago when Libby was a mere 103.  Libby’s House also made a very generous donation to Frankie’s Wheelchair Memorial Fund.   I was, and am quite honored.

I had butterflies in my stomach as I drove to Libby’s House. I knew it would be hard to say goodbye.  Are goodbyes ever easy?  But I knew I needed to do this for the residents. They needed closure, too.  I’ve loved all my therapy dog work with Frankie, but I have to say, Libby’s House became one of my favorite.  So many became my surrogate grandparents and I grew to care and love many of them.

Being a volunteer at Libby’s House was sometimes a guessing game as to who has dementia and who has  Alzheimer’s.  And some are there for other reasons, but because of the HPPA act I was not allowed to know.  While that made me uneasy at the beginning, especially of how I should react around Alzheimer’s patients, what I took away from this experience is that they are all still human beings with hearts and souls… that they still wish to be heard and loved. And they deserve to be treated with dignity and grace.

The staff was so kind to me and many hugs were exchanged. It felt very odd being there without Frankie, but it also felt comforting.  This was a place that I enjoyed coming to each month, though it could be sad at times witnessing the decline of some of the residents or when they passed away. But it was also always my reminder that life is about living and we must enjoy each and every possible moment while here.

For the residents who could understand that Frankie is no longer here, I gave them a photo collage of Frankie.  One resident who Frankie and I always went to her room to visit, a witty, charming, wonderful 96-year old red head lady, told me that she will say hi to Frankie when she gets home.  I always told her she and Frankie were my favorite red heads and it brought a smile to my face thinking of those two meeting again someday.

Another resident who I refer to as Janice in my children’s book, Frankie the Walk ‘N Roll Therapy Dog Visits Libby’s House, is one resident I will miss greatly.  She was quite gruff the first time I met her, telling me she DID NOT LIKE DOGS.  I was up for the challenge and somehow knew it was just her exterior that was tough.  She became one of my favorite residents, too and also within six months grew to love Frankie, as well.  She is quite the spitfire, and her and I so enjoyed razzing each other.

Janice was the drive behind making sure as many people as possible at Libby’s House signed a copy of my book I wrote about Libby’s House. They all wrote wonderful notes of how they loved when Frankie visited and how they will miss her.  What a treasure that book is now to me with all their notes and signatures!

I also sat with Libby who is now 105 and going as strong as ever.  She held my hand and said,” l’ll bet you really miss Frankie.” She continued to pat my hand as we chatted and I couldn’t help but think of how I felt like a young girl once again being comforted by my grandma when I hurt… and how good that felt.  One of my best memories with Libby is when she was petting Frankie and she looked up at me and said, “Frankie is love.”

Once again as I set off to visit Libby’s House,  I went with the idea that I would be helping  them and to bring them closure… and realizing as I walked out the door for the last time, that they all brought me comfort and closure, too.  And even though my dog on wheels was not rolling beside me for this visit, I felt her memories of hope, joy, and love alive and well within the hearts of all our friends at Libby’s House.

 

A Tribute to Frankie the Walk ‘N Roll Dog by Linda Cole of Canidae Pet Ownership Blog

Posted by Barbara Techel

The outpouring and caring and tributes continue to bring my heart and soul such comfort.  This is a beautifully written tribute by Linda Cole, freelance writer with Canidae Pet Ownership blog.  I can’t say thank you enough… but thank you so much.

On a side note I made a final visit to Libby’s House today, where Frankie and I were a volunteer therapy dog team for 3.5 years to help the residents find closure after Frankie’s passing.  I had planned to write about it later today, but it got late. It was also all very emotional– healing, but emotional so I’ll write about it tomorrow.  Hope you will enjoy this wonderful tribute from Linda…

A Tribute to Frankie the Walk ‘N Roll Dog

by Linda Cole

When you gaze into the eyes of a dog, there’s a goodness and honesty no human can match. Dogs are just so unpretentious, and walk beside us for as long as they can. Frankie the Walk ‘N Roll Dog lived the last six years of her life in a wheelchair. She crossed over the Rainbow Bridge on June, 21, 2012 from Chronic Heart Disease, but this isn’t about the end – it’s about the amazing life of a little dog who never gave up. I spoke recently with Frankie’s mom, Barbara Techel, to learn more about the little Dachshund who stole the hearts of thousands of people she met. You see, Francesca was a therapy dog who used her disability and spirit to teach others, including Barb, about life and why it’s important to savor every moment we have on earth, and never give up.

Read the rest of the tribute here…

The Missing Rhythm

Posted by Barbara Techel

Frankie loved to nap and I loved just watching her.

CONGRATULATIONS to Michelle Maskaly from My Tail Hurts So Much from Wagging Blog who won by Random. org drawing of the Spring 2012 Doxie Digest issue and a set of Frankie the Walk ‘N Roll Dog magnets.  We sent you an email for your mailing address.  Thank you to everyone who left a comment.  I throughly enjoyed reading each and every one of them.

In a recent blog post by Jon Katz he wrote about the rhythm’s of the farm.  How the donkeys are there to greet him every morning at 7:00am and will be there every morning at 7:00am whether he is or not.  He said that donkeys and all animals like structure and rhythm.

It made me think about the rhythm’s in my own life. The missing rhythm of Frankie, which I am still trying to get used to. We had quite the routine. Every move I made she was first and foremost the first rhythm I had, before I moved onto another task.

Every morning I’d whisk her from her little snug bed which lay between my and my husband’s pillows, and off to the bathroom we’d go so I could express her bladder. We didn’t always make it, her bladder full to the top, and out it would shoot like a fountain.  The morning after her passing, I actually smiled and said in my mind to Frankie, chuckling a bit, as I sat down to go, “Hey Frankie, I got to go potty first today.”  I even shared this with a friend who cares for incontinent dogs also and said, “I wasn’t sure as I got older who was going to be able to hold it longer and if we’d both end of having an accident on the floor!”

The last year of Frankie’s life was quite rhythmic as she was not all that keen on using her wheels any longer. So I carried her from point a, to point b, to point c. Wherever I was, Frankie was beside me. Whatever move I made, my first move was her. This may sound odd, but for days after her passing my arms felt like they were not attached to my body- as if they were floating beside me. And when they did feel attached, I didn’t know what to do with them. It was the oddest sensation.  I could only equate it to the fact that Frankie was so often in my arms.

As I continue to move more into a new routine, I find myself adjusting, but there are times when I simply stop and am unsure of my next move, thinking I need to pick up or move Frankie first. So it really is remarkable how we have our rhythm’s of life, and how they sometimes become so automatic. But when they are gone, how obvious and evident they are, and how we then learn to move in a new way and create new rhythm’s.

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WIN a copy of the Spring 2012 Doxie Digest!  My post office only delivered the paper cover for the Spring 2012 issue so Doxie Digest sent me another copy, plus one. So why not share, right? This is a beautifully and well done magazine. Frankie was featured in the very first issue in 2008 and will be featured again in fall.  Thank you Doxie Digest!

So all you have to do is leave a comment below and tell me what your favorite rhythm is.  Enter by midnight on Friday, July 13th.  I’ll pick the winner on Saturday, July 14th.  I need to have a way to notify you also, so if your comment does not link back to you, be sure to include your email.

PS:  I’ll even throw in a set of Frankie magnets!