My sister in law, Shelly sent me the above photo yesterday. I found it so touching. Hard for it not to touch the depths of your heart, right? She told me her friend, Erica took the photo and it is of her dog Jack (Jackson) and his work as a therapy dog. With the wonders of Facebook I was able to connect with Erica and ask permission to share her photo, as well as have her agree to share Jack’s story. I hope you will enjoy it as much as I did. T hank you, Erica!
Jack’s story as told by Erica:
My youngest daughter Sophie and I volunteer together at a local no-kill pet shelter. She shares my love for both animals and giving back. 🙂 About a year and a half ago we were at this shelter cleaning puppy cages and re-stocking food bowls (with no intentions of finding a new puppy,mind you), and after keeping busy for over an hour we looked into a quiet cage that I previously thought was empty. There I found a sweet black puppy – about 12 weeks old. He didn’t make a sound, waited patiently for me to open the door and gave me a “hug” when I did. I knew he was special. We immediately started the adoption process. Jackson was officially ours on President’s Day 2011.
We assume he is a Black Lab because he looks exactly like one, but he’s pretty small so he might be a mixed breed. Either way we love him to pieces.
From day one Jack was VERY CALM for a Lab pup. He had his crazy moments, but for the most part he was gentle and sweet. I wanted to share that with others. When he was only about 6 months old I started the process of getting Jack certified as a “Canine Good Citizen.” As expected he passed with flying colors. About the same time a friend of mine, who works for a home health company, told me her company had been searching for a therapy dog to visit the assisted living facilities that they serviced. It was meant to be! Jack now visits three different assisted living facilities two times per month. And he loves it.
At some of the facilities a group of residents gather in a common area and Jack goes from person to person, nudging their hand – encouraging them to rub on him. If they have an empty chair next to them he has been known to climb up in it to be at eye level. I know I don’t have to tell you how fulfilling it is to see how the simple act of petting a dog can bring joy to these residents’ lives.
Some of the residents have a hard time making it to the common area. They either are not as mobile or too weak to spend much time out of their rooms. Jack and I make “house calls” to these residents. Jim is one of them. Jim seems to be a cantankerous man when you first meet him. But after a while both Jack and I realized that he has a keen, dry sense of humor and a warm heart. This is most evident when he talks about his son, and his late wife. He tears up every time. He also loves Jack, and the feeling is mutual for sure. Jack climbs into bed with Jim when he’s unable to get up, and would stay there for hours if permitted. He also likes to “hold hands” with Jim – as seen in the photo. He does that instead of “shake” – I think it soothes him to have his paw in someone’s hand. I think it soothes Jim as well. It’s awesome to watch the mutually beneficial relationship unfold.
I gave Jim a copy of the photo and to be perfectly honest – he didn’t like it. He said his hand looked old! The man is in his late 90s. He has the mind of a wise 65 year old. The heart of a child.