I call it The Smile. It is the point, the purpose, the connection. There is this point with nursing home patients, with the elderly, with dementia patients, when they see the dog, connect with their own memories, and their faces broaden into the most wonderful smiles. What a gift to bring those smiles to people who need to smile, and to see how those smiles bring the people out of themselves, back into their memories, back into their own lives, their dogs, their need to touch something and their great joy at having a dog like Red come to them, look at them, focus on them.

I told Red he was a smile dog, he made a beeline for this women, in a physical therapy group, they locked eyes, and her face lit up with memories, feelings of love and life. The Smile is what I always look for, when I always feel the work is purposeful. Smiles are healthy, smiles are the point.