We put Gus to work at the Mansion today, and he did very well in some of his first moments as a therapy dog. We put him in Connie’s lap, and she held him while he squirmed, then he settled and put his head on her arms and stayed perfectly still for ten or 15 minutes. The residents of the Mansion loved him, we have to fight our way down the hallways.
I have to work a little more intensely with Gus, he isn’t quite sure what his work is, I have to show him and reward him. He is very drawn to people, and he is light. His size is a great asset, he can squeeze onto chairs and couches and won’t knock anybody over.
Today was a good day for Gus, Connie needed a visit, she is struggling with fatigue and problems eating. It is hard for her to focus on some of her tasks – reading, knitting. She is walking well, getting back and forth to the dining room.
We double-dogged her, first Red, then Gus. I think she loved seeing both of them. She and Maria are plotting for Connie to make Gus a sweater, she’s received a number patterns from the Army Of Good. She’s not quite ready to start knitting.
You can write Connie – she loves your letters c/o Connie, The Mansion, 11 S. Union Avenue, Cambridge, N.Y., 12816. I am grateful we – the Army Of Good – got her an air conditioner at the beginning of the summer, it’s been very hot up here.
Thanks to you all.
I live across the Lake from you in VT’s Champlain Valley where it has been hazy, hot and humid for the last several days-and it’s not really cooling off over night the past two. I live at 1700 feet in the Green Mountains, so we are always a bit cooler than down below. I have an a/c in one room, which hasn’t been on all summer and I decided just to leave it off. However, I sure am glad that the Army of Good helped get all those A/C’s into the Mansion in time for this heat wave because weather like this can be very debilitating and down right unhealthy, especially for the elderly! Go Jon and the AoG!!