I brought Fate into the Mansion with me this afternoon to drop a few things off – slippers for Peggie, a watch for Tim, a fuzzy bathrobe for Georgianna. Fate and Georgianna have bonded, Fate, who misses nothing, spotted Georgianna taking a nap on a sofa in the Great Room.

She made a beeline for, and Georgianna spotted Fate coming a few yards away, sat up and yelled: “Fate, come here and see me!” Fate needed no further encouragement, she rushed across the room and jumped up on the sofa, and the two of them had a loving and joyous reunion.

The residents loved Fate. They loved Red also but in a different way. Fate is much more demonstrative and excitable than Red; she wants to be in everybody’s arms, hugging and kissing.

She is a charming creature, and she loves people in a way I didn’t quite grasp before. It works very well for a therapy dog, as long as she doesn’t lose control. Georgianna makes a big fuss over Fate, so Fate returns the favor.

Fate passed a big therapy dog test today. We were standing outside in the Secret Garden when a couple came up the path with two large dogs. I saw this as a training opportunity and a test.

I told Fate to lie down and be still, and the dogs came up the path within five or six feet of Fate, and she didn’t move. She just looked at the dogs as they passed.

This behavior tells me she is likely to pass the strict therapy dog certificate test that asks dogs to sit still in a room filled with strange dogs for a substantial period.

Fate continues to blossom as a therapy dog, I’m no longer surprised by how much she loves people and how much they respond to her. We’re going back tomorrow for the Fuzzy Bathrobe Festival.

(If you wish to support the Mansion work, please consider contributing to our Winter Clothing and other recreational activities and clothes. Today, I brought 20 soft toothbrushes to the Mansion. You can do so via Paypal, [email protected], or by check, Jon Katz, Mansion Fund, P.O.  Box 205, Cambridge, N.Y., 12816. Thanks.)