For the past couple of weeks, I have been visiting patients and their pets that have been served recently by the Pet Peace of Mind program. We try to take photos of our patients and their pets for a scrapbook we are putting together. Some time back, I developed a brief interview form for volunteers to use for this type of visit and I wanted to test it by visiting patients I didn't know personally. So far, it has been a wonderful experience. I've found that patients are eager to talk about their pets, even with someone they have never met before. I was surprised to find that several of our patients have rescue animals or animals that were abandoned by another owner. You can imagine these patients' anxiety about making sure those pets have a loving home after they are gone. When asked why their pets were important to them at this time in their life, several people told me that their pets provided not only constant companionship for them, but a feeling of safety and security when they were home alone. This particular dog, Daisy, is a delight. She stays close to her owner when he is not feeling well and refuses to leave his side. On his good days, however, she is so popular in the neighborhood that the mailman leaves treats for her along with the mail!
