Pet Therapy

   Every other Friday since August my dog and I volunteer for pet therapy. We visit with nuns who have retired and are living in a convent on a private college campus (my alma mater). For some time now, I was having certain nagging feelings – one is to start writing more often and another is that I should be doing good things with the time I have in my life by volunteering for an organization.

 

I had been wanting to volunteer for a while, but couldn’t figure out which volunteer opportunity would be a good fit for me.  One day, I was surfing the web and came across this site about the sisters I now visit.  I looked up the information about volunteering opportunities and made a decision to finally address that nagging feeling I’d been having about doing some volunteer work. Pet therapy was listed as a suggestion; it had never dawned on me that my dog, who I love endlessly, could be my partner in crime as I ventured into volunteering.  I figured this would be a great way to start out, me and the pup together, trying to do something positive in the world.

 

We’ve been a total hit!  I work with a wonderful sister who is very fond of dogs and loves to take us from floor to floor to visit more sisters who are animal lovers. I’ve heard on television, from things I’ve read, and from conversations with people that even the simplest acts of kindness can make a difference in someone’s life.  Sisters say to me “Thank you so much for bringing in Cubby” or “You made my day!” and I am completely taken aback.  It really is a simple task of picking up my dog after school and taking her to visit at the convent for one hour, but many sisters really look forward to it.  They even hate to say goodbye to Cubby when it’s time for us to go.  I’m glad I can do this for sisters who used to have pets as companions but can no longer have them because pets aren’t allowed in their living quarters.  I have had a dog all my life, but I too longed for my dog when I lived in a college dorm.  Dogs, pets in general, can bring a  lot of joy, and I’m glad I get to share that joy my Cubby brings with others.