In a few days we will hopefully know the outcome of Mike’s extensive hospitalization and his fight with his leg. I take him on Thursday first to see his surgeon then to the hospital for an MRI and a bone scan. He is going stir crazy in the nursing home and my heart breaks for the forgotten folks that roam the hallways in wheelchairs trapped within their minds by altzheimers or the ravages of disease breaking down their bodies. If they were cats, they would be gently laid to rest in peace by the insertion of a needle that stopped their hearts. But, because they are people with medical insurance, the medical profession is bound and determined to soak every last dime out of their policies and even seize personal property to pay for the outlandish cost of “living.” Do I sound jaded? I guess I do- I see misery there and people who once had dignity and life reduced down to being put into a posey belt and restrained in a wheelchair on a daily basis.

I took Kodie in with me for another visit. The people just light up when they see her. She loves all the attention, and surprisingly, she doesn’t jump up in their laps or put her paw up on their arm. It is as if she instinctively knows that the light touch is needed with these fraile folk. She loves to go and I am seriously considering training her for a therapy dog after all this is resolved. There isn’t an aggressive bone in her body and she is very appealing for many.

There is one wizard of an old man who believes that Kody is his own dog and I have to fight him every time for possession of her leash. He turned out to be quite strong yesterday and rather than wrestle him for her, I just let them be. She ended up trotting along the corridor, pulling him in his wheelchair while he giggled with delight. I need to buy her a gentle leader harness now so she doesn’t injure her throat if she is going to turn into a sled dog for him. I finally got her back from him and when we walked away, I turned around and noticed tears in his eyes. It broke my heart.