Through the Eyes of Love

This story discusses adult mental illness and children who are hospitalized with severe illnesses. There is one use of harsh language.

Taylor opened one eye and looked across the bed. She already knew what she would see but the lumpy shape covered with a sheet with an arm and a leg sticking out confirmed that Taylor’s human, Mark, was still sound asleep. Hopping off the bed, the beautiful chocolate Labrador Retriever headed over to the window and stuck her face between the pulled down window shade and the screen. Yep, she was right, the sun was up, and it was a beautiful day. She and Mark should have already been at the park playing fetch.

Taking matters into her own paws, Taylor hopped back onto the bed, grabbed hold of the sheet and uncovered Mark’s head. Taylor then went to work with her broad tongue on Mark’s ear and cheek and the sleepy human finally got the message that it was time to get up.

“OK, OK Taylor! I’ll get up,” half shouted Mark. As Mark got dressed his beloved dog waited very impatiently by the door, for the two of them to make their way to the park, play fetch and enjoy the beautiful morning together.

A little less than an hour later man and man’s best friend returned home for their breakfast together on the deck and the start of their more important activities for the day.

Next up was a bath for Taylor and a shower for Mark as both had very important people who would be waiting for them later in the afternoon.

Mark and Taylor were members of their hometown’s therapy dog organization. For several years, as often as Mark’s work schedule had allowed, he and Taylor visited the Pediatric Ward that was part of the University Research Hospital. Mark loved seeing the smiles on the children’s faces as Taylor performed her repertoire of tricks or played fetch in the hallway with a tennis ball that Taylor dutifully returned to the child that tossed it. For the children that couldn’t leave their hospital beds or wheelchairs, Taylor was more than happy to sit quietly and just share time with them.She would look at them with her beautiful brown eyes with patience and understanding that few human beings could duplicate. One of the ward’s nurses had said it best when she said, “Taylor looks at every child in here through her eyes of love.”

Taylor and Mark spent a couple of hours in the Pediatric Ward. The nurses ensured that as many children as possible spent time with Taylor. When Mark was preparing to leave, one of the nurses approached him. The nurse’s name was Cynthia. Mark had never officially met her but had seen her many times when he and Taylor had visited.

“Mark, I know you and Taylor must be eager to get home but would you consider visiting a few more people. The hospital now has a Memory Care facility for our patients with Alzheimer’s disease. It’s located at a new facility outside of our main building but still here on our campus. Would it be too much to ask for Taylor to visit the patients for just a short time. The patients are all new and the doctors are still in the process of evaluating them. It might be very helpful to see how they respond to Taylor.”

Mark looked at Taylor. He had his doubts that she had fully understood the nurse’s request but when Taylor let out an enthusiastic bark that seemed to say, “Oh please, of course we’ll go,” Mark wasn’t entirely sure that she had not fully understood every word.

The walk across the campus grounds to the Memory Care facility was very pleasant. Taylor eyed a few squirrels and would have loved to have given chase but remembered that she was at the hospital on important business. Cynthia and Mark chatted briefly about the horrendously debilitating disease that was Alzheimer's and how it frequently stole time from humans in their golden years, robbing them not only of precious memories but of wonderful times in their lifespan as well. Frequently parents would not even recognize their children. Occasionally, some individuals become aggressive and violent. Cynthia spoke about promising new therapies that offered hope to patients but confessed that at least currently, it was considered an incurable disease.

Arriving at the Memory Care center, Cynthia and Mark went to the activity room where they found four elderly patients, two gentlemen and two ladies listening to but probably not comprehending an afternoon news program.

Cynthia introduced Mark and Taylor, who quietly went to everyone and sat patiently by their chair allowing the patients to pet her head. Even though Cynthia had clearly introduced Taylor, each of the patients asked what her name was. It was a question that Mark and Taylor were accustomed to, and Mark tolerantly repeated the introduction to each patient. Remembering what Mark had taught her, Taylor presented her paw to everyone and willingly shook hands with them.

The last gentlemen in line who was in a wheelchair looked at Taylor and then inquired if she might sit in his lap. Smiling, Mark picked up Taylor and gently sat Taylor in the man’s lap. The man’s name was Joe, and he seemed quite comfortable with Taylor. A slight smile formed on his lips, and he said, “Taylor is a good dog.”'

Mark and Taylor returned home and took advantage of their shaded deck to relax after their day with the children and older patients. The deck was their favorite place to relax when the weather was right and that evening it was perfect. The two were both deep in thought about their earlier activities. The children were always pure joy to be with. They appreciated the time with Taylor and for brief moments Taylor distracted them from their pain and diseases that tortured their young bodies.Kids at their age should never have to worry about debilitating and sometimes deadly diseases such as cancer and leukemia. Mark would always do his best to find time to spend with them and he knew Taylor wanted to do the same.

The patients in memory care were a different challenge. The patients that they had seen this afternoon accepted Taylor and at least Joe seemed to be deeply appreciative of her. Mark knew, however, that it was likely that it would not always be the case. Some would want no interaction with Taylor. Others would be intimidated by her or in some cases feel like there was no place for a dog in a hospital. But just maybe there would be more patients like Joe and even if there was only one, that would make it all worthwhile.

Mark looked at Taylor. “What do you say girl? I know how much you enjoy spending time with children. Can you handle the older patients too? It will be a little tougher on you.” Taylor looked up and Mark saw what the nurse had seen when she described how Taylor saw the world through her eyes of love. Taylor let out a couple of energetic barks and Mark knew that Taylor was more than ready for a return visit.

It was just over a week later that Mark and Taylor returned to the Memory Care center. The visit was very similar to the previous one although Mark and Taylor brought out a couple of their tricks to try to draw smiles from the group.

While Mark was having a conversation with Cynthia who had again accompanied them, Taylor left her place at Mark’s side and went straight over to Joe. Looking up at him and placing her nose in Joe’s lap, Taylor awaited the kind words and recognition that she had previously received from Joe. Sadly, today it was not forthcoming. There was no recognition in Joe’s eyes. Alzheimer’s is not always consistent, and some days are worse than others. Taylor looked at Joe with pleading eyes that said, “Don’t you remember me?” but he did not. It was a heartbroken Taylor that left the Memory Care center. Rarely in her years of bringing smiles to those stricken by disease had she failed but seldom had she faced a disease as horrendously evil as Alzheimer’s.

Mark could see the disappointment in Taylor on the way home, but he also knew that his dog who was very dedicated to her responsibility to helping humans would not stay disenchanted for long. She would quickly bounce back and be ready for another try.Mark and Taylor arrived home and headed straight for the deck where they relaxed. Taylor was rewarded for trying with a couple of hot dogs that Marked cooked for her on the grill.

Mark’s schedule opened a bit the following week when a project he was working on was unexpectedly placed on hold for thirty days leaving him with several empty spaces in his calendar. With plenty of vacation time accrued, he could think of nothing more he would like to do than to spend it on visits with Taylor. The following day he left work at lunchtime, picked up Taylor, and headed for their meetings with the children and memory care patients.

The children were great as usual. Mark never ceased to be amazed at the courage of young children fighting devastating diseases, often with a smile on their face. Both Mark and Taylor knew they would never grow tired of doing what they could to bring a little happiness to the day of a sick child.

As Mark and Taylor finished their time with the children, both were optimistic about visiting the Memory Care patients. Mark knew Taylor had been disappointed after the group failed to recognize her and responded little to her the last time she visited. Mark was hopeful that today’s visit would be better. He was confident that Taylor would always bounce back from disappointments. He knew that Taylor took great pride in her work and wanted her to always be that way.

Cynthia again joined them on their walk to the Memory Care center and shared with Mark the status of some of the patients. Some of them were showing progress but others were having a difficult time.

As they entered the activity room, Mark and Taylor were rewarded with a shout of, “It’s Taylor!” from the other side of the room. The shout came from Joe, and Taylor responded with a hearty, “Ruff, ruff!” Responding to a gentle tug from Taylor, Mark released her and watched her walk over to the man’s chair and sit beside him and allow him to rub her head while he spoke to her in gentle tones. The expression on Taylor’s face was worth all the months of training and preparation that Mark and Taylor had gone through to become a therapy dog team.

Although Taylor had designated Joe as her favorite patient, she did not ignore the others. In preparation for the visit, Taylor and Mark had rehearsed some of their routines from their bag of tricks. For starters, Mark pulled out his cell phone and played Israel Kamakawiwo’ole famous version of the song “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” Throughout the entire song, Taylor performed her extensive collection of dance moves strutting up and down in front of her spectators and performing as best she could the seven basic movements of dance as Mark gave her the commands. It was one of Taylor’s favorite performances to give and considering the differences in human and canine anatomy, Taylor was really good.

Taylor also demonstrated that she was perfectly capable of balancing a dog biscuit on her nose, rolling over on command, and bowing to her audience. At the end, Mark, Taylor and Cynthia were gratified at the applause from the patients.As the applause ended, Mark received a request from Joe.

“Sir, could Taylor sit with me again, please.” With a smile, Mark lifted Taylor up and made her comfortable on Joe’s lap. She sat very still as Joe gazed at the dog and rubbed her head.

If one believes in miracles what happened next qualified as a miracle. Joe began to speak and told a story from his childhood. Looking at his fellow patients and the three visitors, Joe said, “When I was young, I had a dog. His name was Buzz. He was a very good dog. We lived in the hills of Kentucky and Buzz and I hiked all over those hills. We would fish and swim in the streams and Buzz would chase the rabbits and squirrels just for fun. He never tried to catch any of them. He just liked to play with them. Sometimes in the summer, we would sleep out underneath the stars, just me and Buzz. He was a special dog and the best friend I ever had.”

Whether it was a miracle of modern medicine or more so the love that a dog can share with a human we may never know. On this day, however, a loving dog helped a man travel back in time to his youth and allowed him the memories of being with his best friend if only for a short while.

Mark and Taylor continued to visit Joe over the next year. There were days when more miracles occurred and with Taylor sitting in his lap, Joe spoke of family and friends and happy times in his past. There were also times, however, when the fucking curse of Alzheimer’s defeated everything that modern medicine and a loving dog could fight back with. On those days, Mark and Taylor would just sit with a quiet Joe who had been robbed of precious memories and relationships with friends.

Joe passed away in early Autumn when the trees in his native Kentucky hills were beginning to turn to their fall colors. As Joe had no family, the hospital made all the funeral arrangements. Mark was surprised when one day at work, he received a phone call from Cynthia. Mark listened intently to what Cynthia had to say and then with a smile on his face, Mark said, “Taylor and I would be honored to do that.”

Two days later, Mark’s Jeep headed west. Taylor sat in the passenger seat alertly watching as the city streets and highways turned into rural roads and farms replaced the city skyscrapers. Mark’s camping gear was stowed in the back along with enough food for the two of them. On the back seat lay a securely wrapped wooden box. Six hours later they arrived at a Kentucky State Park that Mark had carefully selected due to its rolling hills, abundant wildlife and streams filled with fish.

Mark pulled out the camping gear from the Jeep, carefully placed the wooden box in his backpack and with Taylor started out to find the perfect campsite for the two of them to sleep under the stars. A couple of hours later, Mark found it near the top of some rolling hills with a stream full of fish nearby. That night Mark and Taylor slept under a beautiful clear sky filled with millions of stars. It was a beautiful night and the two of them slept peacefully.

The following morning Mark and Taylor had breakfast and sat simply enjoying the wonderful scenery before starting the task that had brought them here. Taking the wooden box, Mark carefully spread Joe’s ashes in this place he knew Joe would love. Joe was now home in the rolling hills of Kentucky that he loved so well.

Hours later, having meandered back to the Jeep while enjoying as much of the beautiful park as possible, Taylor suddenly paused and looked back toward the hills. Her hearing had picked up something that Mark could not yet hear.

“What is it girl?” Mark asked but then he heard it too.

"It was a long way off but from within the beautiful hills that Mark and Taylor had just left behind came the distinctive sound of a dog running and barking for pure joy. The sound continued for a few minutes and then faded in the distance. Taylor looked at Mark inquisitively. Mark looked back at Taylor and said, “Everything is fine girl. That was Buzz. Joe is at home now and he and Buzz are together.”