Rest in Peace, Gizmo.

It is with great sadness and regret that yesterday at approx. 2:30 am, my guinea pig of four years passed away peacefully on my chest. Her estimated age is about 10, as her previous owner who was about to let her loose in Kensington Market in Toronto (a busy area) said she was about 6 years old when I rescued her.

Gizmo gave me an appreciation for small animals as companions as well as therapy animals. She accompanied me to class when I was in college for a presentation on Animal Assisted Therapy and wowed some of the students, as well helped me educate on aat and guinea pigs in general. She loved my dogs, playing with them on the carpet or among the clover in the backyard. She did not bite me once; even when clipping her nails or cleaning her ears. She loved lettuce and red pepper to a fault as well of course, as her Timothy Hay.

She is greatly missed and will be always as she helped inspire me to enter the world of AAT head on and I hope to still share great stories of all of her hard work and so many that loved her with all of the new people I meet at my amazing job.

**Please accept my apologies if I am not posting as often as I would like to, as I am also exploring strategies coping with my own grief at this time. I am so happy to be a part of such an open community in which I can share and have support. Thank you to all who have sent me your regards and condolences - they mean more then you know.**

Can dogs detect cancer?

Tonight, a television station in Toronto called TVO aired a particularily interesting program called "Can dogs detect cancer?". I am providing the link below; the program will re-air this Wednesday. Just another way our animal friends help us in health and heart.

Link:Can dogs detect cancer?

Lily - A feline friend in AAT.

Hello to all and my apologies as I have not written in awhile! I do have lovely stories to share however, which will be written in the next two weeks. Now, on to the good stuff...

Most of us think of canines as being the predominant species when in comes to animal assisted therapy; I know I certainly did when I first began researching my now career. True, dogs are a great source of loyalty, joy, companionship and unconditional love, but as I have seen (especially at my new job!) cats also take the cake.
 In Memory Care, there is a particular feline named Lily who roams the corridors and amuses the residents. In the mornings during tea time, she can usually be found inspecting people's cookies and tea cups, or lounging belly up in the middle of the living room while we speak about current events and the news. During gentle fitness, Lily is usually somewhere around my feet making us laugh as we make jokes that SHE will teach the class today. At lunch or dinner, she rarely sets foot in the dining room (a little lady with manners), but will sit in the doorway, keeping a loving eye on her resident family.
One afternoon, I was knocking on a particular resident's door inviting him to a sing-a-long; as he said "Come in!", I slowly opened the door and saw our large grey and white feline friend lounging on his bed as he read the paper. Home sweet home.
Animals like Lily have a special purpose. Its not only to provide companionship, but to serve a purpose and to remind us of ours. We feed her, water her, and recently made some cat toys out of Yarn and pom poms which Lily loves and each evening after supper, a few of the ladies and I give her some exercise, dragging the colourful spheres across the carpet. Lily helps with fine motor skills when we play(holding and dragging the yarn),  and promotes verbalization of feelings and a feeling of inclusion in a group. Two of the ladies who dont always "get along" do that little bit more when Lily is around and we are all playing and sharing stories.

If you have pets in your facility or home of someone you are caring for, try and incorporate and encourage the companionship and lessons an animal can bring. Lily continues to make those lessons a little bit more enjoyable everyday.