Friday Was Nursing Home Day!

Riley at home after her therapy dog visit.

Friday was our nursing home day.  Riley wore her St. Patrick’s Day bandana that we got from Sugar’s Paw House.  The bandana was a huge hit…we got so many compliments on it!  When we first went in, we visited with one of the administrators in her office and she had two life size plaster chickens that Riley had a good time investigating.

There was a little girl there visiting (okay, maybe not “little” as she was probably 8 years old or so…) that Riley just LOVED to death!  The girl sat on the floor with Riley and Riley kissed her face a few times and even flopped over on her back for a belly rub from the girl (that’s how you know Riley loves you–if she rolls over for a belly rub)!  All the residents that were watching the little girl and Riley interact had to let out a collective “awwww” when Riley rolled over for the belly rub!  The girl hugged Riley’s neck twice and Riley just stood there and wagged her tail both times.

We handed out some pictures of Riley to some of the residents and they were a big hit too.  We, of course, visited with Mrs. K for a good while in her room and she just loved the picture of Riley.  I tried to show her and her friend how Riley can roll over, but she couldn’t get any traction on the tile floor, so she could only get herself halfway over…she tried to do it twice but just couldn’t.  I assured them that she could do it at home.  They were asking about the next time Riley and I would come and I told them that the next time we come (in two weeks) is actually Riley’s birthday, March 18th.  They asked if they could get Riley a box of dog treats for her birthday!  So Riley may end up with a birthday surprise next time!

I was happy to hear that Mr. M had gotten to go home!  Now he’s back at home with his wife and beloved Border Collie, Michie.

We also visited with a lady that is one of the directors of nursing there that brings her Shih-Tzu with her to work sometimes.  She was asking me about training facilities because she wants to get her dog certified to do therapy dog work.  So I gave her some info on different places.  She asked if Riley was on a strict diet and I said, no, not really, and then she asked if she could give me a treat to give to Riley.  She had some Pupperoni in her drawer (which is one of Riley’s all time favorite treats), so Riley enjoyed that!

Like I already said, our next visit is on Friday, the 18th, on Riley’s second birthday!  She loves her visits, so that will be a nice birthday present for her.