Some angels have fur.

A number of years ago, I took two dogs from Bob’s House for Dogs to an area memory care facility. The dynamic duo Included Norman, a shepherd mix that came to Bob’s in May 2011. He absolutely loved tennis balls, so you had to keep an eye on him during visits to such places in case he spotted one on the legs of some resident’s walker.

That morning, I figured we were safe because the residents we were visiting were all sitting. I began talking to the ladies who were each waiting for their turn to hold Alice, a teacup poodle. Looking up, I saw Norman had found a ball someplace. Before I could grab his prize, he gently dropped it in a lady’s lap and sat down a few feet in front of her.

After a minute or two, she looked at me and asked what he wanted her to do. I told her he was waiting for her to throw the ball, so he could chase it. She picked up the ball and gave it a little toss. Norman quickly retrieved it, returned it to her lap and sat in front of her again. She repeated her earlier question. I told her he wanted to play, and chasing a ball was his favorite game. She tossed the ball for Norman, he bounded after it and brought it back for her to throw again. She started giggling and talking to Norman, so I went back to visiting with some of the other residents.

A short time later, I saw several staff members gathering at the back of the room. Several of them seemed kind of teary-eyed. In a panic, I approached them, thinking maybe I was doing something wrong. Actually, it was Norman who was doing everything right. Until our visit, this resident hadn’t spoken to anyone, staff told me.

Norman couldn’t have known that, but he chose her that day. It was truly an amazing thing to witness, and it’s no surprise that dog is God spelled backward.

Written by Christena O’Brien, Guest Blogger

Bob’s House for Dogs Board of Directors