Our Debut

We're back from the nursing home and I have to tell you all....my Scotty is just amazing! He was SO good. And those old folks just lit up when they saw him. One lady wanted to keep him. Said he could sleep right there in her bed with her. lol

First lady we went to see was in bed. We put Scotty right up in the bed with her and she petted and petted him. I gave her a treat to give him and she just smiled when he ever so gently took it from her hand.

Found out later that they don't expect her to make it through the weekend.

Another lady just talked and talked and talked to us (the activity director took us around the first time) and to Scotty. When we left her room, the director talked about how wonderful it was. I hadn't a clue what she meant. Then she explained that the woman had not been able to even carry on a conversation since she'd been in the nursing home! Scotty opened her right up!

They told us to come back any time we wanted, as often as we wanted and stay as long as we want. They're delighted to have us! How cool is that?

Being a therapy dog

Scotty is quite interested in being a therapy dog from what I can tell. He is very calm and seems to like everyone he meets. This morning, I talked to the lady (Jan) that taught him and his first owner about Scotty being a therapy dog. She said he's happy going to visit in the nursing homes and that he never makes a peep. :)

I think he's going to be glad to go back to work. I'm afraid he's pretty bored just hanging out with me all day. When Denis gets home, they go for a long walk and then run up the hill. Denis says only maybe 100 feet or so but Scotty's little legs just churn as fast as they can go!

We're so happy to have this guy. And we're so grateful to the Sheltie Rescue of Greater Lafayette and to Peg Barton, the wonderful lady that runs it.

So Thursday, April 10, is the first trip to the nursing home. Wish us luck!

Scotty and I go to work next week!

Scotty was utilized as a therapy dog as mentioned previously. I called one of the local nursing homes to see if we could visit. The director was wonderful! She was delighted to hear from us and thrilled that we wanted to visit.

So our first visit will be April 10 and then we'll see about setting up a schedule. Since Scotty knows all about this, he's going to have to teach me!

Got a Call Yesterday

A lady had ordered one of our pet urns for her cat. She called to verify when I thought she would get it since it usually takes a couple weeks or so. It's so hard to lose a friend and these little fur people become so much a part of us. I felt badly for her loss.

On another note, the sun is shining in Indiana today! HURRAY! Scotty and I took a road trip to town because we wanted to get out and see the sun. Since it seems to be warming up, April is around the corner and the sun was shining, our thoughts turned to gardening again. We looked at garden stakes and stepping stones but all the ones we saw were just regular patio stones. Nothing really neat like the ones we have listed on our website.

Spring? Spring? Where???

Rumor has it Spring is in the air! Here in Indiana, we have rain in the air. And on the ground. And everywhere. I did notice a few daffodils popping up when Scotty and I took our walk. That's progress.

To cheer myself up and get ready for Spring, I have begun setting out my Geeky Beeks and Giggler Ducks. We're getting enough breeze to watch them move and sway. Their bright colors and adorable faces definitely make me grin every time I see them!

Here are a couple so you can see. The blue one is a Geeky Beeks Pucker Up! The pink one is a Giggler Duck.

I know the saying is that April showers bring May flowers. But this is March! I need some color, some beautiful weather, some SPRING! How about you?

A Quick Trip......

A quick trip to the doctor today confirmed that I have become allergic to the dishwashing detergent I've used for years. I suspect they "improved" it. So I'll be letting my wonderful husband do a few and washing my hands with the all natural soap I carry. I told the doctor that of all the things I might have developed an allergy to, dishwashing soap was not necessarily a bad thing. :)

It was interesting getting out the door to go to the doctors office this morning. I had a little four footed fellow that wanted to go with me. Didn't matter where I was going, Scotty needed to go too! But I stayed strong. And he stayed home.

A Week Ago .......

One week ago yesterday, we finally got the phone call we'd been awaiting! We were going to finally get our rescue Sheltie! We were lucky enough to find him through the Sheltie Rescue of Greater Lafayette.

Meet Scotty! He's a 5 year old Shetland Sheepdog, commonly known as a Sheltie. But there's nothing common about this guy!

He was trained as a therapy dog for visiting nursing homes and hospitals. His first Mama passed away in December. Scotty came to us Mar. 16. As soon as he gets more accustomed to us, I think Scotty and I may see if we can do some visiting here.

He's such a well mannered little guy and he's just such a joy to have with us!

You can tell we're dog lovers by one glance at our Garden Party Tea website. Expect to see even more lovely items with dogs on them soon!