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Therapeutic

Eating is really hard for Abby.  I liken a day of feeding school for Abby to a day of boot camp for me.  It's not that she is just refusing to eat or is picky.  It takes about 5-6 swallows per toddler spoonful of food.  That's about half the size of a teaspoon.  All of her anatomy in her throat/airway is just a little interesting, which makes swallowing hard.  She's safe and she can do it, but it's not easy.

So imagine her delight after a particularly hard day at "work" when she came outside and was greeted by these two friendly faces!



Pets on Wheels is a local organization that provides therapy animals to places like nursing homes, hospitals, and RMH!  Abby absolutely loved Lilly, the black dog she's so sweetly posing with.  :)  Lilly was quite a lover too--so cute!

Although Abby didn't think as much of Wasabi (named because "She's hot stuff") the tortoise, I thought she was awesome!!  For kids with allergies to dogs and cats, a hypoallergenic therapy animal is a great solution! Plus, Ms. Wasabi was dressed in a custom-made dress and ate pretzels.  That about did it for me.  I was sold!

While watching the kids play with these sweet animals, I was once again struck by the beauty of RMH.  Here, they aren't kids with chronic illnesses or kids in wheelchairs.  They aren't kids with tubes or pins coming out of their bodies.  They aren't kids with cognitive delays.  

They're just kids...playing with animals.  

And it's a beautiful thing to watch.

Thank you, Pets on Wheels, for sharing your furry (or scaly) friends with us.  It couldn't have come on a better day!



Comments

Mary Lou said…
Julie....
Pets on Wheels?! I have never heard of such an organization!! But, as an animal lover, I appreciate them already!! Lily looks like Bo Obama!! He's a Portuguese Water Dog. I wonder if Lily is that breed? Or, a Portuguese Water Dog mix, perhaps? What? I love canines!! Mutts, especially!! ;)
I also love retiles!! My favorite being snakes!! I'm weird, this I know!! I am continuously told that!! Hee, hee, hee.... ;-D
"While watching the kids play with these sweet animals, I was once again struck by the beauty of RMH. Here, they aren't kids with chronic illnesses or kids in wheelchairs. They aren't kids with tubes or pins coming out of their bodies. They aren't kids with cognitive delays. They're just kids...playing with animals. And it's a beautiful thing to watch.". This touched my deepest emotions!! ;)
--Raelyn


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