Soap

Gotta share this.  It's quite sad but also quite funny.

Ranger is a certified therapy/assistance dog, has been extensively trained and regularly tested as is required of pooches that carry his credentials.  Trish has done a remarkable job with Ranger.  He's a smart little furball and a joy to have around.  And, you know what?  Those credentials I mentioned?  Ranger doesn't actually carry them himself; he's got Trish trained to do that.  Like I said, smart dog.

T&R visit elementary schools where students get to read to Ranger.  Sometimes it's a reward for students who earn enough good behavior points.  Other times it's with students who have reading problems or who are disruptive; reading to a warm, furry, non-critical audience helps these kids along.  Ranger wags his tail when they get it right, whines and places his paws over his face when they mispronounce a word, and so on.  Trish supervises and tries to keep the youngsters focused.

T&R also visit the Alzheimer's lock-down unit at the retirement center, bringing a bit of joy to the residents.  Trish has been consistently impressed with this place, thinks the staff is great, says she's sure I'll like it there.  Last Saturday's visit found the residents, nearly all ladies, in the activity room, making homemade soap under the direction of the aides.  The activity room gets a lot of use: games, arts and crafts, TV, snacks, etc. 

Everything went swimmingly.  The aides worked closely with the ladies, who obviously enjoyed the activity.  T&R circulated around, offering encouragement, wags and licks, compliments on the colorful bars and cakes of soap.  The activity was just wrapping up, the soap drying on several trays, when disaster struck.

The dreaded A-illness has a nasty, unpredictable impact on memory, especially short term memory.  Trish says some folks can't recall things that occurred just moments before.  Oh, did I mention that snacks, cookies and such, are regularly served in the activity room?  On trays?  You see where this is going?

"Oh boy!  Cookies!" thinks one of the ladies, as she grabs a cake of soap and takes a bite.  Two other ladies observe this, select their own cookies and chomp down.  The aides are all over it, extracting the soap from the ladies' mouths and hands, confiscating the untasted varieties, showing remarkable patience and control, grinning widely but not rolling around on the floor in helpless mirth.  T&R exit stage left, Trish barely managing to hold it together, Ranger thinking, "The 2-legged members of this clan are a weird bunch indeed!"