 This was not an ordinary morning. My mistress was excited and more talkative than usual. "You have to be a good girl, sit when I tell you, shake hands, and give the nice ladies a kiss when told to do so." I've heard all this before, so what is the big deal? Then we proceeded to the bath -- I know she used twice as much soap as usual, scrubbed twice as hard and cleaned my ears twice as deep. What is going on here? Just 3 weeks ago, my dog doctor gave me an extra long physical, more shots than I care to remember, and cut my nails shorter than I liked. But wait, the worst scene of all came as we started out the door; and she squirted this awful smelling stuff all over my head and back. Why is she so wound up today? I would soon find out. On Thursday morning, March 26, 1992, at 10:00 am, we drove to the Heritage Court Nursing Home. The Pets on Wheels President, met us and gave us our instructions. We met Maxine, Cindy, Ann, and Corrine, the home's Activity Director. Now, I was getting anxious. We all started down the hallway. It was confusing at first and one lady was terrified of me. I was told to get away, that I was ugly, and that my ears were too long. Suddenly, four hands reached out to me. Mildred and Minnie were petting me and talking about the dogs they used to have. I saw a lot more residents in the next half-hour, but spoke with 14 more on a personal level. The President said that I passed with "flying colors" and they would be looking forward to my visits next week, and then the next. I had a wonderful time; and even jumped upon one lady's bed. She hugged and kissed me and talked and talked to me. I'm no longer anxious, and my mistress, who was feeling so alone on her 65th birthday today, said, "Miss Penny, these precious moments really are -- when we reach out to someone else. What a wonderful birthday it is." I couldn't have agreed more. _____________________________________________ Written by Lory Piper, as told to her by her boxer, PENNY, March 1992. It's great that someone has finally discovered how a pet experiences the first visit at a nursing home. Penny was 4 years old and is now one of the Pets on Wheels’ poster dogs. _ | 
