When Rob joined our Monday night Zen hospice volunteer shift at San Francisco's Laguna Honda Hospital, he brought with him Sydney, a 13-year-old border collie mix. A midsized dog at some 40 pounds, Sydney brought his attentiveness and intelligence to the bedside, without a younger dog's frenetic energy.
As I watched Rob and Sydney make their bedside calls, I began to see Sydney as a healer. With appropriate invitation, he would climb up on a bed and help an anxious resident relax, bring relief to another in chronic pain or evoke a moment of clarity and recall to a cognitively impaired resident
What we attempt to do in our work as volunteers, helping others find tranquility and connection, Sydney accomplished almost instantaneously.
As a child, my golden retriever, Tipper, offered much that same support to me. Later, I watched our goldens, K.C. and Carter, bring play to my children and peace to me at the end of a stressful day. They led my wife, Nancy, and me to new discoveries during Rocky Mountain hikes or in a simple walk around the neighborhood.
My relationships with dogs in my life have put me in touch with who I am and who I might become. They have offered me a bridge, connecting me to what really matters -- my relationship to others.