GAGE AND WARD GO ONLINE

MOST OF MY READERS KNOW

who GAGE is. Occasionally he has been known to write his own blog when I’m not looking. (“Well, the iPad was just laying there and I had nothing else to do, so it was either that or chew on the leg of a chair. Which would you rather?”) We’ve both been a little bored of late, as you can tell, by how the Coronavirus has changed our lives. So with nothing better to do today, we agreed to write this week’s Perspective together. (“YES! Finally.”)

When we moved to Timber Ridge in March of 2019, this 75-pound Labradoodle joined a family of 28 other dogs (“mostly smaller”) and owners here. He enjoys all humans and most dogs, although for reasons known only to GAGE he can be a bit picky with some dogs; he’s working on this. GAGE was recently featured in the TR Community Life Services Bulletin. After reviewing the article he gave it 5 woofs.

GAGE AND I FIRST MET

a couple of years after Dixie, my wife of 59 years, had changed her address. Born on a Texas ranch, at three months GAGE had his first (but not his last) airplane ride on his way from country life to becoming a city dog in the heart of downtown Bellevue … and moving in with a widowed preacher nonetheless. (“I didn’t see that coming.”)

Two months later, we began working with Heather Rush, a professional dog trainer at Flying Ace Puppy School. Many months later, the ‘pup’ helped his ‘handler’ (“that’s what they call Master”) pass the exam (“for sure, he could never have done it without me”) to qualify as a certified ‘Reading With Rover’ (RWR) therapy dog team. (https://www.readingwithrover.org).

TOGETHER WE HAVE HAD

many adventures working with children in libraries, boys and girls clubs, and school classrooms, especially with children who may be shy or embarrassed when asked to read aloud among other classmates. They love reading to GAGE, however, because he doesn’t judge. He only listens. And they’ve never read a book he didn’t like.

GAGE continued training and has qualified as a medical therapy dog, able to work with older adults, hospital patients and residents in assisted living. (“I even got invited to ‘chill’ with some students at Kirkland, Washington’s, Northwest University during final exams week.”)

COVID-19 HAS BEEN A CHALLENGE

for humans, but it has changed GAGE’s world as well. So when it was no longer possible to meet with children face to face, he joined with others in becoming ‘Virtual RWR dogs,’ visiting children online via an iPad from his living room. GAGE and I recently had a ‘virtual visit’ with 2nd graders in eastern Washington’s Wenatchee school district. (“Pretty cool, right? How often does an 83-year-old retired pastor get to visit with a classroom of second-graders? I made that happen. And they wrote poems about me and sang songs and read stories to me and everything.”)

GAGE and I have also volunteered to train for hospice work. While GAGE has been waiting for me to get my Covid shots (“thanks but no thanks—I get enough shots already”) he is now into his fourth series of Nose training classes, where he is learning to ‘hunt’ for scents that are hidden indoors and outside. (Master says my nose is my best friend. I say Nose training is kind of like graduate school … ‘hunting’ is even more fun than doing the required courses. And, besides, treats are involved.)

WHY IS GAGE

or your own dog so important to those of us in Life’s Third Age (60+)? Dogs do all kinds of jobs, work on farms, herd sheep and cattle, protect us, help veterans, stay close when we lose someone we love, and help us find our way home. (“But it’s still Master’s job to know where we are at all times.) This is true.

GAGE and my walks together are daily reminders of how God and I depend on each other, but for different reasons. It is God’s job to know where we are at all times. And it’s my job to be responsive and obedient to his leadership. Robert Breault, American operatic tenor, puts it like this. “Ever wonder where you’d end up if you took your dog for a walk and never once pulled back on the leash?” It is why I take such comfort in the Twenty-third Psalm, “He leads me …”

Dr. Alexa Carr[1], a Washington State University researcher who investigates the bonds between animals and humans, says that when people pet a dog, they have fewer stress chemicals in their body—hormones called cortisol (“I’ve got to admit, this part is way over my treat grade”). They also know that when a person is looking into a dog’s eyes the body releases a kind of chemical that is linked to love and connection with another being (“I totally get this!”).

ANYWAY, HOW DID WE DO?

GAGE and I hope you enjoyed reading our blog this week. (“It was fun doing this with Master and sharing with you.”) Dr. Carr says “There are a lot of factors that go into understanding how humans and dogs work together. We are still learning a lot about the relationship. People are important to dogs, too. It is a relationship that goes both ways.” I, for one, agree.

(“Yeah. What she says. Master is pretty important to me, too. He scratches my belly and under my chin, right where I like it, you know? And he feeds me and takes me for walks. I admit I’m a little biased when it comes to all things cats, but when you come right down to it, it’s no wonder humans say ‘dogs really are your best friends.’”)

So if you are in Life’s Third Age and have a dog, give him/her an extra hug from both of us, okay? And if you don’t have a dog in your life, well, just remember that the best dog is a really good dog your neighbor owns. (Wait … What?)

[1] University Communications Network > Body and Brain > Why are dogs important to humans? Dr. [email protected]