I was delighted to find Coco’s post in my mailbox this morning. I’m sure you’ll enjoy reading about our special friend, too.
Here’s Coco…
I went to school on Friday with Mom. Mom was considering having Friday be my last day at school, but she has since reconsidered. When I work at school now, I bark quite a bit when Mom is not near me. Obviously, this can be disruptive to the learning environment. I still love being at school, getting attention from everyone, and providing comfort to those who need it most.
I was so happy to work on Friday. Students were happy to see me. The custodians and teachers were happy to see me. Mom decided that I will continue working weekly, but my time at school each day I am there needs to be shorter and must be working directly with her as she supports students.
Before anyone else came to school in the morning, two of the custodians came to see me. They are both animal lovers and have grown attached to me over the past two years. One of them was teary-eyed as he left me. Mom says that he has loved and lost many dogs in his lifetime, and he is sad that I will be retiring from school soon. A few students also visited Mom’s office to spend some time with me. As homeroom ended, and first period was beginning, Mom had me lie in the hallway outside the office while she stood to collect attendance sheets from students. Many students stopped to pet me and talk to me. It felt like “old times” when I was a mainstay at Mom’s school. My tail was going the entire time, and the change in students’ and adults’ demeanor was palatable, as they talked with me and petted me.
Mom had to leave her office for a presentation so I spent an hour with the guidance counselor and students, helping a student who struggles with anxiety and was having difficulty attending her classes. She and I have been connected since I started my work at Mom’s school. Because of me, she was able to move on with her day and get into her routine. I later learned that she made it through the entire day and attended all of her classes! After doing some nice work, I started barking. As I am getting older, I bark at times when I want my mother. I am losing my hearing and vision, and I have only three legs. Sometimes I feel confused. So I bark because I want to be near my mother. Mom has tried to work with me on this, but I do it at home sometimes, too. Mom understands that my needs are changing as I age, and she accepts that this is part of who I am now.
When Mom returned to the office and learned of my continuous barking, she brought me to the car to wait. Although I would have rather spent the rest of the day with Mom I understand that my barking disrupts the learning environment. Four hours of solid work, though, is still pretty good.
After school, Mom and I went for chemo at NEVOG (New England Veterinary Oncology Group). I enjoy my time at NEVOG – the people and dogs are so great there. Everyone is experiencing the same thing, and there is comfort in knowing that.
I will be retiring from Mom’s school soon. But for now, I will continue to work 3-4 hours a week there. Mom and I are also going to start visiting our local nursing home weekly, which is something I have not done in over a year, and we will continue our monthly visits to Soldiers’ Home. Because that work involves Mom pulling me in a wagon and working directly with me, I am more suited to that at this stage in my life. Although I cannot work at Mom’s school as much as I would like, I am happy to be able to continue my work on an altered schedule. And I feel good knowing I helped students and staff at Mom’s school on Friday. ~Coco