Dr.
Willie relaxing at home
Dr.
Willie
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“Dr.
Willie” and Little Pearls Win Awards in Hollywood
E-mails
from Clyde (AKA “dirt”) -
since Willie’s 8-05 webpage creation
Willie’s blissful
puppy days
Willie's
first memories are of a litter of black pups, his mama dog, and
of never quite having enough milk. Then there was the cage at
the dog pound where he and his siblings were kept and weaned.
One cold morning a human came, and after much pointing and looking,
he picked Willie up and tucked him under his arm. It was the holiday
that the humans call Christmas, and Willie was about to begin
his life with a human family.
Willie's
next memories were of growing up on a small green valley farm.
He wasn't exactly a working farm dog, and he wasn't exactly a
lap dog; he wasn't exactly a hunting dog, and he wasn't exactly
a lie-around-the-porch dog. He loosely served all these purposes,
along with an old corgi named Corkie and the dominant little terrier
male, Angus. Corkie became Willie's surrogate mother, allowing
him to nuzzle and stay warm.
Catastrophe strikes
Farm
life was great and little Willie was full of energy. As he grew
older he explored farther and farther away, until one sad day
he discovered the nearby road. At the age of two, Willie was hit
by a truck and left for dead. Luckily, I found him in time and
rushed him to the veterinary hospital. The next day we were told
he had broken hips, a broken rear leg, and nerve damage in his
right front leg, making it almost useless.
Rehabilitation: his only chance
The
vet recommended euthanasia, but I decided that Willie deserved
at least a shot at rehabilitation. His hips were set and a metal
pin was inserted in the broken leg; then he was released to come
home. Willie could not stand or walk, so I rigged a body sling
to hold him up for short periods of time, allowing him to use
his legs a bit. Six weeks later, he was able to limp around the
farm again, but he was a changed man. He no longer had the energy
and joy of youth.
Willie
definitely understood how much we were doing for him and he was
genuinely grateful. He worked hard at rehab, but his front paw
soon developed a sore from dragging on the ground. Another visit
to the vet brought the suggestion of removing his entire leg from
the shoulder down. Willie and I declined. Slowly, over the next
few weeks, Willie learned to hold his front paw up and out of
harm’s way.
A new mission in life
One
night as we humans were watching TV, my wife Adrienne pointed
out a show about dogs that visit hospitals and do therapy. "Willie
could do that, now that he is a calmer dog," she said. The
next morning, I discussed pet therapy with Willie. He was excited
and let me know that when he was hit by the truck, he died and
saw a bright flash, then found himself in a long tunnel of light.
He met the Big Dog in the Sky, who told Willie he must return
and help others. Becoming a pet therapist would be perfect for
him, as he had experienced doctors, hospitals, and rehabilitation
first paw.
From
that day on, Willie was a dog with a mission. We applied to the
Delta Society for training as a pet therapist and sent for all
the necessary documents and training manuals. Willie began to
learn the necessary skills for the job: sitting, lying down, accepting
aggressive hugs, ignoring noises and distractions, and much, much
more.
Willie becomes a doctor
Eight
months of informal training later, Willie was ready to SIT for
his Delta Society exam. It was a tough and thorough set of tests.
At the end of the day, Willie became a licensed pet therapy dog
and I became his official partner and handler. He was now Dr.
Willie, certified pet therapist.
Dr.
Willie now walked with pride and a new sense of importance, even
though it was still with a limp and only on 3 functional legs.
The new doctor began to develop a keen interest in neurosciences,
so we applied to the hospital for a position in that department.
It took a couple more months to jump through the final hurdles
of hospital training. We had to attend volunteer training, make
introductory hospital visits, and have our official hospital ID
badges made.
When
we received our photo badges, mine read "volunteer"
and Willie's read "Dr. Willie, pet therapy". I learned
right away that Willie was the doctor and I was just his valet
and leash holder. One final visit to the neurology ward in the
company of another therapy dog, and Dr. Willie was approved to
practice rehabilitation and therapy.
The new doctor makes non-traditional rounds
Within
a few months, the new doctor knew his way around the hospital
and was friends with the neurology nurses. He was rehabilitating
and curing patients left and right, tireless in his new medical
career.
On
the days when he is scheduled to make his hospital rounds, Willie
gets very excited at the sight of his official Delta Society work
vest and his ID badge. Dr. Willie is always courteous to other
doctors, taking the time to stop and sniff their legs. I think
he is the only doctor who is petted by all the nurses and takes
a leak on the grass outside after every visit.
Dr.
Willie is also the only doctor at the hospital that gets into
bed with his patients and licks their hands while they scratch
his belly. He is a real medical therapy innovator.
On
one particular visit, Dr. Willie had just arrived on the neurology
floor and was lying on his back having his tummy scratched by
half a dozen nurses. A young human doctor got off the elevator
and noticed all the nurses kneeling on the floor around someone
whom he assumed was down with a serious problem. He rushed over
and barged in to save the day, yelling, "Get a cart!"
Imagine
his surprise when he discovered a pet therapy dog, complete with
hospital ID badge, lying on his back being petted by all the nurses.
Dr. Willie, being the professional that he is, did not embarrass
the young doctor but instead licked him on the hand.
I
soon learned that Dr. Willie gave more therapy to the overworked
nurses than to actual neurology patients. All the medical workers
knew his name but no one knew who I was. Still, Dr. Willie retained
his carefree attitude and casual ease when on duty. He exuded
a calm down-home persona with a quiet inner dignity. Dr. Willie
gave each patient and professional his full attention and respect,
especially if they had munchies for him...
Dr. Willie as educator
As
Dr. Willie grew more accustomed to his medical duties, he began
to look for some other form of community service. When we heard
about therapy dogs participating in a new school reading program,
Willie jumped at the chance to become an educator and teach children
to read.
Some
children are terrified to read aloud in the first grade, and a
few of them get time alone in a separate space to read with a
therapy dog. As a small, gentle, lovable dog, Dr. Willie is no
threat at all. Mostly, this work involves Willie lying nearby,
getting petted while the child reads to him. A warm doggie kiss
is all it takes to get the process started.
After
a few weeks, Willie encourages the child to SHOW his or her classmates
what happens in their time together. In this way, the child reads
in front of the class with Willie at his or her elbow. Both Willie
and the child gain great esteem in the eyes of the other first
graders.
This
school year will be Dr. Willie's 5th year of teaching, in addition
to his hospital work, and as you can imagine, he is again beginning
to look for yet another type of service to explore and hold his
interest. Medicine and teaching can bring a dog of Willie's intellectual
capacity and creativity only so much satisfaction.....
Will he really become a politician?
After
much thought and research, Dr. Willie has decided to enter
politics. He informs me that all politicians are basically
dogs and he should have no trouble in Congress. It is a dog
eat dog world, after all. Perhaps a really committed dog with
credentials like Willie’s
can make a real difference in the world.
Dr.
Willie and I can't wait to get on the political gravy train. Candidate
Willie has already worked out his platform: he is for a fire hydrant
on every corner, more city parks, national veterinary care insurance,
a bone in every bowl, pay increases for guard dogs, care for all
homeless dogs, and a cleaner environment to run and play in.
Dr.
Willie will take a hard line position against truly unjust leash
laws. If elected, he will go nose to nose with corrupt human politicians
in a real dog fight.
ONLY
TIME WILL TELL WHAT PROFESSIONAL AND VOLUNTEER POSITIONS DR. WILLIE
WILL FILL IN THE FUTURE…..
Yours
truly,
dirt,
Secretary to Congressman Willie?
Clyde
Hollifield,
AKA “dirt”,
lives on a farm in the Western North Carolina mountains,
southeast of Asheville, with his wife Adrienne, three dogs
(Willie, George and Pippin), several chickens, trout in the
pond, and until
the end of March 2007, the periodic raptors he rehabilitated
(mostly screech owls). Clyde is a gifted inventor, storyteller,
artist, puppeteer, wise woodsman and Renaissance man. See
Pinkey’s main page and links for more about Clyde.
Dr. Willie with Clyde and a student at ArtSpace
Charter School
Dr. Willie in his Delta vest at school
Western
North Carolina Woman: December 2004
dr willie's best day by clyde hollifield
Western
North Carolina Woman: December 2004
dog
pearls by linda mclean
See
also FrecklesFriends.org.
Freckles is another one of our pet therapy dog friends.
