Tasha and Others

Posts Tagged ‘golden retriever’

The Visiting Angels home caregiver agency provides services to the elderly, and in my case, the not-so-elderly. Visiting Angels is the nation’s leading network of non-medical, private duty home care agencies. It is an alternative to assisted-living facilities and nursing homes.

I came to Visiting Angels after a substantial pelvic surgery left me in a wheelchair, needing twice-a-day care in my home. I am an otherwise independent woman in my early fifties, and I needed to get some help while I waited out the mandatory six weeks of wheelchair recovery. I needed the angels to be my legs, because I have a two-story house and couldn’t get downstairs to feed myself or my dog. I couldn’t get the mail or water my plants, wash my clothes, or take a shower without supervision.

The Visiting Angeles representative who came to meet me at the hospital was prompt, professional, and friendly. She took note of my needs, and she assured me that she could find angels to take care of me for the six-week period. One of my requests was that they like dogs, as I have a very enthusiastic four-year-old golden retriever.

I met a variety of Visiting Angels to fill two-hour blocks of time: one for the mornings, and one for the afternoon, and finally, another for the weekends. Three of the angels were in their twenties, and one was in her early forties. It didn’t matter. As I met them, all seemed competent and skilled. I was uncomfortable with only one of the perspective angels I met, but Visiting Angels took my reluctance seriously and quickly found someone else for the shift.

I wrote up a list of what I wanted them to do, and the angels worked together to provide seamless care. Because they were at my house for periods of two hours each, there were times when they were finished helping me before the two hours were over. If this was the case, I asked that they walk my dog, water my struggling tomato plants, and do some rudimentary cleaning. I was never disappointed with their help. They did everything cheerfully and enthusiastically.

While recovering from my surgery, I continued my work writing and editing for the online site, Dogspired (www.dogspired.com), a blog devoted to dog lovers.  It helped me feel useful, even when I couldn’t walk.

If you are in a similar situation where you need home-assisted care, I would highly recommend Visiting Angeles. They are dependable, and their staff is professional and experienced. They are ready to do exactly what you need, and they do it with good humor and efficiency.

I was born at the end of the “baby boom” generation, and I have the impression that more of us will need “at-home care” when we are not quite ready for an assisted-living situation. With these angels to help you, you can be sure that you’re going to get the best care for yourself (and in my case, for my dog!).

I’ve tried not to give my dog people food–ever. No dog-food recipes, no table scraps, and no giving Tasha leftovers that would otherwise go into the garbage disposal. I do give her real bones, but in my mind it doesn’t count as people food.

Eating a dog bone

The other day I dropped a basket of strawberries on the kitchen floor. I thought I picked up all of them. That evening, Tasha came to me with something suspicious in her mouth. She was giving me the “I did something bad” look. At closer examination, I saw that she had a whole strawberry tucked away in the side of her cheek.

It wasn’t hard for me to pry open her mouth and see what was in there. She cooperated. I plucked out the strawberry intact, and told her again, as I have in the past, “No people food!” I think she understood. The stawberry was saved, and Tasha continued to eat only the dog food I put in front of her.

Here’s a quick story about my first encounter with a golden retriever.

I lived in a house full of college students. We needed one more renter in our big house.

One day a guy knocked on the door. He was scheduled to check out the house, and for us to check out him. For some reason, it was up to me to see if he’d fit into the household.

I opened the door and didn’t see him. I just saw his golden retriever. It was love at first site. The guy came later.