My Little Friend, Cooper

There's a new celebrity at my downtown office building.  His name is Cooper.  He's white, fuzzy, full of beans and vinegar and wears a smile that could melt the hardest of hearts.  He's a 3.5 month Golden Retriever puppy who puts a smile on everyone's face.  Most difficult to resist, I've volunteered to doggie sit this wonderful bundle of happiness.  I hope I have the opportunity to do so; I know my patients will love to see this little guy, as most remember the smiles they had when my own therapy dog, Sooki, "worked" (ha! that was a joke...work!) with me in my office for years.

Here's Your Healthy Tip of the Day:  If you should come in for treatment at the downtown office, don't be surprised if you meet my little friend and neighbor, Cooper, who might be visiting and assisting me for a day here and there.  Uh oh....Henry the Bear is going to be jealous!

Remember The Little Things

Last night, I reminisced with a friend how my beloved friend and dog, Sooki, would think the streets of NYC were one big pupu platter...how she loved street garbage!  My friend also had her own Sooki Stories to share and we found ourselves remembering some of the little things the dog would do that made us laugh so hard.  Sooki's been gone almost 2 years, but no one forgets her nutty antics and how lovely she was.

Here's Your Healthy Tip of the Day:  Whenever you've got a 'down in the dumps' kind of day, try to remember some small event that made you smile or laugh.  It will help reduce your blood pressure, calm you down and lighten your mental load.  Way to go, Sooki!  I miss you and so does everyone else around here.

Happy Halloween!

Holy Cow!  Can you believe it's the end of October and my favorite holiday of them all?!!  I just love the creativity and imagination that goes with Halloween.

Here's Your Healthy Tip of the Day:  Have a Happy Halloween!  Try not to eat all the kids' candy (don't say the dog ate it) and have lots of fun.  And, let's not ever forget our favorite Witch of Wall Street who has been haunting the streets downtown for months; I've heard of mysterious disappearances of cookies and hot dogs!!!

Give Someone a Chance Today - You Never Know Who They'll Be Tomorrow

I'm going to get a bit personal today and tell you a short story.  I ran into an old photo the other day of me and my trusy therapy dog.  Over 13 years ago, a friend and I trekked 3.5 hours north of Manhattan so I could adopt a Golden Retriever.  Not that there aren't available dogs in the Metropolitan NY area - I didn't want to adopt an overbred dog (as they usually are here in NYC).  So, off we went to Troy, New York.  There were two dogs for me to meet.  At the end of the day, I was coming home with a dog, but who to pick?  There first came to the 'foster home' Ginger the dog.  Ginger was 18 months old, reddish and lean and a nice dog.  We went for a walk for 15 minutes to become acquainted.  The sponsors of the rescue organization told me to take Ginger and kept telling me I didn't really want to see the 'other thing' who was coming next.  Hey...I just schlepped 3.5 hours; I'm waiting to see the other dog!  They put Ginger out back and opened the front door to let in the 'other thing'.  We were sitting on stools in the back of the house.  A little Golden Retriever ran through the house, into the kitchen, jumped onto the counter to kiss the cat, kiss us and run out into the living room to take a nice big poop on the living room carpet.  The little dog then ran back to us with a huge smile on her face, wagging her tail as if to say 'YEAH!  Baby...Let's GO!".  It was love at first sight.  Our 15 minute 'get acquainted walk' was a bolt and sprint through the neighborhood (no wonder they asked me if I was strong).  The rescue people told me I was crazy to take this dog, but I said, "If she has manners, then she deserves a chance".  I placed a dog biscuit on the edge of my mouth, got her attention and told her to mind her manners and take it nicely.  This little dog gently took the biscuit from my mouth.  She had potential.  So, off we went, back to Manhattan.  She chose a new name for herself and after 2 days in the big city, she was running the show.
That little 'nuisance' became Nurse Sooki, my therapy dog who has brought smiles and good will to hundreds of people.  Nobody thought she'd ever amount to anything but trouble.  But I knew all she needed was a chance to grow and thrive and have some fun.

Here's Your Healthy Tip of the Day:  Don't 'blow off' anyone until you've given them an opportunity to show you what they've got first.  Whether it's a person or a pet, give them a chance.  You never know who they're going to become if given an opportunity to shine!  Who knows....it could be the next great peacemaker of this world, or the greatest scientific mind who discovers a real cure for cancer....just for fun, here's the photo of me and Sooki before I was a physician and before she became a great therapy dog!  I knew we BOTH had potential!