When my wife and I are on the same shift, Leo (our Lakeland Terrier) goes and stays with my wifes parents, where he seems to really enjoy himself and learns to behave properly.
Alas my mother-in-law passed away on the weekend, so I took Leo to see her at the hospice before she lapsed into her final sleep. He seemed to sense that she was not well and was well behaved and patient. I also noticed that other relatives really enjoyed having him trotting round the hospice and he became a focal point and a bit of light relief. The nurses thought he was a vast improvement on the resident cat, who it turns out is totally self obsessed and no use at all (Leo does not like cats), so they welcomed him too.
As my mother-in-laws condition deteriorated, my wifes siblings and young niece came in from overseas and we found that Leo was a nice comfort in our time of grief. When we felt we needed a break, Leo got a walk "to fascilitate his call of nature". This was particularly helpful for our young niece who had not experienced someone dying before. Leo worked the room better than a smiling politician trying to capture votes (and with more honesty no doubt).
Now the moral of the story is (oh thank goodness there is some point to this tale, I suspect thee might be thinking by now
) we never know what role we will play in others lives in times of adversity. And no matter how different someones background, it is suprising what experience and wisdom others have, even those who have four legs and a tail.
