Page 5 - Publishing Inspiration Christmas Card 2023

amazement to find the little dog standing with his paws on the fence of the
nursing home courtyard, just as he did when they went on their walks. And
that’s where Gary found Bo day after day.
Then one day, when Gary went searching for Bo, he got to the fence and
Bo wasn’t there. But the gate into the yard was open, and the back door of the
facility was slightly ajar. Gary entered and asked the first aide he met if she
had seen a dog. The aide pointed to a room where there was a lot of
commotion going on. There he found the facility director telling a lady in a
wheelchair that Bo could not be there. But when the director tried to take Bo
from the lady’s lap, the lady slapped the director’s hand. The director left, but
not without a few terse words to Gary to keep his dog home. After a while of
the lady petting him, Bo jumped down and was willing to go with Gary on his
walk.
But no matter how hard he tried, Gary couldn’t keep Bo home. And Bo
had also found diverse ways to get into the nursing home. Gary thought that
some of the residents might even be opening their windows to let the dog in.
One day, when Gary went to get Bo, he decided to just watch. Bo went from
room to room, visiting the residents, and the residents seemed to relish his visit.
But the director was especially angry.
“If you don’t keep your dog home, I will call the police,” she said.
“You give me the name of the owner of this facility,” Gary said. “I
want him to see what I’ve seen.”
At first, she refused. But when he reminded her that the law required
that anyone can contact those in charge, including the owner, she relented.
And Gary set out to see if he could make some changes he felt would
benefit the residents there.

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