Just as at home, Rico finds a window ledge & a couch back to sleep on. He makes himself "at home", no matter where "home" is.

My Mother combs Rico; VetteMan had given him a bath & conditioning rinse before the trip, so he is veeeeery soft.

Notice how shiny his fur is. His coat is not harsh like Cari's, and he likes to be combed & brushed.

. . . and we find a ribbon to decorate him with. How humiliatin'!

(. . . and when nothing is happening, he naps.)

In the first few days of our visit, my Mother's observation is, "We need a dog in this house." . . .

. . . During the next few days, her observation changes to, "We need THIS dog in the house." . . .

. . . And right before we leave, her observation becomes, "I want THIS dog!"

The policy of Beehive Home is that if a resident can take care of a dog, s/he may certainly keep it . . . my feeling is, if you can take care of a dog, you probably wouldn't be in a Home for Alzheimer patients. A real Catch-22.

I would have loved to have gotten my Mother a dog, but her future here is still uncertain and my Father certainly does not want the responsibility of taking care of another animal when he can barely take care of himself. But one never knows . . . I have now seen firsthand the benefits of a dog in a Nursing Home, at least one as well-behaved as Rico is. He seems to be a "natural" for this kind of environment. Or, as my MIL used to tell VetteMan and his two brothers: "If you can't behave at home, for goodness sakes, try to behave in public!"

Watch out, Beehive Home. . .
Next time, we may bring TWO Cairn Terriers!

My thanks to My Hubby VetteMan for his support during this visit
by taking care of April & Cari at home.

Many thanks to Jopie & Liz for driving over from California for this visit;
to all the caretakers at Beehive Home for the care they are giving to my Mother -
she has much improved during her stay with you;
to Connie Morris, owner of Beehive Home, for her patience with our situation;
to the staff of Clarion Suites, Yuma, for giving me a much-needed refuge;
and to Cairn Rescue USA, for giving us Rico.