Rescues and Hospice work

Last week while I was walking my Newfie, Sully to my sons elementary school a women ran out of her house calling to us. I have to admit my first thought was what did he do and I looked around quickly for the inevitable doggy pile. She was excited and enthusiastic, after a moment of catching her breath she started to love Sully, he stood there looking calm and regal all at once. After she had loved him she asked if I had ever thought about Hospice work. Frankly I replied, “No I hadn't.” Sully was a recent rescue adoption and still a puppy, a very large 150 pound puppy. I had visions of him maybe doing draft competitions, dog dock diving, search and rescue was out, he has no real sense of smell, I was thinking glamourous, she was thinking what he would be best at. But not Hospice work, it had never crossed my mind, apparently she was a hospice Chaplin and felt he would be perfect for the job, she had a sense for these things she said, she knew it when she looked into his large golden gentle eyes that he would be perfect and asked me to consider. I agreed and walked away wondering could a huge black dog really be comforting during a humans last weeks, days, or hours here on earth?
Coincidentally later that week I was having lunch with a friend of mine who out shines me by five rescues, I have seven. She announced that she was going to get certified for Hospice work and would I like to go with her. Call it coincidence, or meant to be, but we are about to embark on new careers with out rescued dogs. She will be using Ollie a miniature silky terrier and I will use Sully. Our first training will be in early October with the Cincinnati Hospice http://www.hospiceofcincinnati.org/ . After that we will start to volunteer as Holistic Volunteers. In the beginning of January we will take our dogs to get certified with The Therapy Pets of Cincinnati http://www.therapypetsofgreatercincinnati.org/ . At that point we will be committed for a year of at least 2 – 4 hours a week volunteering.
As I begin to embark on this new adventure, I have found myself wondering of late, how amazing it is that an abused, neglected and rejected animal will give comfort in those last hours and forgive us so plainly, as if to say don't worry I know you were not to blame and then will bravely stay with us as we approach the hardest of bridges to cross and somehow I think in their hearts they will communicate that it is time to go and it will be OK.