"I just wanted to reach out to PAWS to let you know what a wonderful time Shaggydog and I had at the Meeting of the Minds Alzheimer's Support Group in Newark. 

"To be candid, I initially had reservations about signing up for this event. Alzheimer's is an issue that "hits close to home" because my 100-year-old grandmother struggles with it. Day-to-day, it's a challenge for the rest of my family to interact with her because she gets confused and upset easily. I've seen how embarrassed my grandmother feels when she doesn't know what's going on, and I've seen how much it hurts my mom when her mother doesn't recognize her, her only child. I thought this event would be a good way to learn how others are coping with Alzheimer's. I imagined it might be a little painful, and I was a little worried that Shaggydog (who normally volunteers with young children in the reading program) wouldn't "shine" in such a different setting. 

"I needn't have worried. To my surprise, from the moment Shaggydog and I walked in the door, it was nothing but fun. Everyone in the group was all smiles. They clearly adored Shaggydog and Molly Bear, who was there with Marilyn. One woman was scared of Shaggydog at first (he's a big dog!), but with some encouragement, she started petting him. Her feeling of accomplishment was evident from her beaming smile when she said, "I can't believe I touched that dog's face! And he liked it!" She even summoned the courage to let him take a treat out of her palm and couldn't stop giggling. Molly Bear wowed the crowd with her tricks, catching Cheerios in mid-air.

"Both dogs clearly evoked some happy memories for the participants. One person after another told me about the dogs they had known in years past. They delighted in the stories I told about Shaggydog's misadventures (e.g., the time he ate an entire unguarded pizza off the kitchen counter) and the pictures I showed them of his brother Newton, my crippled Newfoundland who is just starting to learn how to get around in a wheelchair.