The club room in a suburban nursing home gradually filled up with elderly women and one old gent. Some came laboriously into the room on walkers,others used canes, but most entered slowly on their own steam. They didn't talk much to each other and one gray haired woman promptly fell asleep. Despite the best efforts of the group leader to interest them in a forthcoming outing or a visitor who had dropped in, most of the people were obviously bored. One more day in the nursing home; one more hour of their lives running out of the hourglass.
And then Vivian arrived with the animals. She brought two cute puppies, four furry rabbits and a cage of baby rats. The dogs ran into the room and instantly the atmosphere changed. There were loud welcomes and huge smiles. Several women held out their arms to the animals, waiting to receive one on their laps. The puppies walked around the room, sniffing someone's shoe, playing with a rubber ball and finally found two women who wanted to stroke their heads. Vivian distributed the rabbits to several waiting members. Two women who were approached rejected the animals and seemed even afraid of them, but giggled nervously at their own reaction. Even those who didn't hold a rabbit, dog or baby rat on their finger, however, were fascinated by the antics of the animals and followed every move.
The room had suddenly come alive. Everyone had some advice to give or a story to relate from their own past experience with animals. They made jokes and pointed out where "those critters" had gone. The participants observed excitedly as the animals jumped off the elderly people's laps, lapped up water, or ate a yogurt. The lone gentleman was gently feeding a rat some ....Read More Here