Anonymous (aka: Janis)
The Cure for Lonliness
We are honoring Ms. Janis' request to remain anonymous and will use the alias of Janis. Janis is a woman in her mid-seventies receiving care from a local hospice service. She lives alone in Sevier County and has no family support and cannot leave home any longer. She has loved dogs and cats for as long as she can remember. Recently, her beloved cat passed away, leaving her without the companionship she had cherished for so long. Under the circumstances, it was not possible for her to adopt another pet.
During a visit with her social worker, Ms. Janis shared how lonely she had been without a pet and asked whether a pet visit might be possible. She said, “I just want to rub a dog or cat and feel the unconditional love they give.”
YOLO was contacted to see if we could help, and the dream soon became a reality. As it happened, our founder had the perfect companion for this visit: Baxter. Baxter is a 13-year-old beagle mix who was well suited for the mission at hand. He has always moved at a slower pace, so much so that he earned the nickname “Eeyore.”
During the visit, Ms. Janis expressed several times how much the experience meant to her. She was told about the visit about a week prior to the visit and was excited but worried it might not happen. She shared, “As with life, sometimes plans do not happen as you hope, and I was so worried that you might not make it. I’m so happy you are here. It makes me so happy to meet Baxter.” As we continued the visit, she commented about how calm Baxter was and stated, “I’d love to keep him so he could lie next to me and watch TV”.
She reminded us how lonely it can feel to be alone, especially without the unconditional love a pet can bring.
Once again, this experience showed that dreams do not have to be complicated to be meaningful. Ms. Janis had the chance to anticipate the visit and to treasure her time with Baxter.
During a visit with her social worker, Ms. Janis shared how lonely she had been without a pet and asked whether a pet visit might be possible. She said, “I just want to rub a dog or cat and feel the unconditional love they give.”
YOLO was contacted to see if we could help, and the dream soon became a reality. As it happened, our founder had the perfect companion for this visit: Baxter. Baxter is a 13-year-old beagle mix who was well suited for the mission at hand. He has always moved at a slower pace, so much so that he earned the nickname “Eeyore.”
During the visit, Ms. Janis expressed several times how much the experience meant to her. She was told about the visit about a week prior to the visit and was excited but worried it might not happen. She shared, “As with life, sometimes plans do not happen as you hope, and I was so worried that you might not make it. I’m so happy you are here. It makes me so happy to meet Baxter.” As we continued the visit, she commented about how calm Baxter was and stated, “I’d love to keep him so he could lie next to me and watch TV”.
She reminded us how lonely it can feel to be alone, especially without the unconditional love a pet can bring.
Once again, this experience showed that dreams do not have to be complicated to be meaningful. Ms. Janis had the chance to anticipate the visit and to treasure her time with Baxter.
