# Little Poodle Knows Who's the Sickest in Nursing Home, and She Gives Those Residents Joy and Comfort



## SeaBreeze (Apr 28, 2015)

Nala, the little toy poodle, runs free through this care center in Minnesota and knows just who needs a visit from her most.  Watch this sweetie, so touching.


----------



## Shalimar (Apr 28, 2015)

Thanks SB. What an angel dog. When one of our Cairn terriers was dying, the three oriental cats sat in a semi-circle around him until he passed. He thought he was a cat, and they treated him as such. When my Gramma was dying, our Siamese rarely left her side. Animals are wonderful little beings.


----------



## jujube (Apr 28, 2015)

So sweet.


----------



## Cookie (Apr 28, 2015)

What a lovely video and darling little poodle. There's a little dog comes to visit patients in the local geriatric center here.  I saw him arriving, being wheeled in his owner's grocery buggy standing up like a little movie star with a big smile on his face as people waved to him and called his name.  He seemed to know and understand exactly why he was there -- to make everyone happy.  It was heartwarming.  Thanks SB.


----------



## SeaBreeze (Apr 28, 2015)

Thanks for sharing that Cookie, love to hear such things. :love_heart:


----------



## ndynt (Apr 28, 2015)

So touching...thank you, SB.


----------



## Debby (Apr 30, 2015)

I once heard of a cat who lived in a nursing home and he had an uncanny ability to discern who was going to pass on and would take up his position in their bed and stay there until it was over.

Just looked it up and his name is Oscar and the staff in the residence know that if Oscar curls up on a patients bed, it's time to call the family.  Isn't that amazing!

"...The 2-year-old Oscar was adopted as a kitten and grew up in a third-floor dementia unit at Steere House, which treats people with Alzheimer's, Parkinson's disease and other illnesses.After about six months, the staff noticed the cat would make his own rounds, just like the doctors and nurses. He'd sniff and observe patients, and those he stayed with would wind up dying in a few hours.
Dosa said Oscar seems to take his work seriously and is generally aloof. "This is not a cat that's friendly to people," he said.
Oscar is better at predicting death than the people who work there, said Dr. Joan Teno of Brown University, who treats patients at the nursing home and is an expert on care for the terminally ill.
..."

What is it that Oscar is seeing or hearing or smelling?  

http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/offbeat/2007-07-26-foreboding-feline_N.htm


----------



## NancyNGA (Apr 30, 2015)

There was an episode of the TV series _House_ dealing such a cat.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Here_Kitty


----------



## Debby (Apr 30, 2015)

An episode with a cat?  I can just picture how 'House' would have behaved in that scenario.  Lots of derision I'm sure.

It's so interesting how much we don't understand about animals isn't it?  Their 'secret' lives and all you know.


----------

