Deb Lineback Success Story

Ditto’s Medicine

Submitted by Deb Lineback, Santa Fe, New Mexico

Ditto and I have been Pet Partners and visiting since January 1998. We discovered this wonderful program in Tucson, Arizona; and our lives have been enriched ever since.  Since our certification with the organization, we’ve visited nursing homes, hospitals, and libraries. 

Ditto, age seven, is a cute, little black dog. She’s pedigree-challenged and weighs in at about 24 pounds. She holds her plume tail tall and has quite a prance to her step when she’s on a visit. She’s been called everything from a little, black angel to a doll of a dog. Most people find her small overbite amusing.

Ditto is definitely not your role model Pet Partners dog. She has her own way of handling her visits. In fact, I’ve nicknamed her the “one-minute therapy dog.” She trots into the room, immediately finding the patient and sitting quickly for a pet.  She then turns to me for her treat and is on to the next room.

Ditto has been known to stand in a doorway when a nurse or doctor is consulting with a patient, unwilling to go inside the room. I can tug on her leash to bypass the room; but she stays, firmly looking into the room. She seems to know that her kind of “medicine” is just as important as the professional staff’s and waits for her turn.

In between visits, a little girl we tutored at the library would ask her mom, “How many more days until I get to read to Ditto?”  Reading and writing during the summer is much more fun with a Ditto aide to assist.

Currently, we are part of the Outreach Program through the Santa Fe Animal Shelter and Humane Society. We volunteer at Chavez Elementary School with the HOSTS Program (Helping One Student to Succeed).  The focus really isn’t on the dog, but her presence brings a precious gift into the classroom. This is a good fit for Ditto and me.  I love working with the children; and Ditto loves walking from desk-to-desk, eliciting shy smiles and amused looks while accepting tiny, almost secret, pets from the kids. Helping a child learn to read is one of the most wonderful things a person can do. Helping a child to read while my dog brings a quiet, positive ambiance to the classroom is even better.