The nurse’s aide has some Catholic friends, so she knows this for a fact. The nurse’s aide, Maudie and her roommate decide that the lady and the dog must live in Charlotte since the cathedral is there. Yes, as just a little puppy they say, isn’t that something? I guess she must live there.” That dog goes to church every single day at the Catholic Cathedral. Maudie retells this story to the nurse’s aide: “Yes, that’s right. Can you believe that? She got trained there, the lady said.” Well, that’s not something we’d do, but that dog goes to church every single day. She goes to church in the Catholic church. You know that dog that visits us? Lily is her name. I’m going to tell you such a story you won’t believe this. I’m an Independent Baptist, and we don’t do that sort of thing.” I explain the details, and with that, Penny’s great aunt Della is off and running down the hall with the story. “Well, that’s a new one on me,” she exclaims. I explain how Lily enjoys going to Mass with me. “Now, why would Penny see your dog at church?” I said she was mistaken who would take a dog to church? Do you know Penny?” “My great-niece is Penny - do you know her? She says she knows you because she sees you and Lily in church. “Hey, lady-with-the-dog, what’s your dog’s name again? Lily?” asks one resident. Our area is largely Baptist, and the presence of a Catholic dog can stir the imagination. We are always greeted enthusiastically at the nursing home - though with some odd misunderstandings. Mass puts her in the right frame of mind and behavior for the visit - and I always said she carried an extra bit of grace with her. We leave Mass and go directly to the nursing home where we take communion to a few residents, and she visits everyone. She doesn’t go on Sundays, just weekdays. Lily learned how to greet friends nicely how to wait to greet them until she was instructed to do so how to sit quietly by my side and how to stay while I went to communion. Our little mountain parish in western North Carolina is small and everyone enjoys her presence. Lily got a lot of her early training to be a therapy dog by going to weekday Mass with me as a puppy. Together, we visit nursing homes, hospitals and other institutions where people may benefit from Lily’s presence. My dog Lily is a therapy dog, meaning that she is trained to bring companionship to the lonely, comfort to the sorrowful and joy to the depressed, just for that moment. Our area is largely Baptist, and the presence of a Catholic dog can stir the imagination." /> She doesn't go on Sundays, just weekdays. ![]() Together, we visit nursing homes, hospitals and other institutions where people may benefit from Lily's presence. Swimming can provide good range of motion and general exercise but it can’t provide the gait patterning and weight bearing training that an underwater treadmill can.My dog Lily is a therapy dog, meaning that she is trained to bring companionship to the lonely, comfort to the sorrowful and joy to the depressed, just for that moment. The underwater treadmill is a great exercise for post op orthopedic cases, arthritic animals, and a variety of neurologic diseases (both surgical and non-surgical cases). The increased resistance of walking in water promotes an increased heart rate and oxygen consumption compared to exercising on land. The underwater treadmill provides a unique exercise opportunity because the water level can be adjusted to control the amount of weight a patient must support on their own. Hydrotherapy also provides cardiovascular exercise. Patients that are unable to bear weight on land can walk with the support of the water. ![]() Aquatic exercise allows patients with poor standing balance or weakness to stand without fear of falling. It can be performed in whirlpools, pools, bathtubs, lakes, streams, and underwater treadmills. Hydrotherapy allows active muscle contraction with minimal weight bearing on joints and bones.
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