The Nose Knows by Holly L. Lewitas Read Free Book Online Page B

but with a lot less vigor. After retrieving the ball, Quincy walked back to Jacob. But now he walked back very slowly. He then lay down at Jacob’s feet with the ball under his chin and looked up at Jacob with his big brown eyes.
    “Hey, old boy what’s the matter with you this morning? You usually are bouncing all over the place.”
    Quincy added the next behavior. Whenever another dog and their human headed toward them, Quincy would lift up his head and start to wag his tail. When they were close enough to clearly see them, you could almost hear Quincy sigh as he lowered his head back down.
    After about ten minutes, the stage was ready. I made my grand entrance. Quincy wasn’t the only one assigned to manipulate his human. Today when Mom and I went for our usual morning walk, I sniffed my way closer and closer to the park. Mom didn’t want to go that way, but as long as I held my pee, I knew she wouldn’t take me home. On any given walk, I usually pee several times. Today, I hadn’t even peed once. I’m one of those females who likes to mark her territory like a male. Why should they have all the fun? The fact I hadn’t peed yet certainly had Mom’s attention. She was starting to worry.
    We entered the park. As soon as we hit the grass, I pulled hard and yanked my leash out of her hand. I ran straight toward Quincy. He started barking and ran toward us. Jacob jumped up and chased Quincy. Mom was running to catch me. It didn’t take long before Quincy and I were doing doggie high fives and Mom and Jacob were struggling to catch their breath.
    “I don’t know what happened,” Mom panted. “She pulled her leash out of my hand and took off. Guess she saw Quincy.”
    “I guess so. Quincy was certainly acting all moody before Spunky got here. He kept looking for someone. It was almost as if he knew she was coming. Do you think he. . . . Oh, well, at least they’re having a good time.”
    We made sure they had no question about that. We chased, rolled, and chased some more. What pair of dog lovers’ hearts wouldn’t warm at the sight of their two happy dogs with their tongues hanging out!
    But you must excuse me a moment . . . I can’t keep my legs crossed any longer. I must go take of business!

M ost of Mom’s patients were ordinary people. Some were depressed. Some were extremely anxious. Most all had something getting in the way of their being happy or not being able to live the life they wanted. Many of Mom’s cases followed a similar therapy schedule. Several weeks of intense work to get past a crisis, then less and less until they eventually no longer needed her help. Each of them was a different character who came into her life, visited for a while, and then left.
    In many ways, they were like the dogs she rescued. Each one of them also had his or her own unique problem. For example, Tiny, the Bulldog, was afraid of women; Ms. Sally, the Pit Bull, had obviously been abused; and Yo-Yo, the Jack Russell, was way too hyperactive. Mom and I worked with each one differently, yet always with love and respect. Each one needed a different type of home, and all needed that one special person who would see the world through their eyes. They came, we helped, but then they were gone. It was the same with her patients. They came, we helped (or not), and then they were gone.
    Comparing the two, I’d say the dogs had a greater impact. I think it was because their life energy actually came into the house with them. Their energy was palpable. When Mom put her hands on them she absorbed their energy.
    On the other hand, Mom’s human patients were flat images on a screen. Their energy didn’t penetrate. The connection was incomplete. Perhaps it shielded Mom from getting too close. Maybe she felt safer that way.
    But both the humans and the dogs came with a story that had taken time to develop. With the dogs, Mom could write her own version of the story based on what their behaviors and their scars told her. With the