Jennifer Smith, a registered nurse, received a phone call from one of her favorite patients, John Burley, shortly after Thanksgiving. Boomer, his beloved dog, was causing him a lot of grief. “I came into work the Monday after Thanksgiving to the phone ringing at 7 a.m.,” Smith said. “John was calling from his hospital room saying, ‘Boomer is in the pound!’ Boomer is in the pound!’ Boomer is John’s world.”
For the past 12 years, Smith has worked as a nurse and said she could tell he was worried and scared about what would happen to Boomer. “He took a breath and asked me, ‘Will you take care of Boomer?’ And I said, ‘Of course, John. I will find Boomer and take care of him for you,'” Smith said.
Burley had met Smith at the Grand Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Rome, NY in the adult day health care program. The group allows patients who require supervision to socialize with others while receiving medical treatment while receiving medical treatment.
Although he was 60 years old, John still had his own apartment, where he and his dog lived by themselves. After adopting the 12-year-old dog from Arkansas as a puppy, Burley moved to New York. He had no one to look after his dog while he was in the hospital for pneumonia and lung problems because the majority of his family still lives in Arkansas.
Burley had no idea that Boomer was in a shelter. After looking up nearby animal shelters, Smith found out he’d been taken to the Rome Humane Society when she called them. “I was a little panicked because I didn’t know how long he had been in the shelter or if he had already been adopted to another family. It’s Christmas time and people get animals,” she said. “I told John I have a 13-year-old dog myself who I’ve had since it was a puppy, so I fully understand the panic. It made my heart sad for him and Boomer.”
She took an early lunch the next day and drove to the shelter, where she found Boomer, an 18-pound dog in the back of a large cage. Despite the fact that he wasn’t quite ready to be released from the shelter, Smith immediately called Burley to tell him she’d found Boomer, that he was fine, and that she’d be bringing him home soon. Soon after, Boomer arrived at Smith’s house and began interacting with her dog.
“It was one less worry that John has, and he needs to focus on getting better and taking care of himself and know Boomer is in good hands,” Smith said. “It helps John with the healing process and gives him peace of mind.” Smith, on the other hand, is able to bring Boomer to work with her. She takes him up to Burley’s room several times a day. The other residents, too, adore Boomer. According to Smith, Burley is proud to show off Boomer as he rides in the wheelchair on his lap.
The kindness that Smith showed to Burley may be simple but it does a lot to the elder and his dog. This is the kind of goodness that we should share with others. We must show the love of God to others by being kind to our neighbors and sacrificing something that may be precious to us in the first place as well.