“I’ve owned Boxers for 32 years and have a Facebook group ‘Everyday Boxer‘ with nearly 50,000 Boxer fanatics. I breed on occasion.
When the pups are six weeks I begin socialization, and one of my favorite things to do with them is visit the elderly at Four Fountains nursing home.
When I was a child my grandmother took me to visit her mother in a nursing home every Tuesday for almost a decade. Many years later, Grandma also finished out the last year of her life there.
My family always made sure someone was there every day for both of my grandmas. But for many residents, that’s not the case. Some go years without a single visitor.
It’s heartbreaking to see so much loneliness in a group of people that should be held in the highest regard.
I wear them out before I take them in.
The second we walk in with a basket full of puppies, all that loneliness is washed away, if only for a moment.
The residents smile, laugh and share with me so many memories of their pets.
It is my hope that sharing these images of pure happiness will encourage others to visit the elderly with their pets.”
This story was submitted to Love What Matters by Brett Kaemmerer, 40, of Belleville, Illinois. Submit your story here.
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