Nurses turn to pet therapy

Nurses General Nursing

Published

We all know pets are great for reducing the physical side effects of stress.

What furry creatures await you after a long and terrible shift?

This is my pup. She's 2. Border collie and lab. If you have an obsession with mopping (excited pee-er), digging things out of a dog's mouth, and just generally never having nice things again, she's the dog for you! I will give her this - when my shift swings, she sleeps when I sleep without any trouble.

Thanks! That furry little hole in the heart never really goes away, does it?

I lost my beloved Siamese cat 11 years ago to a dog attack, and I still miss him! (It took a long time to get over the trauma of what happened too). He was the best cat ever.

Your new little companion looks adorable! I'm glad he found a loving family to take him in! He does look very happy! 💙

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Specializes in Geriatrics, Dialysis.
I call it her thinking face, the little furrows on her brow! She is not a purebred, so she doesn't have docked ears. We got her from a shelter. She has a huge smile and Frito paws. Squeeeeee!!!

Never been fond of the cropped ears look myself. Since docking tails and cropping ears are no longer legal in Europe the AKC standards now allow showing for breeds that customarily dock and crop to be shown natural. It's slowly starting to catch on. That being said, with the Boxers the cropped tail is a good idea unless you want to have bruises on your legs from the wagging tails not to mention they will knock everything off a coffee table. My boxer/lab doesn't have docked tail and that thing stings when she gets it going!

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I know. Her whole hiney wiggles with her wag!

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I know I'm joining in late but here are my doggies:

My standard Dachshund. I love this pic b/c the angle makes it look like he's wearing a clown nose.

A more handsome shot:

My mini Dacshund:

He entertains me and my kids:

My sweet, mellow, big black Labrador:

Oh, and there's the coolest gecko you'd ever want to meet:

They all keep me sane and cuddling them helps me fall asleep after night shift.

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We had two mini-doxies; bro and sis. Sis was too too adventurous and got out of the yard all the time over the years. Digging fiends, those doxies. Unfortunately, she got hit and killed. Her bro is still with us and not quite as much of a digger. Our other dog is a yellow lab.

We did have a cat . . . Giggles. We got her from the shelter. She is no longer with us.

We've always had pets. There is a large black walnut tree at our ranch with a pet graveyard. It is quite large since it is quite old.

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Specializes in critical care.

OMG Annie I need that doggy nose!!!!! I love dog noses!

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Specializes in critical care.

This is my squishy doggy nose.

I have a friend who is very much into doggy ears. My pup's ears are pretty cute as well.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Med-Surg, Psych, Geri, LTC, Tele,.

My doggy certainly helps me, if only to feel Safe!

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I love dog noses!

Me, too! I wish I could kiss your doggie's nose. But here's a virtual kiss, anyway ---> mmwaah!

My standard Dachsie's nose is the craziest. It can literally move up, down, and side to side. Like perpendicular to his snout! I joke that he's got a separate muscle that he uses for controlling his nose. We call it his "bendy nose".

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I have a friend who is very much into doggy ears. My pup's ears are pretty cute as well.

They are! I'd pet and kiss those ears in a heartbeat.

All of my dogs have the best ears. They are floppy eared dogs and their ears lay flat to their heads. They have the coolest folds at the back of their ears that (I hypothesize) serve to keep their ears flat. I love to pet inside that folded area b/c it is soft as silk.

Don't even get me started on snouts! I love to kiss the the top of a nice, broad doggie snout. My Lab's got a perfect snout complete with the flabbiest Labby lips.

Then there is my love of "Frito paws" and other uniquely doggy smells but I'll stop now before I sound too weird and creepy :-)

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Specializes in Infection Prevention, Public Health.

One of my boys, Sugar Baker Lee. I'm not sure if the photo is attaching.

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I have a friend who is very much into doggy ears. My pup's ears are pretty cute as well.

They are! I'd pet and kiss those ears in a heartbeat.

All of my dogs have the best ears. They are floppy eared dogs and their ears lay flat to their heads. They have the coolest folds at the back of their ears that (I hypothesize) serve to keep their ears flat. I love to pet inside that folded area b/c it is soft as silk.

Don't even get me started on snouts! I love to kiss the the top of a nice, broad doggie snout. My Lab's got a perfect snout complete with the flabbiest Labby lips.

Then there is my love of "Frito paws" and other uniquely doggy smells but I'll stop now before I sound too weird and creepy :-)

I went there with the Frito Paws last week, so get in line for weird and creepy.

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