54 GUIDEPOSTS (^) | August 2019
EDWINA PERKINS
Orlando, Florida
T
he sound of whimpering
woke me in the middle of the
night. It was our 11-month-old
Bichon-poodle puppy, Beethoven. He
sniffed at our closed bedroom door.
He had never done that before. You
already went outside, I thought. What
could it be now—a bad tummy?
I rose to take him downstairs for an-
other bathroom break when I heard a
noise in the hallway. I opened the door.
My mother-in-law, Stevie, stood there,
looking confused.
Mom had moved in with us a couple
days earlier, and the house was still
new to her. She was totally healthy
except for her memory—she had de-
mentia. We had planned to move her
into a care facility in her hometown of
Seattle, but she refused to go.
“I think God wants her to come live
with us,” I said to my husband.
“If you’re sure,” he said. We already
had four kids and a puppy in the house,
but we could manage. At least I hoped
we could.
Beethoven followed me as I led Mom
back to her bed. Is this what you were
whimpering about? I wondered.
When Beethoven cried again the
next night, I opened the door and
there was Mom—standing in the hall-
way, looking bewildered. This time,
Beethoven passed me and walked to
her room, as if guiding her back to
safety. Mom followed.
“That dog needs to leave,” she said.
“I don’t sleep with animals.”
“Mom, he’s not staying,” I said as I
tucked in the comforter around her.
“What’s his name again?”
“Beethoven.”
His work done, our dog trotted back
CAREGIVERS
Care
Companions
What do a dog, a cat and
a parrot have in common?