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Taylor loves people and my wife thought he might enjoy, and give out some enjoyment, in visiting a rest home/hospital mainly for elderly folk. So when he was eight months old, completely divorced from any dog visiting organisation, I contacted a couple of rest homes ie retirement homes and the response I got was no we don't accept puppies they might damage our frail residents and misbehave ie not be properly controllable. But I found another rest home/hospital called St Joseph's Home of Commpassion, whose Activities Chief said bring Taylor along, we'll give him a go. Of course, even though Taylor is full of life, he knew even as a pup how to act with decorum and Taylor's been going there every fortnight ever since. Our visits take around an hour and Taylor is off-lead so he has choices where to go and to whom he wants to see. But we eventually see everyone who wants to talk to and fondle a gorgeous, fully coated Corgi who is willing to give everyone some undivided attention. And now Taylor is wheeled around for some of the time. It's interesting that Taylor and I have been going to this place for two years now and the only thing he's ever been given in that whole time was a bone at Christmas last year (unfortunately he's not allowed bones) and we have never been offered morning tea even though we always arrive at morning tea time. However there have been other offshoot benefits such as newspaper publicity and the visiting has helped Taylor take runner-up in the 2005 New Zealand Canine Pet of the Year award.
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