She Forgets Names, But She Never Forgets Scooby

Before everything, my mom never even wanted a dog.

She wasn’t really a dog person, and I remember there were times she didn’t want one around at all. But over time, something changed. Little by little, she started getting close to him.

Now, out of everything she struggles to remember, she still remembers Scooby.

And to me, that’s amazing.

Living with dementia is hard. There are days where my mom forgets names, forgets conversations, and even forgets things we just talked about. Sometimes she repeats the same questions over and over again, and other times she gets confused about where she is or what time it is. It’s not easy watching someone you love go through that, especially when you remember how they used to be.

There are moments where it feels overwhelming, moments where you feel tired, emotionally and physically, moments where you just sit there and think about how much has changed.

But somehow, Scooby became someone she holds on to.

What’s even more amazing is how Scooby acts around her.

He knows.

And the truth is, I never trained Scooby for any of this. I never taught him how to respond to my mom’s illness or what to do during her episodes. It’s like he just understood what she was going through and knew exactly how to help.

Whenever my mom starts to have an episode, Scooby runs straight to her and lays right next to her. He doesn’t bark, he doesn’t panic, he just stays close, like he knows she needs comfort in that moment.

And at night, when things get harder,

There were nights where we were all in my parents’ room. My dad would be knocked out in his recliner, and I would be on the comfy chair right next to my mom, sometimes falling asleep there just to be close to her. We didn’t want to leave her alone, especially at night when confusion tends to get worse.

We were all so exhausted from everything that comes with caregiving.

Even though we were right there with her, there were times my mom would get up, and we wouldn’t even notice right away.

That’s how tired we were.But Scooby, even though he would be sleeping right next to me, was always alert.

The moment my mom got up, he would get up too. And when she tried to leave the house, he would start barking, almost like he was warning us.

Like he was saying,

“Hey, something’s not right.”

Because of him, we were able to stop her before she wandered off.

And that’s when I knew we had to do more to keep her safe.

Thanks to Scooby alerting us, I ended up ordering locks for inside the house so she wouldn’t be able to leave in the middle of the night. It gave us a little more peace of mind, knowing that we had an extra layer of protection.

That moment changed everything for us.

And it’s not just at night.

There are times during the day where Scooby will run straight to the front, jump up on the couch, and start barking at people outside. Sometimes it’s random people, sometimes it’s birds or squirrels, and honestly, those moments make us laugh.

Even in the middle of everything we’re going through, he still finds a way to bring a little bit of joy into the house.

It’s like he’s always on guard, but also reminds us not to take every moment so heavy.

But Scooby hasn’t just helped keep her safe.

He’s helped all of us.

Through the hard days and the emotional moments that come with caregiving, he’s always been there. There are days where I feel drained, days where I feel like I don’t have the energy to keep going, and somehow he always finds a way to make things a little lighter.

He’s made me laugh when I didn’t feel like smiling. He’s brought joy into our home when things felt heavy. Sometimes it’s the little things he does, like laying next to us, following us around, or just being there quietly.

I’m thankful that he keeps my parent's company too.

Sometimes at night, he’ll sleep with me. But most of the time, he chooses to be with my parents, either laying next to my mom or sitting on my dad’s lap while he’s in the recliner. It’s like he knows where he’s needed the most.

And for that, I’m grateful.

That’s not just a dog.

That’s protection,

that’s comfort,

that’s love,

that’s family.

Out of everything dementia has taken, there are still small moments that remind me that something is still there, moments that give us hope, even on the hardest days.

And for my mom, one of those moments is Scooby.

And for me, he’s not just part of our story,

he’s part of how we get through it.