How "Dr. Love" got his name..

The Best Things in Life Are Free (music and lyrics by B.G.DeSylva, Lew Brown and Ray Henderson)

"The moon belongs to everyone/

the best things in life are free.

The stars belong to everyone,/

they gleam there for you and me./

The flowers in spring, the robins that sing/

the sunbeams that shine, they're yours, they're mine!/

And love can come to everyone/ the best things in life are free."

That's "Dr. Love" sleeping peacefully in one of his favourite places after a long day of seeing patients. His assistant, "Dr. Love" is the fellow with the beautiful eyes (that would be the fellow in either the top or bottom photo, you can take your pick...)

Early on, when I'd been working with Alzheimer patients for only a few years, I'd be asked over and over "what were the dogs' names?" I'd patiently say "Butchy" or "Gabby" or "Enny" but it would never fail~ a few minutes later came the same question. During this same time, I was playing The Best Things in Life Are Free a lot. I started thinking, 'when I get another greyhound, I should name him Love, because these guys really do and can come to everyone. And of course, when you're working with Alzheimer patients most of them have wonderfully quirky senses of humour and it must have been catching, because I started telling people the dogs were "Dr. Love and his assistant, Dr. Love." And then I'd say, "what are the odds of that ~ two doctors with the same name working together?" And then I'd wink at someone and say, "Wait a minute, is that Dr. Love, or is that his assistant, Dr. Love? I can never remember."

And the residents of the nursing homes loved it, because unlike lots of 'regular' folks, they were quick to get the joke.