Big things/Small packages

Big things come in small packages.

Including soccer players.

This little guy may not have the advantage of height, 

but you'd be hard pressed to find a faster runner, or a kid with more energy on his field.

He played the whole game on Saturday...defense, offense, and sweeper.

He didn't stop!

We love watching him take the field!

Almost a Routine Again

Being gone two weeks can really throw a clinker in the schedule.

And I like schedules.  I like routine.

So today was a me-trying-to-regain-normalcy-with-another-living-being-in-the-house 

kind of a day.

Wasn't too bad.  Between a dozen loads of laundry, piano lessons, an ophthalmology appointment, reminders to the kids that Gus doesn't need his name called fourteen thousand times per day, a soccer game, and dog training, we actually did quite a bit of school work.  Gus also went with us to the dr. appointment and the soccer game.  He did great, though it took a lot of willpower for him not to chase those soccer balls.  He LOVES balls.

Gus walked Laura out to her school bus today.  She gave him a hot dog treat before she got on the bus.  The rest of the school day, Gus was quiet and mopey.  Even the kids noticed.  But when Laura's bus pulled up later, and he saw her on the stairs, his tail started wagging, he was wiggling, and he tried to climb in the bus.  He gave her lots of kisses, and Laura was all smiles.

Last night, Gus also went to church with us.  Sunday evenings are quieter, so I thought that may be a better time to introduce him to the church.  Again, he did great.  He slept through most of the choir practice and service.  But here's an interesting observation...

Usually during church, Laura chomps her teeth loudly and continuously.  But last night, with Gus at her feet, she would look down at him and then smile at me...over and over.  And she did not chomp her teeth once.  Coincidence?  Perhaps.  Or maybe it's one of those unexpected blessings that her Gus can provide.

Jenna & Gus

 Jenna was very excited to meet Gus.  She had no fear at all, but did comment on how big he is!  After less than 24 hours, she's already taking on her regular "mother hen" role.  She tells him when he should be working with Laura, and when he should be getting a drink.  She carefully monitors his every move and is CONSTANTLY talking to him.  Funny...as our trainer said...dogs obey single commands that they learn.  Our constant chatter sounds like nothing more than "Charlie Brown's teacher!"  That's OK. Jenna is happy enough talking to anyone or anything that will listen to her.

  Jenna also said, "Gus has almond eyes like me!"

Well...sure.

We're home

 Home-Sweet-Home

We made it home early this afternoon, laundry is almost done, house is in order, and it feels great to be back home.  Gus slept almost the whole way home.  I think he's still exhausted from working so hard over the past two weeks.

When we arrived, I took Gus on leash to explore the yard and the whole house.

He seemed to approve.

He's already testing his limits...kind of like bringing home a child.

He found out that he can not chew on Laura's bristle blocks or balls.

He tried cuddling with Jacob in Jamie's favorite chair (as if he's a lap dog!), and found out that's not allowed either.

He wanted to lie down beside the table while we ate dinner...kind of like at the restaurant.

But he had to stay on his mat instead.

But, he is following the whole family around the house, loving all the attention.

He is very attentive during bath time, too.

He drinks the water, and "helps wash Laura" by licking her while I'm trying to actually clean her. 

Bath time is going to take a little longer to reach my level of cleanliness.

 

His choice of resting places makes it a little hard to bathe Laura, but it is very cute.

 I had Gus move so I could get the towel ready for Laura, and he promptly returned and made it his bed.  He's such a goof ball!

The Graduates!

 Whoever thinks dogs don't show emotions...well...they've never had a dog.

Gus.  

He does not prefer his gentle leader on his nose.

He's pouting.  

But I wanted him to wear it for our test.

 First test...walking by and not touching people food.

He looked, but did not touch. Good boy.

 The next part of the test...being sure the dogs would stay in a "down" while being distracted in a few different ways.

 Time to walk the mall in a nice "heel."

 Being able to leave the dog in a down, and walk a few steps away without him moving.

 Good boy, Gus.

 This is what Gus does in a restaurant...sleeps!

Another plus on our test!

 After the trainers saw us successfully move through the parking lot and into the van, we were given the thumbs up...we passed!!!!

Off to the training facility for a bath with one of Gus' favorite trainers, Shelby.

 One of Gus' foster moms, Beth, came to our graduation.  He was soooo happy to see her!

I could tell that she just loved him, and definitely spoiled him!  It was very sweet.

 Other fosters were there and knew Gus from college days.  He has quite the fan club.

 Jeremy, the lead trainer, led the graduation ceremony.

 Photos of the graduates, and we signed the banner.

 Graduation cake!

 The September 2013 4Paws family.  We rock!

It's time to head home.  We're ready to find our new normal, and to see how Gus transitions into our family and life.  We just know he will be a blessing to not only Laura, but the whole family, and who knows who else!!

Gus, Day 11

 Today wrapped up our training with Gus.  All fourteen families will test tomorrow in public in order to receive our full certification to have a working service dog.  No pressure.  But if we mess up, we don't get certified, and have to come back to do this again.  Really..no pressure!  Dogs have to be fully under control, obey commands, and ignore distractions.

One thing Gus couldn't ignore today was a big mud puddle.  He and his brother, Boeing, were running around during their free time, and when Gus got tired, he plopped...right in the middle of the mud puddle.  Blond dog + mud = a big mess

He got a quick bath, and will be visiting the groomer ASAP!

We had a pizza party with our friends tonight.  More basketball and games outside, and Laura hung out with her newest friend, McKenna.  McKenna is also receiving a service dog.  We will miss our friends when we all head home.

Off to bed.  Need rest.  Because tomorrow is a "no pressure" day of testing!!

Gus, Day 10

 Today was another good day.  Well, it started out a little rough...Laura got stuck in the suitcase.  This might be her way of saying she's ready to go home to Daddy.

 Class went well, and our training in the mall was successful, too.  Laura tethered today, and she did awesome! She smiled and giggled the whole time.  Tethering gives her more independence.  But after all that training, she and Gus needed a rest.

 Then for the next four hours, we went out to play at the hotel.  We practiced more tethering  on the basketball court as well as the grass.  Grass is tricky since it's so uneven.  She only fell once, though, in the grass.

 Look, Mama!  I can flip the tether while we walk.  Maybe we could work in some jump rope!

 Love this group of families.  Most of us congregated outside for a few hours.  The adults chatted and monitored the dogs, and the kids ran around playing hide & seek, tag, and basketball.

 One more evening together and then we start heading home with our new pups.

Gus, Day 9

 Well, good morning, Laura and Gus.

Gus gets too warm on the bed and usually seeks out a cooler place to sleep at night.  But in the morning, I have him snuggle up with Laura just for a few minutes.  She likes the cuddles, but perhaps we need to move Gus' big head to a different position.

 Laura unknowingly did some distraction training.  Gus LOVES her little pink shaker toy, but can't have it.  It's all he can do to not grab it.  But he was good, and just watched her play with it.

 Only two more training days. Two weeks seems like such a long time to be gone, but as the end approaches, it seems like the time has flown.  I'll miss the friendships that we are enjoying here.  There's something about being with a group of families, all dealing with special needs of one kind or another.  There's a bond, and a sense of security, knowing that judgement is absent and understanding abounds.  No one cares if your child goes screaming across the room.  No one stares when your child does something out of the ordinary.  No one judges or pities when a child has a meltdown...yet there is empathy.  We all cheer when child and dog make steps forward in their bonding.  We encourage one another after having a trying evening at the hotel or in a store.  Indeed a special bond.

 Hangin' out during training.

As for training today, Jacob enjoyed doing the "bark" command with Gus.  Laura...not so much.  She wasn't scared, but it was a little loud in her face.

 Jacob's favorite part of the day was working a new command with Gus...

"forcing" him down...like in Star Wars.  

We could have chosen "bang," "go night-night," or "the force."  With our boys, it was really a no-brainer.  Now, this is not a command that will do anything for Laura, but it will be a fun way to demonstrate Gus' skills to kids so they aren't afraid of him.

 "Forcing" him down with the sweep of his hand and a "whoosh" noise.

 And a reward for being such a good participant over and over again!

Gus, Day 8

 Laura isn't the only one making progress with Gus.  Amarin is not very fond of animals, but is learning to enjoy Gus in his own time.  He asks to hold the leash and tries to do commands with him. Today, Gus listened and Amarin gave him a treat...and then quickly wiped off his hand because he doesn't like dog slobber.

 Sitting still without backing away from Gus.

 Tethering training started today.  We will tether Laura to Gus so she doesn't wander away.  She loves holding hands with people, but to move her forward in her independence, this seemed like a good step to take.  Here, people pull gently on the dogs while they are in a "down."  The dogs have to stay put, even though they may be pulled a little across the floor.

 Gus did great, and was gentle with Laura while trying this at the mall today.  Now we just have to convince Laura to hold on to Gus' strap so she can keep up with the team.

Gus, Day 7

So the morning sessions of training are very interesting.  Teams are sharing their challenges, successes, and funny stories.  Each day we can see progress with the teams, even if it's baby steps.

We're half-way there with our training class, but will continue to train for as long as we have our dogs.  Service dogs are a lot of work, and take a lot of time.  But the payoff is so great.

One family visited today that has had their dog for three and a half years.  The dog provides services for their son that they couldn't even imagine.  The family has kept records, and the dog can detect a seizure through scent 24 hours in advance!  It's the same kind of scent work a dog does to detect explosives or drugs...just a different scent.  And during the class, another dog detected low/high blood sugar levels in a boy with diabetes three different times.  The family confirmed it through test strips.  Amazing!

Gus went with us to KFC tonight.  He was good as gold.  He didn't go near food, or even show interest in it.  He stayed in a "sit" or "down" the whole time.  Such a well mannered boy.  He continues to handle stairs and elevators well, obeys most commands, and is just working so hard.  Laura loves petting his nose and giving him kisses.  

We had all of our dogs on the floor at once today, providing distractions.  99% of the time, they stayed in a "down" command.

 Poor Gus just couldn't help himself.  He loves to play, and Schilling was right there!

Tomorrow we work on tethering.  Laura will be tethered to Gus so she can have more independence out in public.  This will be very interesting.

Gus, Day 6

Day 6 already with Gus?  Doesn't seem possible, yet it feels like we've been here a long time.  I'm missing my hubby and littles at home.  But I know this is all worth it for Laura.

Today was very interesting.  The dog's practiced seizure alert (diabetic and epileptic), and retrieval.  It's amazing how these dogs can be trained to recognize scents and movements in order to alert parents to seizures.   Talk about a sense of relief knowing that the dog can help detect a seizure in the middle of the night when everyone else is asleep.

Gus is doing retrieval for Laura, so if she drops (or throws) her cup, toy, etc., Gus can retrieve it for her.  So far, he is retrieving her cup.  She thinks it's a game, and tosses it again.  Lovely.  I think throwing the tennis ball will be their favorite pass time.

We went to pick up pizza tonight and had textbook conversations.  First...all the pizza place workers came out to see Gus.  He is just so handsome!  Then came the questions:
1.  Is he a service dog?  Yes

2.  What service does he provide?  Mobility and retrieval

3.  What kind of dog is he? A golden doodle

4.  Can we give him a (people) treat? No, people food upsets his tummy.  But thanks!

Then a dad with 4 young boys came in, and while the dad was ordering, the boys lined up staring at Gus.  I asked them if they would like to give Gus a treat.  Only the youngest was brave enough...then the older brothers followed suit after they saw their youngest brother wasn't devoured.  I also showed them how to do "high fives" with Gus.  They loved that!  Pretty soon the dad came running over..."Did they ask to feed him?"  Yes...and it's really OK to pet and talk to most service dogs as long as the dog is being obedient.  But it's always wise to ask first.

Gus is doing stairs and elevators very well, basic commands, and is loving Laura.  He rides perfectly still in the van, and lies down motionless and quietly in a restaurant.  He is learning to leave Laura's toys alone, and is not easily distracted by dropped food...now the tennis ball is another story! :)  He's a great pup!

Gus, Day 5

 Gus is "lapping."  It makes me happy.  Gus doesn't mind doing this until I started wiggling.

 More practice with "lapping" at training today.  Some dogs fall asleep, but not Gus.

He's kind of a wiggle worm, too.

 I like Gus' paws.

 Gus received his official vest today.  It has a handle for Laura to hold, and will be appropriate for when we go to stores, etc.  We will use a different harness that she can hold to help her balance on uneven walking surfaces.

 I was "helping" Jeremy again today.  I even matched his shirt, just to look official.

Today was also our first day training at the mall.  It was a challenge overlooking all the sights, smells, and people, while trying to focus on commands.  Mom's brain is fried.