Our First Weekend

The weekend went well... we spent our Saturday morning sleeping in until 9am and then off we went to shop for some furniture.  We checked out the Ephrata Re-Uzit Store (a whole lot of nada- minus some nice light which made for a great picture of Charlie).  After that we went to Garden Spot Furniture (which is always successful).  I had Charlie do a "down, wait" and I rolled across to the other side of the building (he wanted to smell every piece of furniture so I thought he'd be better off laying there).  But, I wanted him with me so I called him and he came running at me as fast as he could...it was so awesome.  So he laid right at my feet the rest of the time.

After that we loaded back into the van where he decided to make a heart with his paws.  He has been doing excellent getting in and out of the van.  Somehow he can manage to get his big body in the crack between the two seats and lay there comfortably on his blanket.  He is not whining as much when we stop to get out of the car and will sit there patiently until I release him to get out.  It's funny how whenever we go through the drive thru (oh how I love coffee) he will sit up and stick his head between the seats as if to say, I'd like something too, please!

After lunch Charlie and I took a walk around the block a few times to get him used to my power chair more and to work on his pulling.  Once I whipped out his little squeaky cupcake he kept his eyes on me the whole time!  Then, we headed out to Worship Center where I teach 1st-4th graders once a month for the three services.  I was excited for the kids to meet him and see how they'd react.  I came out on stage with him and it was completely silent.  With 80 kids in one place that is highly unusual.  I explained to them that he's my service dog and what he does for me and showed them a few things.  The lesson was on determination and I used him to demonstrate an example... I first showed them how he got his leash for me.  Then, I put the metal clip on it that attaches the leash to my wheelchair (this is much harder for him to pick up) to show them how it was harder for him to get but he kept trying until he did it.  Great work, Charlie!  I also let anyone with a birthday in January come up to pet him... I think they really liked that better than a balloon!

We did two more services on Sunday and boy, did it wear him out!  When we got home late Sunday afternoon he passed out!  The rest of the day we just vegged (played scrabble and ate pancakes) and went to bed early so I could get up at 5:30am!

Work and workin' it

On the bus.

It was an early one for us- I was up at 5:30am to get ready for our first day of back to work with Charlie.  All went smoothly getting ready...Charlie hung out in his crate quietly until I was finished.  After that he went out to go to the bathroom and then ate his breakfast in less than 2 minutes.  We were at the bus stop along 501 by 7am and waited for 15 minutes in the freezing cold.  Charlie didn't like it any more than me... I had to just keep him moving and doing things (sit, stand, down, etc.).  Lorrie met us at the stop to help me one last time getting on the bus and situated.  It went smoothly and he laid right at my feet (and occasionally sitting up) looking up frequently to check on me. 

Once we arrived to the station we hopped off the bus and headed right in to work.  He opened both of the doors to enter the building and went through the metal detector with no reaction to the noise of it.  We took the elevator up to the third floor and went down the long corridor the back door of my office.  He opened that door for me as well and did a nice "go through" the door, "turn" and "back" to get into the room.  He gladly accepted my command to "go to bed" on his comfy mat and laid "down" without any hesitation.  I gave him a bone but he had no interest in it.  The rest of the morning he snoozed and I worked.  We took a few breaks to go to the bathroom and walk around outside a bit.

During lunch we went to Central Market.  There was a new tea stand I wanted to check out and I also wanted to go to a stand that has pet stuff because I forgot to bring him a toy to play with and I figured I could check there is they had anything.  They didn't but the guy that worked there gave Charlie some sweet potato treats and a pig ear (which he won't be eating)...everybody loves Charlie (and that was not the first time he received free treats while we were out).  I even had the famous Statue of Liberty dude that stands out on the corner of Queen & King St take out picture.

Due to the snow, my boss kindly let me catch an earlier bus home.  We did the whole bus thing by ourselves without any problems!  He slept at my feet the whole time and was much more relaxed than the morning ride.  We got off to about 2 inches of snow and we sped home to avoid getting too wet from the snow.  I quickly unvested him and we laid low the rest of the night...playing with puzzles over and over and over because Gia, my niece, insisted.

No Trainer Today!

Charlie dressed and waiting to head out.

This morning Charlie arrived while I was still in my pajamas.  He was finally here to stay!  We went over a few last things with Lorrie and then she left with a tissue in hand.  Charlie settled right in.  He joined me for my morning coffee and seemed a-okay to be here.  Every day he is to spend some time in his crate (so that he feels safe and familiar in it in case I would need to go away or be in the hospital for a period of time) so while I showered he was in there...I kept asking my mom if he was whining and the answer was always no.  A very good sign.  After that he got dressed (put on his vest and gentle leader) and off we went on our errands.  He did awesome in the van- when I said "car" he jumped right in and laid down between the seats. 

We stopped at the carpet place to pick up some carpets (can you believe it!?), went through the Dunkin drive through where he poked his head through as if to say he'd like some coffee, and then stopped at the Stock Shop in Mountville to look at some furniture for my new house. 
My mom was nervous to have him in there because of all the glass and lamps and such in the area of his tail.  BUT he didn't break a single thing.  I had him in a down stay in the room we were in just to avoid that possibility.  The mall was next.  I had to get my hair trimmed and in the salon I did another down stay with him in the waiting area (but where he could still see me) and he didn't get up once.  After that we went around the mall to pick up a few things and we practiced "carry" (his water bowl for work), "take it" "up" "drop it" (a slobbery tissue I had him throw away), lots of down stays in different stores, an attempt to "carry" a plastic bag, and a test of dropping food right in front of his face and him leaving it.  We had lunch with another consumer and her beautiful lab and the trainers of UDS (Kristy & Lorrie).  Once we were done at the mall we headed home to un-vest and relax.  Tonight will be his first night here and then we are off to work bright and early to catch the 7am bus, keep us in your prayers!! 

Fundraiser Update

Thank you to all that have contributed so far... we are 22% funded ($1,565 has been given) so far!!!  Please continue to spread the word with everyone you know.  I am very blessed and am glad to have such supportive people in my life.  If you (or someone you know) would like to give, follow this link.

Training...Day 7

Post bath wipe down!

It was bath day for Charlie!  Lorrie wanted him to be fresh and clean for me because tomorrow night he will be staying with me for good!!  At UDS Headquarters they have a nice little doggie bath where he was able to climb up a ramp, load into a tub, and get safely secured so he didn't go anywhere.  Lorrie used a spray bottle that had watered-down soap in it.  She could spray it on a wet Charlie so that the soap wouldn't go on in globs and therefore be hard to spread around and then wash off.  She could just spray and rub the specific areas.  After she got him all nice and clean he enjoyed a towel rubdown.  Next, his least favorite part, was the blow dryer (which looked like a giant vacuum).  We were able to get him dried with that thing in no time!  After being nice and cleaned up he got his new collar put on and a chance to rest while we went over a lecture.

Charlie waiting patiently on stage.

Next on the agenda was taking Charlie to my church.  I spend a great deal of time there (once a month I teach grades 1-4 three services in a row) and even have one of my power chairs there.  We thought it would be great to have more practice in my power chair as well as getting Charlie familiar with the church.  We got there and had lunch first.  Charlie got to meet Pastor Sam and show off his skills- he once again paid for my lunch all by himself (took my credit card from me, put his front paws on the counter, and gave it to the cashier).  After lunch we did a lot of exploring and maneuvering throughout the building... we did some weaving, backwards walking, ups, circles, going through doors, etc.  I brought him through the classrooms to let him check things out and become familiar with the smells.  We also went into the kids' auditorium (where I teach) and did some retrieval skills (he sat and waited on stage while I went to the back of the room and then called for him to come to me) as well as some "find me" where he sat in a spot where he couldn't see me and then I would hide and call him and he would run out and find me.  After that we went back into the hallway where I would make him stay while I would zoom off and go far distances and then make him find me.  I love his enthusiasm- every time he'd come running for me as fast as he could and then slide to a stop right in front of me!

We ended the day with a final lecture on public safety and such.  Tomorrow morning Charlie will be dropped off at my house and stay with me all by himself... can't wait!!!

Training...Day 6

Can we say FREEZING?!  It was way too cold out to do much, so we decided to stick to the things we absolutely needed to accomplish today- going into my office and testing out the bus with Charlie.  Lorrie picked me up in the accessible van so we could use my power chair and we decided not to go to Central Market and Cross Keys Coffee.  We loaded into the van and headed to the Queen Street Bus Station.  There weren't many buses waiting there so we had to pick one and do it fast because it had to leave within five minutes.  The only problem was that it was a type of bus that I rarely ride (once or twice within the past year)- the extra long and tall bus (Lititz doesn't have very many riders so we always get the smaller bus that has only a ramp that flips out).  This bus actually has stairs so the ramp slid out and then raised up.  We decided to try it and I made Charlie sit in front of me.  He got a bit of grease on his paw from it going down a crack, but other than that he sat still and had no problem as we were elevated up together.  We did a u-turn on the bus and then went back down on the ramp.  Not too bad, thankfully the driver was gracious enough to give us the time to try it out. 

We scurried across the street to my office and Charlie easily pressed all the buttons to get through the door ways despite all the possible distractions around us.  He followed me nicely through the doors and metal detectors.  The noise of the metal detector that I caused (it was set off by the metal in my chair) made him jump but the other times it went off he just twitched his ears.  We continued up in the elevator where he sat calmly in the corner and rode to the third floor.  We went into the back door of my office (where we later attached a tug for him to open the door for me- which we tried and he did AWESOME at opening it) and then went to my cubicle for him to check out.  We put a padded carpet down for him to be comfy during the day.  We also visited a few people, including my bosses and even the Commissioners!  We tested Charlie to see what he would do if I rode away toward the kitchen and had him "stay"- the first time he did whine and got up and we put him back, but the second time we tried he stayed and only whined a tiny bit.  But that was great for being in an unfamiliar place with his girl zooming off in her wheelchair!

We ended up going back to the bus station to find a bus that is like the one I ride daily and had to wait about 30 minutes for one to come through.  Of course a bunch of strange people (we were at the bus station where they love to congregate) kept bombarding us with questions and comments-I will have to get used to that!  We were able to test the bus out and get settled as I would if I were riding in or out of town.  It's a tight fit but we will have to make it work... just praying that the bus drivers and other riders will have patience with me and Charlie. 

After all that hard work we stopped at Coffee Co for some great food, coffee, and conversation.  Charlie loved it cause he was able to take a nice little snooze!

We ended our day at my house with a run through of coming in the garage and he did an amazing job of pulling the door shut for me.  We worked on some clicker training as well for him to pull my boots off by the heels.  Another day together under our belts!

Training...Day 5

It's Monday, January 21st...sorry for the confusing post dates- I had them as drafts and then published them all at the same time and now it's all out of sorts, whoopsies!!  Today was the longest time we've been out of Charlie's usual surroundings.  We met up at my soon-to-be home and together experienced my first house inspection (which was really my dad going around with the inspector and reporting back to me).  While there Charlie was allowed to explore the place and sniff it out.  I was able to un-vest him and take off his leash.  We left it in the bedroom and then proceeded to the living room.  After some time I told him to get his vest and off he went to retrieve it in the other room and he brought it back to me!  Then, I told him to do the same thing with his leash and he went and got it and managed to bring that back as well.  We had some time to do a photo op as we were waiting for them to finish inspecting the basement... he is very photogenic! 

After the house inspection I walked Charlie back home (three blocks) to my parents' house.  We had some major excitement and a few barks at strangers, but we made it back.  The next thing to happen was something I've been anxious about since the beginning- the meeting of Charlie and Manu (my chihuahua that is deaf and has seizures).  I put Manu downstairs with a bone to keep him occupied while Charlie came in to get used to the smells and settle.  After only a few minutes I let Manu in and he went right up to Charlie with a wagging tail and sniffed and spun and checked out his new best friend!  There were no problems (minus the fact that they wanted to play with each other which would be a bad idea since Charlie weighs about 89 pounds more!).  It was a good feeling to know that my two doggies could hang.

After the meeting we did some training in my room with picking up my socks and placing them in my drawer or laundry basket.  Charlie mastered the opening and shutting of my closet door as well and practiced removing a shoe and sock.

It was past lunchtime so we decided to take a walk down to Tomato Pie Cafe here in Lititz.  This walk went WAY better- he had no pent up energy and a different leash attached to my chair which made things much easier since I could use my chair as a tool to correct him.  He opened the door for me to get in and laid quietly by my feet the whole time.  Our trainer, Lorrie, has been so patient through this whole process and is such a rock for us as we navigate our new routine and life together.  She is a major blessing.

We ended the afternoon with a run-through of how I enter the house in my power chair (into the garage, through the pantry, and then up the stairs in my stair lift into the kitchen).  After doing that a couple of times we said our see-you-laters and off they went to the UDS headquarters.  I joined them later for a volunteer training hour (for those that have dog that are in the being stages of training) and worked with Charlie in a group setting.  There were about 8-10 dogs together and we learned about things like practicing the retrieval sequence in bits (look, get it, that's it, hold, bring it, give it).  I was able to share my vest & leash retrieval story which was great because they could then see how what they were doing now really benefits the end consumer.  A long and eventful day comes to an end, but tomorrow we try out the city!!

Training...Day 2

Today was the second full day of the team training at the United Disability Services headquarters.  And it was a great one... we worked hard and played hard.  The morning started out with a great time of bonding- I got to un-vest and un-leash Charlie and off we went into a big training room to chase balls and hang out.  When he doesn't have those two things on it's letting him know he isn't working.  It was the first time we did that together!  Once he was tuckered out from playing with a stuffed animal and tennis ball he gladly "got dressed" (any "" will indicate commands he knows) and went back to work.  Before we went back to the office he was challenged to "wait" as I left the room, crossed the hallway, and entered into the office.  He did as he was told and right when I said "come" he came bounding in and stopped promptly before me (can we say gentle giant?).

As he rested at my feet, I read some material on grooming and vet care.  After that we practiced "hold" and "carry" with an empty basket (with the intent of him getting my lunch bag or other things and doing the same).  It was rough getting him to "hold" because he just wanted to "give it" to me.  We practiced it and had a few successes!  I realized that he was able to "get it" and "carry" it much more easily and so we did that so that he could build confidence that he was doing what I wanted.  After that, we worked on the door- opening and closing it by "tug" and "harder" to unlatch and then "back" to really pull the door open. 

That was a lot of repetitive and challenging stuff for us, so we took a break and Lorrie (our trainer) gave me a great lecture on motivation- what I can do to get my dog to do what I want and need him to do.  I have to figure out (based on the situation and the request) how and what to use so he will accomplish the task.  Things like words, body language, treats, play, etc.

After lunch we had a socialization with a few other dogs where they were all un-vested and able to play.  Charlie was chasing balls and running around the room like a mad man!  Then, the dogs each had their turn to get a mini mani (aka nail trimming).  After everyone left, Lorrie went to get a drink and I decided to work with Char on our challenge command.  Right now he can bark on command in two ways: saying "speak" or a hand signal.  My challenge was to add in a third option where I would click my tongue and he would back.  So, I started by doing all three at once a few times, next I dropped "speak" and just did the hand signal and click, then after I felt confident in that, I just clicked... by the time Lorrie got back HE WAS DOING IT WITH JUST A CLICK!!!  I was so excited for him and me that we did that.  I can't wait to go back tomorrow morning and test him.

To finish off our day Lorrie and I went over the Public Access Test.  This is what I have to pass with Charlie so he is no longer in training and then he will be able to go with me in public (without a trainer).  It'll be done at the mall most likely and we will be graded on a bunch of criteria and series of tests (like how well he follows my commands and handles distractions).  The point is the determine whether or not we are safe as a team in public.

Great day, awesome dog, and patient trainer makes for a happy heart.

Training...Day 3

And we are off to another productive day.  It involved lectures on resistance and innate behaviors, going through another set of commands, a visit to the vet, out to eat at a restaurant, practicing commands, and ending the day with some play time.  Gia, my almost 3 years old niece, joined in on the play time and loved being able to throw a ball and have Charlie retrieve it (our old chihuahua, Manu, is petrified of ball or any toy so it was a whole new experience for Gia to play with a dog).  I love seeing how much fun Charlie can have and still maintain control of his size- never a rough moment or fear of him toppling me (or Gia) over.  He is truly a sweet soul.  I love how he watches me- this is his way of checking in to make sure I am okay and that he is doing what he is told.

There were quite a few challenges today as well and I am learning how to deal with them and assert myself as the pack leader (despite my size).  There are many tactics and think-ology that I need to practice and utilize so that he trusts me to be that dominant figure.  It's a huge learning curve, but I am surrounded by some great teachers and lots of support to turn to.  This whole process is teaching me a lot and although I am on overload, I still feel rested and have a peace that passes all understanding.  What a great feeling!!!

Training...Day 4

First week of training is complete! I go back to work tomorrow.  BUT I have off Monday-Thursday for more training (and this time outside of the UDS Headquarters).

Today we did a recap of all that was learned and worked on the command list hands on.  You should see Charlie do his "over"- a graceful jumping over an object that is unbelievable for his size.  He continued to perform his "speak" with a simple click of my tongue.  We also traveled all over the UDS Headquarters to practice pushing the door opening buttons, visiting people in a calm way, and traveling at different speeds (I am pretty sure Lorrie was running and pushing me at the same time at one point!).

After a long day of hands on training and a lecture squeezed in Charlie and I were able to let loose.  I un-vested him and took off his halter and leash and we played with a few toys that he found complete pleasure in (slobbery tennis ball and some sort of once-stuffed animal).  After he grew tired of that I was able to rub his belly a bit and let him relax after all his hard work.

We were able to end the day with an incredible gift- the Williams family (they raised Charlie from a puppy to 18 months) came in and had a ginormous care package waiting for us!! It had everything I would need to get started with Charlie, including a crate, bed, leash, collar, treats, toys, a 40-lb bag of food, and so much more!  They were even so thoughtful as to load me up with hand sanitizer and an Etown Alumni shirt (go Blue Jays!).  I can't even begin to thank them enough for bringing Charlie this far and being so considerate of me and my needs now that Charlie will be a major part of my life.  It's such a sacrifice that they given to do what they do and I am forever grateful (love you guys!!)