I Know, I Know...

I am a truly horrible blogger. Dog has been with us since Oct. 19th, and you're just now hearing about it. If you are on Facebook, you've seen some of what's going on around here, but we can't openly share his identity for some time yet, so I'm afraid you'll have to patient awhile longer.

I do have a few photos that don't give away too much, but I'm even nervous about sharing those. I simply don't want to do anything that will mar Rachel's chances of keeping this fantastic resource.

Training has been going well. The first week was sort of rough, while we all got used to Dog, and he got used to us and our schedules. We had to make a change to his sleeping routine, but it's working out well now.

Rachel has been working hard, and learning how to bond with Dog, which is something that is work for her. She's not terribly demonstrative, though we love on her all the time, but she's working on changing that. She's learning to use an authoritative tone, which we call "mom voice", and that does make a difference.

Just today, we took Dog out in public, on a short trip to the county dog licensing office, where he was licensed for 3 years, and they waived the fees because he's a service dog. I wasn't expecting that, so we used part of the money saved to buy Dog a new toy. He was a star when we took him out. He loves his working vest, and is better behaved when wearing it. His heel work is fantastic, he stayed in a down/stay beautifully while we waited, and he made us proud.

Rachel and Dog are napping now, after their big adventure into the world this morning, but I'll leave you with a couple of pics...sorry we can't share his face yet, but we hope it won't be long before the team is certified, and we can show you how gorgeous he is.

Dog loves the view out the front window

Dog looks spiffy in his work vest, and loves to wear it.

-Kelly

I Wonder What The Hamster Will Think

We've been running around, cleaning out Rachel's room, shopping, doing research on vets, etc., and totally forgot to update the blog with the news that Rachel's dog should be here sometime next week! We got the call over a week ago, and my head has been spinning ever since.

The dog has finished his training, and once all of the arrangements are in order, we'll get a call from our local field rep to set up a time for his delivery to Rachel. 

This is me, freaking out just a little. O_0

We've now got food, food bowls, a brush, poop bags, seat cover for the back seat of the car, and just need his bed and a few simple toys, like a Kong and a Nylabone. No treats besides his regular food, at least during the bulk of his training time, from what I understand.

We'll have a lot to learn, but we trust our rep/trainer to walk us through it all. In the meantime, we clean and organize, and try to remember what it's like to toddler-proof a house. It's been a long time, and we are accumulaters of 'stuff'. Rachel is really digging in to the piles in her room, making some hard choices, and cleaning out to make room for his crate, and pick up stuff that he might find tasty. We're a bit concerned that the hamster (or her droppings) might fall into this category. :/

So, that's all for now, and I promise to try harder to remember to update when the dog actually arrives, but things may be a bit crazy around here for awhile. At least it'll be in a good way.:)

-Kelly

Ants In The Pants

Here we are, on October 1st, and with any luck Rachel will have her dog by the end of the month. We haven't yet received a phone call confirming how things are going with training, or when the dog will actually arrive, and I'm going to be an antsy mess until we do. 

Rachel had 4 seizures over the weekend, and though they weren't really big ones, we still couldn't help but hope that having her dog would somehow help make the process easier for her. We are very much looking forward to Rachel having her furry buddy to cuddle up with when she feels lousy.

Once we get the confirmation phone call, and know that everything is a go, we can begin to plan, and shop, and prepare. We are really looking forward to that, because then it will seem real. Right now, it's still a probability, and not a given.

Thanks for your patience with my lackadaisical blogging style, but there really hasn't been much to share the last few weeks. We're just waiting for word. I will certainly update when I know more.

-Kelly