Day Two: Taking Obedience Up A Notch . . .and a taste of what's to come

Today was another busy day. We started by getting our dogs out for a potty break. Abbot was excited to see us, get outside, and get some kibble. We took advantage of the time outside to get a family picture by the 4 Paws sign.

Today we learned about corrections. A lot of corrections can be completed non-verbally, by a slight tug on the leash that places pressure on the dog's nose which s/he does not like. We learned that we should always use the same word to designate an undesired behavior: No. Pretty simple, and that's how the dogs like it! We practiced having the dogs stay-- which is an "implied" command. They should stay in the position we put them in until given a new command. However, since we are new pack leaders, they are going to see if we know they are supposed to do that. Just like kids with a new babysitter. :) So we started by putting them in a "sit" and walking circles around them. After a full circle, we told them "good" and treated them. Then we extended it to two circles, and then went counter-clockwise and so forth. Abbot was sooooo good at this! He seems to already respect Mike and I, which is not expected already. Here's Mike doing his circles around Abbot.

Abbot and Si are also bonding well. Si really loves Abbot and gets excited every time he sees him. One thing we need to do to facilitate their bond is to "make fireworks go off" whenever they are together. This can mean bringing out the high-value treats, like Puperoni. It can mean showering Abbot with treats and petting when Si is around and dialing that back quite a bit when Si is not around. This will not always need to be so extreme, but for the first few months, it's a good technique for helping their bond increase.

We also learned some introductory material on behavior marking. This is to train the dog to address any undesirable behaviors of the child. Si may not be having seizures for training, but he is having a good amount of undesirable behaviors. So mom  is pretty excited for this. When he whines, makes ugly sounds or says "No!" we are to mark the behavior with a treat for Abbot. Later in the week, we will see Abbot start to perk up and be ready to work when he hears those sounds. Then we can decide what we want Abbot to do when he hears that sound, such as nuzzle or put his head in Si's lap.

Si is a very busy child, and this does not change for training. Today he spent a lot of time out on the playground or in the indoor play area. He is making friends with lots of the kids. Here he is drawing a chalk "Olaf" with his new friend Ava.

When he is willing to sit in the classroom area, he loves to sit with Abbot. Today he showed Abbot how to color with a marker.

We still have a TON to learn, but Abbot and Mike are picking things up super-quickly. And Mike is a great teacher, so I am learning, even if I have to step away here and there. (Today I had a 1.5 hour work teleconference.) I have no more work scheduled for the rest of our time here, so I am excited to be FREE to learn. Thanks to all for your support and prayers. We will keep you updated!

Meeting Abbot: Our first day at 4 Paws

Today was quite an exciting day. We headed to 4 Paws and Nana was there waiting for us, much to Si's excitement. We went in and found a spot to sit, then waited impatiently for the head trainer, Jeremy, to make his announcements and bring out the DOGS! Each family was given a baggie of kibble for their dog. This was the dogs' breakfast and was the very first step in beginning to create a bond between child and dog. Si had a tough time waiting, but he made it!

Abbot sure was worth the wait! He is such a sweet and laid-back dog. Don't get me wrong, he is still a dog with all the doggie needs, but he handled a busy and crazy day, with lots of strange people (namely us!) with quite a bit of flair. One thing Jeremy reminded all of us is that each dog learns who his special person is, and for the last few months, each dog has had a trainer as a special person. Even though we knew his name and had his picture and dreamt of our lives together, for Abbot, we were brand new! So it will take time, love and treats to help him learn that we will be his wolf pack now, and Si, his number one kid. Jeremy told a funny story about how he trained a dog for someone from Tennessee, and how the words "sit" and "down" sound a lot different in a Tennessee accent. That dog needed to learn his new pack leader's dialect in order to perform as he had been taught. And the dogs do learn, but starting with lots of treats helps them really get that positive reinforcement when, otherwise they might be thinking "What did she say and does she like how I responded or not?!"

Today, we really worked on the bond by having Si give Abbot 7/8 of his treats (which were plain dog food). We showed Si how to make a "cup" with his hand and let Abbot eat out of his hand. At first, he just let the food fall to the floor, but pretty soon he figured out how to "make a cup" and then he really liked having Abbot eat a piece off of his shoe. He would set one piece on the side of his shoe and got such a kick out of watching Abbot gobble it up.

After lunch, Si got to play outside with Nana while mom and dad paid attention during training instruction. We learned about the different training collars, how to put them on, and then worked on the commands "sit" and "down". Abbot did really well with these. As Jeremy said, it's really us that needs to catch up to the dogs. They have been training since birth for this, and we are just starting now. We have a lot to learn, but I feel like we are in capable hands and we are on the road to speaking Abbot's language!

After a big day at 4 Paws, we got some dinner with another 4 Paws family, and daddy took Si for a quick swim with several other 4 Paws kiddos. Si loved it!

After that, it was time for meds and a bath. I think Si fell asleep as soon as he laid down! Now I will do the same! More tomorrow!

We're here!

Phew! It seemed like such a far-off dream, but here we are! We started the day off at church, where our pastor led the congregation in a send-off prayer for us. We are so grateful to have so many people praying for us! After church, we stopped for lunch, then hit the highway. We had absolutely beautiful weather for driving and Silas was such a good little boy. We were in the car a good four hours, since we swung by 4 Paws to make sure we knew how to get there tomorrow.

We got to our hotel, but the room was not ready, so we hung out in the lobby and ended up meeting another family here for 4 Paws! That was a big positive point in our day. It's so fun to connect with the other families, especially when we are going through such a unique and amazing experience together. We are finding that a lot of the moms and dads are teachers like Mike and I.

When our room was ready, we hustled in and unloaded all our gear. Before we knew it, it was time for another positive point our day, meeting Abbot's foster mom, Beth! We met Beth for dinner and she brought along her latest foster, Socrates. That was a good sample of what dining out with a service dog will be like. (Pretty much the same as on your own, except you have a cuddly foot-warmer under the table!) Socrates was so good with the children who wanted to pet him while we waited for a table. Si is a big tail-petter, which not all dogs find acceptable, but Socrates took it all in stride. Speaking of making things look easy, Beth is sooo good! She is currently fostering her fourth dog for 4 Paws. She has got the subtle corrections down and handles a crowded room with ease. It was so sweet of her to come meet us. She will also be at graduation, and I hope and pray we make her proud! We are so grateful for all the time and love she and her family gave to Abbot!

Here is a picture of Socrates just chilling in the waiting area of Red Robin:

We hated to say goodbye to Beth and "Soc"! We got in the car and Si said, "Beth . . . my house. Dog . . . my house." But we will have lots of stories to share when we see her in two weeks.

After dinner, we hustled back for Si's nightly meds and bath. He is excited to go "night night" in a hotel and have a TV in his room. We told him tomorrow morning he can watch a show in his bed, so he is looking forward to that. Of course, that will pale in comparison to the moment he meets his Abbot!!!

Speaking of beds, mine is calling. Thanks for reading! More tomorrow!

We have a match!!!!!

We are thrilled to share that we received our match this afternoon and his name is Abbot! Here is the letter he wrote to Silas today:

Hello buddy!

My name is Abbot cuz my brother is Costello. He is in this class, too. We were quite the team growing up, making everyone laugh. We were donated to 4 Paws when we were puppies because we were very special and when our siblings left for pet homes we left for a higher purpose and that is you!  My birthday is 5-27-2013 and of course I am boy.  Please bring me a ball! I love to play ball and I love to run and play with my brother. I also like to sniff grass and if it smells just right I pee on it. That is way cool have you tried it? I was raised in the 4 Paws foster system. I lived in a place called the Kuperfle Foster Family. I hope you get to meet them! I did my advanced training here at 4 Paws and now I am ready for you! Hurry to Ohio!  Xoxo Abbott

Below is a picture of Abbot which we printed out for Silas. Si is SOOOOO excited and he can say "Abbot" like a champ!

What a handsome guy! Here is a video of Si-- we just can't believe how well he could say "Abbot" instantly!!

Shopping for our pup!

Today we ventured out to Pet Supplies Plus in Alliance, where our friend Molly is a manager. We have not owned a dog in our adult lives, so we really needed some guidance on what to purchase. Thank goodness Molly was there to give us tips on everything from treat caddies to tick checks!

Si really enjoyed his favorite aspect of shopping, pushing the cart. He was also very interested in selecting the Nylabone for his pup. All morning, when asked where we were going, he said, "Shop . . .bones!" Here he is checking out the Kongs with dad:

Once he had his bone and Kong, he was ready to go, although mom and dad could have stayed a while to pick Miss Molly's brain! Here's Si with Miss Molly:

And last, a triumphant Si with his Nylabone (which of course he had to check to make sure it really was chicken-flavored):

The excitement is building in our house! We should find out our dog's name and get a picture here any time in the next week! Can't wait to share it with you all!

Counting down the days . . .

We are eagerly awaiting our visit to 4 Paws for Ability this June. The reasons are numerous, but the first reason we ever considered a service dog for Si is because of the seizures he has intermittently. His first seizures occurred at age 3 months, and they have revisited him throughout his 4 years. We have been through a few dry spells, but when they came back again last summer, we finally decided to commit to fundraising for 4 Paws with the goal of obtaining a seizure alert dog for Si. This will give us such peace of mind, especially at night. If you google the acronym "SUDEP" you will get an eye-opening education on a little-talked about risk of epilepsy. If you remember the runner Florence Griffith Joyner, you know about her amazing gifts as an athlete. She also died in her sleep of a seizure. Just knowing that Si has a buddy to watch over him as he sleeps will be such a relief to us.

We really made our decision based on Si's epilepsy, but the more we delved into the 4 Paws program, the more benefits we saw were available from his future dog. Silas has only been walking independently since August 2013. His balance is improving with lots of work and support from great physical therapists, but he still takes plenty of tumbles, especially when tired. We learned that his dog could also be trained as a mobility support dog, with a special harness handle he can use to steady himself. His physical therapists are excited to learn about this and add this tool to his toolbelt!

In addition, 4 Paws dogs are known for the less quantifiable improvements they bring to children's lives. Behavioral intervention is a big one (4 Paws also specifically trains dogs for Autism Support!). Silas does not have autism, but he does have some behavioral challenges due to delays in development caused by his assorted challenges. 4 paws dogs are trained in behavioral interventions, such as nuzzling, applying deep pressure by laying across the child's lap, and so forth. After a long morning of therapy and doctor's appointments, I know this will come in handy!

Another skill some 4 Paws dogs have is the ability to "tether". This is when the child wears a vest and is connected to the dog. The dogs are trained to respond to handler commands, so if the child starts to bolt, the handler can command the dog to lay down and not budge. This is something we will learn to do with Si's dog. Si is listening better these days, but the first six months of his walking independently left mommy and daddy exhausted and frazzled. He wanted to run off and see everything, just like any new walker.

The other benefit we are really excited about it what 4 Paws calls "the social bridge". Having a service dog brings other children and adults flocking. It gives the child something to talk about and "show off". The child is no longer known solely as "the kid with X disability" so much as "the kid with the cool dog". Those who know Si know that he is pretty friendly-- in fact, he calls all children "friends". But he has a significant speech delay and often can't get the words out when asked questions in a group setting. Our prayer is that his new best friend will help him gain confidence and be able to share what he has to say.

Those are just some of the reasons we are soo excited to meet our new family member. The 4 Paws experience begins the day you start fundraising, and the community really draws you in. I have been able to ask questions of the community about other medical issues and get caring responses. We share ideas and of course, drool over the pictures of all the 4 Paws puppies. We are really looking forward to all the friends we will meet at training, and of course the amazing 4 Paws staff.

Finally, I have to say, that the day we meet our dog in my mind rivals the Christmas mornings of my childhood. I can't describe it any better than that.

Thank you for reading, and many thanks to all those who have supported us from the beginning of this journey last summer. As I told people last summer, the fundraising experience was like getting a giant hug from God. I will never forget how many people have worked to help our little boy in one way or another. Our family is truly blessed!