Busy, Busy!

Sorry for the delay in posting recent events. I took a nice little weekend vacation (gasp!). And I didn't take any dogs with me (double gasp!). I won't go into detail of the fantastic time I had enjoying the gulf coast, but I will post a picture!

Kyria, myself, and Miss LANGLEY

 Rest assured, after a good night's rest, we are back on track with our socialization adventures! Today's outing was to Target. I forget how itty bitty they are when they first start and how nicely they fit into a little pouch to be carried all around the store with ease. At six weeks old, I'm mainly trying to get them used to being in a store - the sights, the sounds, the smells, and of course, all of our new friends that we make. I get the lovely job of helicopter mom and be upfront over the puppies with the hand sanitizer and make sure every one is clean before hands touch fur.

A Lionheart School student and her mother socializing HUNTLEY!

PALMER was a rockstar today! 

REMINGTON making friends of all ages! 

FIN is getting her back to school shopping done! 

The puppies have also been exploring their new digs. There are all kinds of crazy training "tools" here that they've been getting acquainted with. A toddler slide, a sitting scooter, play tunnel, ramp, bridge, etc, etc. But first, we have to conquer going from the comfortable floor inside to the unknown brick and metal and wood deck that doesn't feel like solid ground (because it's not).

In the busy, busy week leading up to my fabulous beach trip, I had the opportunity to do a few fun things. The first was speak to a group of graduate level students studying Occupational Therapy at Brenau University about Service Dogs. I gave my speech and both puppy MERCER and FINLEY did little demos appropriate to their training level.

FINLEY demonstrating how to turn the lights on/off

Also, how to unzip a jacket. 

MERCER decided he wanted to do the zipper, too - even though he doesn't know that command yet!

It was a joy presenting to such a wonderful group of students!

I was also able to join in on Intervention Transfer Training for some of our p4p veteran clients. I've always hopped in and out of transfer training seminars because of my duties to the puppies, so I have always just hung back from the group. This time, not only was it a smaller group, but thanks to my awesome intern, I was able to be a little more hands on in the training.  The whole paws4people philosophy about Transfer Training and teaching someone how to utilize their Service Dog in the most effective way possible is very unique, and just so cool! 

LOGAN  

MYER and CLAIRE with CAMPBELL in the background

Talking with the man, the myth, the legend. THE Terry Henry.  (aka one of my bosses)

We have an exciting outing to the mall planned for tomorrow, and a parade this weekend! Stay tuned to hear how the puppies do in their socialization and desensitization endeavors!

The New Kids on the Block

As the title insinuates, some very cute, fuzzy little bundles of love arrived today. Six of them. By the time the puppies I have reach the age to leave me, I've long forgotten how small and cuddly (and innocent) they are at the younger weeks. Also, how sharp their teeth are. I'm lucky enough to get this new litter a whole week early - they are only 5 weeks old, as opposed to the normal 6 weeks that they typically come for puppy development and socialization. No worries for all you concerned dog people, their mama (SIDNEY) comes too, as paws4people believes in a natural weaning process! For those of you keeping tabs, that makes 8 big puppies, 6 little puppies, and 3 big dogs under my roof. And so far, I'm loving every second of it!

Without further adieu, meet the newest members of the PDC crew:

WALTER

PALMER

THORNTON

REMINGTON

BRISTOL 

HUNTLEY 

Catching up on some sleep after a long day traveling!

It's incredible how much of a difference 3 months makes for the growth a puppy!

FINLEY has adopted them as her babies, too :) 

Now that you've seen a few photos, here is the link to a cute little video of them playing. You can catch silly FIN wanting to play with them at the end!

Ladies and Gentlemen, start your engines!

Today was fire station day! First off, I am totally and completely grateful to the men at Alpharetta Fire Station #3. Not only for their everyday selfless and heroic actions, but also because they were extremely enthusiastic about helping us, even if it involved wearing all of their gear and unnecessarily running their engines. I guess it didn't hurt that they got to play with the puppies, too!

Here are the desensitization and socialization goals that I am looking to accomplish by bringing the puppies to the fire station:
1) The Engines - the sirens, flashing lights, air breaks, horns, and size!
2) The Gear - the hefty jumpsuit, clunky boots, hard hats, oxygen tanks, and masks!
3) The Station - constant radio noises, big echoing garage, and the buzzer alarm in the station!

I'm proud to say that after the initial curiosities, everybody did absolutely amazing!

And, of course, here are some pictures:

You're not scary at all like they said you'd be!

What is that thing over your face?? 

Thank you so, so much to these wonderful guys!  

Praises and treats make fire engines fun!  

FINLEY tagged along today. She's such a goofball! 

This Week's Happenings

With Lionheart's Summer Farm Camp in full swing, there is always something going on around here! That also means that the puppies' have full days of campers aka lots of playing, swimming, and walks. It's an added bonus that they sleep like rocks through the night after a busy day, too! Here's a few camp pictures:

MEMPHIS loves playtime! 

RIGGS found a way to beat the Georgia heat!

FINLEY gets in on the love, too! 

Puppy Walks!

We also visited an assisted living community recently. These are some of my favorite places to visit. They're one of the few places where I can see the impact of our visit unfold immediately. The residents become youthful again; playing with the puppies, baby-talking them, and reminiscing about their old pets. They are connected through the bridge of love the puppies present. For that hour, their confined world has expanded with their new friends.

Tonight we went to Alive After Five Roswell, which has just about every stimulant we could provide for the puppies. I had many fabulous volunteers show up to help socialize the puppies. They got to listen to live music, navigate crowds, avoid eating dropping food on the ground, watch some games, and most importantly, make new friends and share some puppy love!

CREIGHTON gets some girl time.

WATSON takes in every moment of our "break" in the shade. 

So many distractions! We'll all hold our stays but we won't all look at you at once!  

I don't think WATSON likes all the attention at all... 

We've got one of my favorite outings coming up this weekend - the fire station! Make sure you check in after to see how it goes!

The Obligatory Intro Post

I'm guessing that most of the people who start out reading this already know who I am.... but just in case, here's a little background. And by background I just mean my life story, so buckle up. 

I grew up in Cary, NC doing normal kid things like going to school and playing sports. I then decided to go to college at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. I chose this school because of the program they offered in my desired major of Athletic Training (sports medicine). Well, life works out kind of funny sometimes. Because I had pre-chosen my career path, and didn't take some courses that were required to be in the program early enough, I ended up taking a super senior year aka victory lap of college. My original life plan, involved me practicing as a Certified Athletic Trainer (which I am still an ATC), and then going on to school to get my doctorate in Physical Therapy. The end goal would result in a practice of Animal-Assisted Therapy with children. In that fifth year, I could take one more elective to fulfill the hours in the price range that I was already paying and that I could take and still be under my allotted hours for graduation (yes, that is a thing). Being that I've always been passionate (okay, obsessive) about dogs my whole life, when I found the paws4people Assistance Dog Training Program course, I didn't hesitate to sign up despite the 8am class time. I showed up to class every day, volunteered a little more than I needed to, and then graduated and got a job in Raleigh as an Athletic Trainer at a physical therapy clinic. 

And this is where I owe props to Kyria, founder and CEO of paws4people, for finding unique ways to help keep me involved. I was probably a little annoying, always wanting to do things. But living two hours away, if I had any chance of doing anything, I'd take it. And then one day a puppy with ears too big for her head, named MAGNOLIA, needed a foster home to socialize her for a few weeks and I was graciously offered the opportunity. 

I did my few weeks with MAGS, grew attached, and then handed her back over to go into paws4people's Inmate Intervention Program, paws4prisons. Yes, I cried most of the way home. I then continued on my business, mostly just working full time in the clinic. And then I get an email. There's a dog that will be a breeder in our Assistance Dog Breeding Program, she needs to get her clearances done, and stay in a home until she is ready to be bred. Okay, cool, she can 100%, definitely, for sure, stay with me. Enter: FINLEY. 

FINLEY is about as quirky as they come. And I love her for it. We were happy and going on about life, and then I get a text message. A very vague text message. One of those "we can't move forward unless we know you're interested" kind of things. Well, guess what? I was interested. And long story short, here I am today. 

paws4people and The Lionheart School formed a partnership to start a program called LionPaws. This program is the first of it's kind that uses the socialization and early training of Service Dog puppies as a way to connect students with special needs to the community, and help with their various therapies. The school already utilized Animal-Assisted Therapy with their Hippotherapy program, and through their paws4people Service Dog, LANGLEY. LionPaws is just another way that these incredible animals work in ways that we can't explain. I can't even begin to explain the things I've seen in the past 6 months, each one more touching than the last. Sometimes I worry if there's enough space in my heart for all of the precious moments that are between the students and the puppies. The students take on responsibility at our Puppy Development Center, which includes helping feed the puppies, bathe the puppies, fold towels, wash bowls, play with the puppies, take them for walks, and the list goes on and on. They take pride in the puppies and have something to connect with strangers about when they're out in stores, or in the YMCA, or at an assisted living community. There are so many amazing stories, I can't even begin to recollect them all or you'd be reading this page for days. 

So back in February, I listened to my heart, followed my passion, and moved 7 hours from home. By myself. With 12 dogs. And I haven't had a bad day since. Really, it's kind of impossible to. Our first litter has successfully completed the program, and the second (FINLEY finally did have those puppies!) has their transition to the next phase next week, with the third litter arriving on the same day. Each of these dogs is destined to do miraculous things with their innate powers to help and heal. I couldn't be more proud of the road that this program is laying down the foundation for. It's only the beginning. I hope you'll follow our journey here. Stories, pictures, and videos will be shared frequently, so you too, can have a part in the LionPaws experience! 

For more about the paws4people training process, and how effective these dogs are at touching many populations along their training route to being a Service Dog, please visit my blog post on paws4people.org!