Utah

 ~11,000 Feet, looking towards Salt Lake City from Snowbird Ski Resort~

 ~Mormon Temple, SLC~

 ~Bridal Falls~

A big reason for my blog silence recently was our trip to Utah. We stayed in Park City, but spent some time in Salt Lake City as well. A lot of people asked us why we were going to Utah or, “Why don’t you go to Florida?” Well, I’ve been to Florida (and the surrounding areas) a lot and have seen the Atlantic Ocean a lot, as has N so we wanted to see a part of this country we hadn’t before. Another reason is a good friend of ours lives out that way, so it was a win, win. We got to spend time with him and his girlfriend while seeing a beautiful part of America.

If you know me, you know I’m not big into the outdoors, but I’m proud to say I hiked and got trapped at the top of a mountain for four hours due to an avalanche. Yes, you read that correctly, an avalanche. It blocked the only road that goes up and down the mountain. What we were told would be about a thirty minute wait for the road to be cleared turned into over four hours. Here’s the thing, yes we were stuck and could not get down the mountain, but we were stuck in a very nice ski resort. So, needless to say we were not roughing it. We ate lunch at a nice restaurant at the resort and then sat outside in the sun (we all got a little sunburned) and chatted. While we hadn’t planned on being stuck there we ending up having a nice afternoon with friends and a funny story as a result. The one time Susanna goes into nature an avalanche happens! Our hikes were beautiful and I even walked across a log that was over a pretty serious mountain stream that would have caused some serious damage if I’d fallen. Am I brave or what?!

No, I didn’t ski. N did, but I just wasn’t feeling it. I’d tired before and it didn’t turn out well. While they skied one day I shopped – another win, win. We had an amazing view anywhere we went and the Mormon Temple in downtown SLC, was beautiful. It reminded me of a Disney princess castle. I’d also like to point out how clean SLC is…very impressive! Other American cities could/should take note of that. We visited Sundance (ski resort owned by Robert Redford) and took a tram up to 11,000 feet at the same ski resort we got stuck at for the view. We had a wonderful and relaxing time.

Now you may be asking yourself what this all has to do with Georgia? Well, not much really, but I thought our trip was worth sharing. I will say that I missed her like crazy. We humans are attached to our dogs and things seem a little off when they aren’t around. Not starting my day with Georgia is a little strange. My mom and her dog, Auburn, took care of Georgia while we were gone. Georgia missed us I’m sure, but loves being spoiled by my mom. She also loves Auburn (he weighs about 4 lbs and Georgia weighs about 40 lbs). 99% of the time they play and are best friends, but sometimes food gets in the way of that friendship and they fight. There was one episode while we were gone, but everyone is fine and they are friends again. Georgia has no food aggression with people, just other dogs. We assume her days on the streets of Indianapolis caused this before she found her way to us. So, thank you to my mom and Auburn for watching our fur kid. She had a great time.

I’m proud to report she remembered her commands – sit, stay, lay down, shake. I was worried those might go out the window, but they didn’t. We still have a lot of work to do though in regards to being in public. I took her to a new pet store last night and we had moments of good behavior and moments of extreme pulling on the leash when she saw a new person or dog. We’ll keep working though and keep venturing out into stores that will allow us for her to get used to all of the distractions that exist outside of our home.

Hoping warm weather is around the corner for some nice walks with Georgia. Stay warm and have a good day!

Lesson 5 – PetsMart

~One of my favorite pictures, she was worn out after an afternoon of pictures taken by Heidi Clark~

Sorry for my long silence. We just got back from a trip to Utah so that threw me off schedule. My next post will be about the trip with some pictures. This post is about our first “out in public” lesson with C at PetsMart on a Saturday – MADNESS! I’d venture to say that any PetsMart is literally a zoo on a Saturday and our PetsMart was no exception. Not only where there a lot of customers with their dogs, but there was also an adoption event in the parking lot, so there was something exciting to distract Georgia at every turn. Since Georgia is social and wants to be-friend everything and everyone this is tough for her. There were also a lot of children which she likes as well. I had to work on getting her to focus and work for me. We started out inside the store but quickly had to go outside since there was just too much going on.

Once outside we had to walk away from the store to get her to re-focus. The people and their pets going in and out were just too exciting. After we got some distance she calmed down and started to work with me. We working on heeling and me rewarding her with a treat at times and other times verbal praise for staying on my left side (not ahead of or behind me). Normally she’s great a sitting when I tell her to, but a few times she had to be “helped” a bit. By this I mean pulling up the leash (not hard) and slightly pinching a certain point on her hips. Sounds worse than it is, trust me.  Once she was more focused we tried going back inside, but if she started to pull we’d turn around. She had to walk calmly before I’d take her back in. She did OK in there, but not great. We need to get her used to that many distractions. She has to be able to listen to me when things are going on around us. While a nursing home or hospital most likely won’t be as active as a PetsMart on a Saturday we still have to be prepared. She has to be reliable, controllable and predictable.

The hour went by quickly and C and I discussed me taking Georgia out in public several times a week. This could include parks, PetsMart, other store where dogs are welcome or just outside other busy areas, like a strip mall or Wal-Mart. I just need to get off the couch and do it. With the weather becoming nicer this will become easier for me. This lesson concluded the 5 lessons we signed up for with C. Just this morning I e-mailed her setting up another five. The next five should be it…hopefully after that Georgia and I will be close to testing. It is my choice when I set up the testing, but I want to be prepared, even though I know not passing is very much possible, that’s ok because we can take it again and again. That about wraps it up; hope all is well and enjoy your day!

MIA

I know, I know...I've been missing in action. Good reason though, we took a trip to Park City, Utah/Salt Lake City, Utah. I want to write about our trip, what Georgia was up to while we were gone and a lesson we had with C prior to leaving that was out in public at PetsMart on a Saturday!! Oh my! I have a family wedding tomorrow, so hopefully this weekend you'll get a good post or two out of me. I've missed writing and I hope you've missed reading!! Have a great day!

Lesson 4

~The ball. So simple and so loved! Picture taken by Liz Bedwell~

Last week we had our fourth lesson with C. Georgia was jumping a lot so we had to wait for her to calm down before C walked in the house. I am to have Georgia on a leash when I answer the door; I just have to remember beforehand! C reinforced that we need to continue to completely ignore jumping and turn our backs. Next we did a brief Dremel session on Georgia’s nails so I could build my confidence. I can and have to use more pressure. I’ve used the Dremel twice since and am getting much better at it and Georgia is really doing well. I get out a piece of cheese and the Dremel and she gets excited!!

We worked a little on a trick (more on that later), but I need to do better about practicing it. Tricks are not a requirement for a Pet Partners team, but it’s something fun to be able to show clients (patients). Then we spent time on greetings. Luckily Nathan got home about this time so we could use him in our practicing. Georgia needs to be able to be calm either standing or sitting when approached by someone, as well as, someone with a dog, but since we don’t have another dog we’ll have to practice this at our next lesson which we’re having in PetsMart! I’m nervous about this since they’ll be SO many distractions, but that’s what we need.

That about wraps it up; not a long post today. I’m pretty tired after all the storms and sirens going off last night. I’m sure most of you are too, but the good news is that it’s Wednesday which means we’re half way there!!!! Hoping everyone has a nice Easter holiday spent with family and friends and that the Bunny is good to you!

Workshop = Done!

~It’s Friday, treat yourself & your dog! Picture taken by Liz Bedwell~

Since the last time you heard from me I have completed my Delta Society Pet Partner Workshop! I got a certificate and everything so it’s all official and such! Please don’t think that Georgia and I are certified after this; it was just one of the steps. The ultimate test is when Georgia and I are evaluated as a team in a skills test. Remember this is the test I got to watch an example of in the first week of the workshop. I am happy to not have to get up at 7:00am on my Saturdays now, but I really feel that my time spent in the workshop overall was worth it. I feel more prepared, knowledgeable and confident in hopefully becoming a certified Pet Partners team!

The second day of the workshop involved a lot of textbook work/reading, having a visit with a current Pet Partners team and role playing – YES, me acting! If you know me, you know this is way outside of my comfort zone.  After some textbook work, our instructor brought in her dog, we’ll call him T. They have been a Pet Partners team for several years. She had us all sit in a semi-circle with blindfolds on. Then she brought T in and he visited each of us and she demonstrated how you would visit with a client (patient) that is visually impaired. At first I thought it was odd, but it really was useful. If we visit in a nursing home or assisted living facility (that’s my plan) then I’ll need to know the best way to visit with someone that might not be able to see Georgia all that well if at all. T is one big dog, that’s for sure, but very sweet and smart. I could tell he knew what he was doing and the proper way to behave.

Now, on to the part you’ve all be waiting for- ME role playing as dementia patient who has changed into their street clothes who is trying to convince the Pet Partner person to help me escape the facility! Just take a moment to picture me doing this….laughing yet?!? So, this means one of my fellow classmates was acting as the human part of the pet partner team (we held stuff animals to be the stand in animal part of the team – haha!) The point of this exercise was to practice how to deal with the many different and sometimes wacky situations we as the human part of the Pet Partners team will have to deal with.  Then I had my turn as the Pet Partner team member and I held a stuffed Chihuahua (I named him Bob) and had to deal with a sick child (the patient) and their parent. The parent wanted Bob’s attention and wouldn’t “share” him with their child. So I had to firm and make sure that my client (the patient) got the visit they needed/wanted. I did pretty well at this; stayed calm, but firm. In watching some of my classmates role play different scenarios I was cracking up!!! It’s hard to take adults who are already acting like someone other than themselves serious with a stuffed animal in their arms or on the floor wearing an actual leash & collar! While it was fun and entertaining I do think we all got a lot out of it and realized some of the things we may face.

In closing, the workshop was well worth my time & money. I did enjoy it, learned a lot and had a good laugh!! Hope you all have a good day and stay tuned for my next post about our most recent lesson with C.

Thanks for reading!

Pet Partners Workshop

~One of my favorites, taken by Heidi Clark~

This past Saturday I attended a Pet Partners Workshop. In the process to become a registered team you either have to take a workshop or do an in-home kit. I decided to do the workshop so I could meet other people involved in the Delta Society and get a chance to see an example of the evaluation that Georgia and I will ultimately have to take together. This workshop was all day (9:00am-4:30pm) and I have to go again this coming Saturday. It was a long day for sure, but I think over all it was informative and I’m hoping this coming Saturday will be similar in that regard. I did realize how much I don’t miss being a student and sitting in a classroom setting!

The instructor was very nice and knowledgeable. She and her dog have been a Pet Partners team for 6 years. We did a lot of reading aloud from a textbook (not my favorite thing), but the really informative part was when a lady brought her 9 month old dog in to have a trial run at being evaluated by an actual Delta Society evaluator. A dog has to be at least a year old before it can be evaluated, so this wasn’t an actual test for them. It was good practice for them and it showed the rest of us what we’ll be expected to do when it’s time for our evaluations. The dog…well he’s still a puppy would not have passed had it been a real evaluation, but he was very close. The unique challenge for this future Pet Partners team is that the puppy is deaf. I have a hearing dog and it’s hard enough to train her, I can’t imagine throwing sign language into the mix. She’s taught her puppy sign language. It was really very neat to see. I was only around that dog for about an hour, but I could tell that he’s smart, calm and sweet and I’m sure with more training and as he gets a little older he’ll have no problem passing the evaluation. I did feel less nervous after watching the practice evaluation. I think with some more work it is something that Georgia and I could pass. She’s come a long way since we started training…maybe I have too.

Most of the things that Georgia still needs work on can be done at home, but we’re going to have to take some field trips out in public as well. She has to be able to approach another person with their dog while staying calm. She gets excited when she sees other dogs…so Petsmart may be a good place to try this. She also has to be able to walk through crowds calmly. In the evaluation the “crowd” consists of three people walking close to us. She did well at the Memory Walk in October with a very large crowd so that was a good sign. Petsmart may have to do as our crowd too…maybe on a Saturday? Still got a ways to go and I’ll be attempting to use the Dremel tonight on her nails ALONE – no trainer to help! Wish us luck!

Lesson 3

~One of Georgia’s favorite toys known to her as “Ice Cream” taken by Liz Bedwell~

Lesson 3 was this past Thursday and it went very well! I think I mentioned in a previous post that cutting Georgia’s nails with the clippers wasn’t going well and that I cut one too short and she bled. Since that time she won’t hold still and keeps pulling her foot out of my hand right before I’m about to cut – danger zone! So, C brought over her Dremel, which is what she uses to trim her dogs nails. It’s actually a power tool that we’ve since bought at Lowe’s. There are multiple different attachments, but the one we’ll use is a little round sand paper tool that will file her nails down instead of involving any actual clipping. I’m sure I’m not using the right terms as I know nothing of tools, but if you’ve ever had acrylic nails you know what I’m talking about. It’s the same idea as the spinning sander as I call it that the nail techs use. We used C’s Dremel to practice so we could decide if we wanted to buy one. Georgia responded MUCH better to this. I like it because I can’t cut her, which makes me less nervous and in turn she’s less nervous. It does get hot (I remember from my acrylic nail days), so I have to remember to sand then pull away so it doesn’t heat up and then sand again. I now feel hopefully about the nail situation.

Next we worked more on the heeling, which you know I’m not a fan of, but now I feel better about this too. This lesson was just positive all the way around. Georgia was much more willing to stay on my left side. We still aren’t using the word heel with it yet. I’m just marking the correct position with “YES” and a small training treat or piece of her dog food. We turned it into a kind of game. When I walk purposely I reward her for being on my left side either walking, sitting or standing. She seemed to enjoy it. As we work more on this I will start to introduce the word “heel”.

Then we worked more on getting Georgia to lay down with me just saying “lay down”, instead of touching the floor. I was repeating it until she did it, but C had me just say it once and then silently wait until she did it – it worked of course! This is still a new phrase to her so she takes a few seconds to think it over, but she does lie down. Success! Just today, however, I’m realizing that she may not be comfortable with the commands she knows outside of our house or yard. On our walk today I stopped several times and told her to sit and she didn’t. I’m worried she just associates commands with being at home. I’ve got to work on this more, because to be a Pet Partners team she has to sit, lay, etc where ever or whenever I tell her. Something to work on for sure.

C and I also discussed that Georgia has too many toys. We need to rotate them out so some seem new again. At C’s suggestion I bought a Bristle Brush Bone from her. It’s kind of like a Nylabone, but in the middle there are some bristles, some rubber spike type things and refillable chewable disks (they do not stain carpet). This is good for mental stimulation and cleaning teeth. C said her dogs LOVE it and I can say confidently that Georgia does as well. It’s her new favorite toy and knows it by name as, “New toy”.

Lesson 3 was positive and productive! Yesterday I spent all day at the Humane Society of Indianapolis at a Pet Partners Workshop. It was a long day but I learned a lot, feel more confident and more knowledgeable about what to except at the evaluation and what both Georgia and I need to work on. My next post sometime this week will discuss the workshop. The second part of the work shop is next Saturday which is also all day. That wraps up today’s post. It’s a beautiful day out there, so get out and enjoy it!