What's He Do

What's he do?  Since arriving home with Yonder this is the most common question we get from everyone.  It is a totally expected question and doesn't bother me a bit.  But the commands that he does are only one piece of the equation.  Yes, he is an amazing dog who comes to us trained in about 40 commands. We are also daily modifying and working on adding our own commands to meet Junior's needs.  He can tug off Junior's socks and sleeves when we come inside after a walk, put his paws up on Junior's lap to give him a dropped item, push a ball to him, close a door,  open a drawer, push a switch to take part in a game, shake your hand, and so much more.
(Yes, that is a sock in Yonders mouth that he just helped Junior take off)

There is so much more to what Yonder does for Junior than commands.  He calms him down when he is upset.  And senses when Junior needs him. 

 

He gives Junior confidence by helping others to not just see the chair.   When we are out in public so many people have a hard time seeing past the chair and machines. They miss the chance to get to know an amazing kid because they are intimidated by his chair and medical issues.  Yes, some are just plain rude but often they just don't know what to say or how to approach him so instead they stare or look away not even saying hi or smiling.  Junior is older now and notices, I have watched his face fall as he notices someone staring and can't figure out why they won't smile back at him.  I have seen him get angry, totally insulted, and even yell back when a child pointed and shouted "whats wrong with that boy", and I have chuckled when someone was staring and Junior watched them for a moment then rolled his eyes and gave them his "your crazy" look.

Yonder has been with us a little over a week and we have been out on many walks and a few other outings such as a walk to Hobby Lobby and doctors appointment(had to go on the way home from Yonder's vet appointment or we would never have done a doctors appointment with him so soon after arriving home from training) .  The difference is striking.
Out on a walk we passed by two boys playing basketball.  Typically they would have paused and stared as we walked by but this time there was the pause and then I hear "I like your dog".  Junior was delighted when I said "hey buddy they like Yonder", he became the kid with the cool dog.
At a recent walk to Hobby Lobby people in the store came up to us, asked about Yonder and then  came right up to Junior asking his name, talking to him, and telling him how neat his dog was.  Suddenly his chair and machines weren't so intimidating.  We still see the stares but now they are usually accompanied by a comment about Yonder a hello and a SMILE.  Yonder is opening doors and helping people see beyond the chair.

He helps Junior feel needed and like he has responsibilities like other kids his age.  We have Junior be part of as much of Yonder's care as possible.  He helps feed, groom, exercise, train, etc.

Maybe most importantly of all he gives Junior a friend who is always there and happy to spend time with him.  With his complex medical needs hanging out with friends and getting out of the house is sometimes not possible.  Now he has someone to always join in with activities here at home.
Things like helping decorate the tree, watching a movie, playing a game, or going for a walk.

  

 

 

 

Thank you to all those who are part of CCI and helped give this life changing gift to Junior.

Yonders First Outing

We have been home a few days now and it has been a big adjustment adding another family member.  We are staying super busy but it is a good busy and we are starting to get used to our new schedule.  It is important for Junior and Yonder to bond so we are making sure as much as possible Junior is a part of everything Yonder does/needs.  He helps feed him, do grooming, and gets up early to take him on a walk.  This is huge for my teenager who does not do mornings and I am amazed that since getting Yonder he suddenly is happily ready to roll in the morning. 
This morning we got home from our early morning walk and then decided that we needed a little more time in the great outdoors.  After Junior's morning treatments we headed back out and this time walked to our local Hobby Lobby(yes, we have a Hobby Lobby within walking distance, dangerous).  Our first outing alone with Yonder and we had planned to basically walk through the store and back out.  But he did so good that we slowed down and actually spent a few minutes looking at the Christmas stuff.  Yonder loved "working" and was clearly in his element following commands and helping his human.  I wish I had, had and extra arm for the camera but that will have to wait until Abby can come along.  
For now this pic will have to do.  These two were wiped out after a busy day and enjoying some tv while Junior had a treatment.
 

Yesterday Junior had an appointment and had to get a couple shots.  By the time we got home he wasn't feeling well which as you can see his buddy sensed.  Yonder will sit at "his side" of the couch until I give him the command to get on it and then will look at the other side and then at me until I move Junior next to him.  Really hard to believe we only arrived home on Saturday and he has already figured out how things should be. 

 We have been working on the tug command during our home training session so we can modify it to have Yonder pull off Junior's socks and sleeves during his night routine. Tonight he successfully helped Junior by pulling off his socks and both sleeves.  I was laughing afterwards because when I praised Yonder for this his whole body was wagging not just his tail, he was one very proud dog,  Junior was very pleased as well.  

I still have so much to share about our training but haven't found the time to do so.  I will definitely get to it soon.


I shared this on my fb page but will share here as well, for family and friends who follow our blog.

 I know we have friends and family who would love to meet Junior's new doggy, and we are excited for that to happen as well. For the first few weeks though we are focused on creating a strong bond between Yonder and Junior which means keeping distractions to a minimum and focusing on finding ways to help their bond grow. If you do run into us please do not be offended if we request you not pet him, it can be very distracting for him but he would happily shake your hand instead. Once these two have that strong bong created then we will have fun introducing him to everyone and then you can have a quick pet while he is "off duty". 

I wanted to share these assistance dog guidelines from Canine Companions for Independence which I printed out to have on hand. I love how it gives the guideline then explains why it is there.
Guidelines for Interacting With an Assistance Dog
1. Always ask before you pet. It may be instead advisable for you to instead shake hands with the dog or not to pet them at all; ultimately it will be up to the handler. Also, remember that if you are petting the dog and the handler gives the dog a command – you should stop petting the dog. You should not try to distract or call the dog over to you and away from his/her handler.
2. Never feed a working dog. Working dogs do not rely on treats to perform commands. They work for praise and love from their handlers. Giving a working dog treats may upset the dog’s stomach, distract the dog from his/her work, and/or contribute to unhealthy weight gain. Working dogs are fed specialized diets on a regular schedule and treats are given as the handler sees fit.
3. Limit your interaction with the dog as much as possible. It is important for the graduate to be the one meeting as many of the dogs needs as possible. For example, it is important that the graduate feed, pet, praise, command, play, groom, and exercise the dog themselves. However, understand that somehow who uses an assistance dog may ask for your help with some of these tasks. Please interact with the dog as directed by the handler.
4. Do not let other dogs initiate interaction with a working dog. Even though Canine Companion dogs have been trained extensively around all sorts of other dogs, it is still common courtesy to prevent other dogs from jumping on, licking, barking at or otherwise harassing a dog that is working. There are laws in some states that protect working dogs and hold pet owners accountable for damages their dog may cause to a working dog.

 

 

Heavy Hearts

I got a call this morning that broke my heart and had me hugging my boy a little closer.  One of our dear friends lost her daughter.  Bella flew to Jesus arms last night after fighting a brave battle.
Please keep Kim and her family in your prayers as they now have to continue on without their precious girl.  Bella was such a sweetie who could touch your heart and make you smile without saying a word.  Junior absolutely adores her and I think he thought of her like a little sister.  Anything I made for him he thought Bella needed a girl version of.  If he out grew a toy he was very clear who he wanted to give it to.  Sweet Bella will always hold a very special place in our hearts, we love you. 

 

Life is a gift and we never take one moment for granted.

We Are Home

The past week and a half we were finishing up the training for Canine Companions for Independence.  Wow, what an experience, something we will never forget.  We are totally exhausted so I will share more later this week but for now I want to introduce our newest family member Yonder.  He is Junior's new assistance dog and most importantly his new buddy.

 

 

 

23 Weeks!!!!!

Junior has now gone 23 weeks, that would be 161 days without a seizure.  A miracle which we are celebrating every single day.  A truly amazing thing in all this is that after his last neurology appointment we started weaning his seizure medication.  So even with a medication wean we have not seen even the flicker of a monster visit.  Junior is extremely sensitive to changes so withdrawal symptoms/seizures were expected but we are well into the wean and we have seen no issues, in fact the opposite is happening.  He is happier, more focused, able to communicate more efficiently, and letting everyone know who is in charge.
We are so very thankful for this amazing blessing and know that with the type of seizure disorder Junior has the monster could visit at any moment.  But in this moment we will celebrate this miracle we never thought possible.  God is good.
This picture is from yesterday which is why it says 160 days seizure free.

Pumpkin Fun

Junior has enjoyed pumpkin fun the past couple days.  He also was able to get out for a walk and some time in his swing for the first time in over a week.  We both caught the flu thats going around and much of last week was spent quite sick.

Ahhh, back in his swing again and loving it.

 

He and Abby made glitter pumpkins

 

Decorating pumpkins

 

Trach pumpkin, of course every pumpkin needs a trach.  

 

Junior started his thankful pumpkin early this year since part of November we will be back at doggy training.

 Junior sound asleep a couple days ago.  I wanted to share the picture to show how relaxed and open his hands are.  His arms are also down on his lap and not pulled up into his chest.  He has been seizure free for 156 days and we are seeing such amazing changes the longer the seizure stay away.  I love seeing him more relaxed and his hands staying open without me needing to even help him get them that way. 

Targets New Adaptive Clothing Line

I posted about our experience with some items from Targets new adaptive clothing line over on our adaptions blog and wanted to share it here as well.


Target now has a line of adapted clothing which includes items for those with sensory issues as well as items with feeding tube openings and those with more room in the bottom for diapers.  The line is Cat and Jack which has sizes up to XXL which means Junior can even wear them.  Best of all the prices are very reasonable and comparable to their typical clothes prices. Cat and Jack adaptive clothing.  
Way to go Target, I hope more variety will be added to the clothing line and we definitely will order again.

We ordered a few items and Junior tried them today.  After trying on the sweat pants I went back to the Target website today and sweats are no longer available. I really hope they are just sold out and will be back again soon.
With the extra room in the tush Junior could easily wear the size XXL youth and could likely also wear the XL youth without an issue.  He also  tried a XL youth size onesie which fit well and we could actually have gone down to a L.
The onesie has two layers, the layer that has the snaps and then a second layer that makes it look like the child is wearing a typical tshirt.  The bottom layer has a g tube opening on each side so you can access the tube easily. We put it over Junior's back brace which worked really well and the sweat pants were big enough to go over his brace.

 Junior trying on the sweat pants, these are over the top of his back brace and as you can see he still has plenty of room in them.  Typically if pants fit him they are much too snug at the top to put over his brace and we have to put the brace over the top of them.

 The onesie, we have the top layer pulled up to show the feeding tube opening.

 Top layer pulled down so it looks like a typical tshirt.

 Sitting up in his wheelchair.  The onesie is keeping his back brace covered which will help keep him warmer in the winter.  Typically when I put him in his wheelchair his shirt comes up on the sides and it is a struggled to keep it pulled down. 

 The top layer pulled up so I can connect his feeding tube. I had been concerned the feeding tube opening would be too small to make it really accessible but it worked perfectly.

  Someone likes their new sweat pants and t-shirt. 

  I did wash the clothes before he tried them on and they still looked new after washing.  Time will tell on how they hold up to repeated wash and wear.
We also ordered a sweatshirt which has a feeding tube opening but haven't tried it yet.

And just for fun Junior and his turkey pumpkin which we made yesterday.

Pumpkin Patch

Yesterday the smoke was much better and we were all ready to get out of the house for a while.  We headed about a half hour away to the Fog Willow Pumpkin Patch.  It was great to get out and the temps outside were just right.  My sis came along and so did Abigail and Hannah(a friend from JAF camp who was planning to be at doggy training with us but since we aren't there surprised us by coming to hang out). 
We started out by checking out all the animals which Junior thought was great.  Then of course the many, many, many pumpkins and we decided sharing some apple pie fudge was necessary. 

Animals, animals, animals.  

  


 Pumpkin pics, though I realized after getting home I was not in one single pic. 


 
We all shared some wonderful fudge.  Apple pie fudge and salted peanut fudge.  Junior thought we were all quite funny and didn't mind at all that he wasn't getting any, he much prefers a taste of Dr. Pepper and is not a chocolate fan(I know how can anyone not be a chocolate fan).

  
 

Picking out his pumpkin and looking at the hundreds of pumpkins around.

 

 

 

 

 Abby and her mom

 

 

 

 They found the perfect pumpkin.