Wow! I really felt like Ump was clicking today. He seemed to remember with less prompting the usual details - our names, dog breed, age ( well, not this one the second time around), but the encouraging thing to me was he seemed to be clearer about the tricks he was asking River to do. It's hard to explain after the fact, but he knew which trick he was asking for and although he didn't always have the right signal, he had the name of the trick correct. Our plan to keep him to one trick and a routine didn't work out - Ump wants to try all he can remember - and he can remember most of River's tricks. Therapist Terri had made a list which they had reviewed and I think it was effective.
I did get reminded from their conversation, how important River's visits are to Ump. He truly loves dogs and has limited opportunities to interact with them. He had made dog biscuits and shared some with River - the rest he hopes to take to the Humane League. Having River visit him is his "claim to fame" at Acadia where River is know as "Ump's dog."
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