Bag of Tricks

What we take along on visits:

River, freshly brushed, wearing Gentle Leader, often a seasonal bandana, and a 4 ft leash, and a regular collar with ID and rabies tags

Somtimes :
ballon on a length of ribbon, hula hoop, collapsible children's tunnel, toy piano - for tricks

Back pack :
our KPETS ID cards, now on custom lanyards with doggie charms!
treat pouch, pre packed with treats, and more treats as backup
- we especially like Snapbits for his "catch it" trick, we take a variety, even Cheerios sometimes

Dog water bottle
Small towel
Poop pickup bags
Hand sanitizer and hand wipes
2 brushes for River
Leashes - a very short one that we use to just have something on him when he is doing jumps or tunnel, that won't trip him; a longer 6 foot leash. We sometimes use 2 so a child using a walker can hold one and walk River, while we have the other for safety.
Dog toys - balls, he likes a plush one with a squeaker, we try to vary this
River's business cards
KPETS cards and info brochures

Planning to have in car:
notebook to log hours
copy of River's shots record
copy of KPETS authorization letter

Other things that might be good:
KPETS vest if we get one, buckles can be useful
Camera - photos for KPETS, ourselves or the clients, would need release forms
I usually take my phone ( on vibrate) and of course, car keys and leave my purse locked in the car.

Not Able to Throw "Catch It"

Seems I remembered wrong. Ump cannot throw a treat for River to catch. We tried to encourage him to toss it a few different ways. His therapist modeled it for him by doing it herself first. River, naturally, thought this was a great game - he likes anything that gets him treats. I talked about how he had liked to play baseball and about throwing a ball for that. I had previously tried to show him just dropping it down at River. River does a pretty impressive "catch" when a treat comes straight at him from overhead. Ump would just not release the treat. He would hold it above River and say "catch it" but not let go and then switch to "ok" or "here" and feed him the treat by bringing his hand to River. Still OK from River's persepctive. When we tried to get him to do a toss instead, he said "catch it" but hand signaled for "spin" which River obliging did; then Ump handed him the treat.

I don't know if his therapist wants to have this as a goal for Ump. It's certainly not a problem for River. He does his best to follow signals and favors hand signals over verbal commands and is happy to oblige. I'm not concerned that my dog will get confused either. So, it's just an observation on my part, that something I presumed to be so simple - tossing a treat to a dog, is not, in fact at all.

Ump perhaps helped me to realize that we use the same "catch it" verbal command when we place a treat on River's nose for him to flip up and catch, although it has a different hand signal. So River has the ability to generalize that "catch it" means catch the treat or toy however it is coming at you - from above, a toss or when you flip it in the air yourself.

Straghtening Out the Mixed Signals

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."

Oct 19 Schreiber Visit

Amanda and I took River to see Pink Girl today. First we had to run the gauntlet of preschoolers lining the hallway - River enjoyed a brief petting session there on the way to Physical Therapy. Pink Girl was already stretching with her mom, draped over a padded bolster, so we moved River nearby to say hello. Her greeting was tentative, so I wasn't certain of today's mood. River was decorated with a pumpkin/jack o'lantern bandana and I had brought an orange balloon, to work the seasonal theme. She practiced some standing both with the balloon ( for him to bat at) and holding the hula hoop for him to jump - we did coax her to give the "over" command a few times. I had also brought along the tunnel for the first time and Amanda set it up and I had River demonstrate going through it and jumping over it. Pink Girl was seated at this point and the tunnel was aimed at her diagonally so that when River exited it, he was popping out right in front of her. She pulled back when he came through and Megan used this reaction to have her practice sitting up straight. With a little adjustment- too close made her throw herself too far backwards, this was effective for quite a few tunnel trips. Totally unplanned, but it worked. She did a bit of brushing River and then was whisked off to OT. New schedule will bring us together again in 2 weeks.

Visiting in the hallway as we left, chatted briefly with a family that is hoping to get a dog from Susquehanna Service Dogs for their son, discussing the training process and following their blog. I just love the connections that get shared because of the dog.

Missing Her Dog

These visits are harder to write about, yet they really affirm that animal human bond. A local friend of mine has recently had her mother-in-law move in with her lively household. The MIL is being treated for brain cancer and the prognosis is not good. She moved to PA from Alabama and was not able to bring her dog along and had been missing her terribly. So, I was happy to take River for a visit and she, as well as the children, really seemed to enjoy him, both petting and his tricks. She told me about her dog and shared pictures and we chatted about other canine topics; she wanted to know about the Humane League here.

I heard afterward that River was quite the topic of conversation and something that seemed to give her pleasure. We returned a few times, even taking Amanda and puppy Noche along on one visit. Recently, my friend emailed that her MIL does not have long left and I thought, "we must visit again if she wants us." Before I could call, I heard through another friend,that she still talked about River and would like us to visit. So Satuday afternoon, we headed over there again. River was on his best behavior and even was generous with his "kisses" which she seems to like. We kept it light, chatting about dogs; she told a story about hers who is with her daughter. I maneuvered River to keep him close for petting as she has become a bit less steady. I was planning to keep the focus on visiting, as River gets food-focused if treats are out, but her young grandson brought out some Cheerios and coaxed a few tricks from River. Her only allusion to her health was when I offered to come again and she said " Well, if I'm here."

I never wanted to do hospice visits. I cry at sentimental commercials and I think I would be uselessly tearful in that situation. I met Jasmine & Moose at the Pitties in Park event and she does hospice visits - that seems so brave and so selfless to me, as with our friend who sings with a " Songs for the Journey" group. Yet, if she goes into hospice, I would take River to visit her.

Schreiber - PT & OT Double Dipping

Visit with Pink Girl, then asked to skip next week.
Impromtu visit with Kristin & Teen Boy.

These are the notes I typed to jog my memory when I play catch up on blog posts. Hmm, it's almost 3 weeks later, so....

I know we had a visit with Pink Girl where she was not in a cooperative mood. I mostly recall that the session needed to be on a tighter schedule as she was headed to her next therapist immediately afterward. Megan asked us to skip next week, perhaps to evaluate River's motivational effectiveness. That turned out to be the week, she cancelled and we missed the message. Well, after her visit, we acted on impulse.

Since we were done in half an hour and I had spotted Teen Boy going down the hall to OT, we popped in there to say hello and see if a visit was wanted. We had been asked to see him a few weeks ago as a one-time thing and I think it was very well received. Both he and Kristin, his therapist seemed happy to see us. I was careful to check with her and not be intruding on her plans, but also happy that it worked out. Teen Boy, with a little encouragement, enjoyed putting River through his paces of tricks. He remembered most of them and was eager to get out the "wobbly" tunnel. He most enjoyed seeing how many tricks he could get out of one treat reward. Kristin used the situation to have him participate and not back out - literally as well. He tended to keep backing away from River, off the mat; when she blocked him by standing behind him, he was able to stay put. It was fun for us, too, to see River being so openly enjoyed.

Going To the Dogs Weekend

OK, I had to use that as a title sometime and this seemed the best occasion. Saturday we set up the KPETS table and our canopy at Mutt Mixer ( Stumpf Field fundraiser for Furry Friends Network) and staffed it for the first shift. Then I took River through Mutt Mania ( obstacle course) and Back To Basics ( basic obedience), while Amanda had Noche run the Doggie Dash - although River inadvertantly joined in there, too. We purchased a handmade sweater for Noche and treated them to a half price hot dog, too. Costume contest was next where River "floated" as a butterfly and Noche showed his true colors as a "Little Monster". We did take home a 3rd place medal for Mutt Mania ( although Amanda pointed out that she and River had the first place trophy last year). I said it's because I don't run as fast!

After that exhausting day, we headed out Sunday to Tailwagger's Trot, the Humane League fundraiser. It was a fun mile and half walk from Clipper Stadium to Buchanan Park in beautiful weather with a team of new KPETS friends. Noche walked sometimes, although it was tough for him to keep up when it got crowded and we had to scoop him up as there was a relentlessness to the pace of the group. We checked out the doggie vendors, River snacked on lots of treats - Noche not so much and both got cute new bandanas for their wardrobe. We also talked again with Wendy Jordan and Amanda and River will be starting a Rally course with her on Mondays at 4 PM. Another fun, productive and exhasuting day. Doggies and I enjoyed a lengthy nap when we got home. Amanda,with the stamina of youth opted out.

We haven't purchased a KPETS vest or bandana for River. I had read that the vest can get in the way of petting, although I have also heard it can be useful in some AAT situations. I would like to have it for KPETS events like these - to clearly identify him and as a conversation starter. Another item on the to-do list.