Day 6: Meltdowns, Snow, & Countdown

Woke up to Sherbert doing her I have to go whine, which set me in motion because I really was not looking forward to cleaning her cage.  My morning was a rocky start not only where we late getting to the faculty which led to me feeling off kilter because I had to reroute myself and get over to the class site once I got there and got my bearings I felt better and was able to focus on what we were doing.  I have to say Sherbert was on her game this morning.  We did one track but she was on top of the footsteps that Jonathan and his friend took this morning going right to them and having that look on her face like so mom, I found him where are my dogs (hotdogs) and my tennis ball.

The DeZarn girls and Sherbert

Today was a little awkward for me because I was in a transition mode due to circumstances Jonathan’s sitter had to return home and it meant I was handling Jonathan & Sherbert. Can we say busy bodies but I am happy that the families here have bonded because I had some moms & dads stepping in to help when necessary at one point we had grandparents involved with the chaos of the kids. We began to work on behavior disruption today which includes lap as well as over which can be a large help when Jonathan is in meltdown mode or coming out of seizure mode because it’s deep pressure. 

So here is the fun part of it all or at least now that I look back over the day I think that but it was no funny or laughing matter while it was going on. We were back in the mall today and we were doing inside tracking and tethering. Now remember yesterday when I wrote about the chaos that J caused in the stores with tethering. Well today was no different Mister Brown went for ham and just cut a fool  at first I attempted to ignore it and act like nothing was going on but that lasted all of about thirty minutes because I could feel the tension headache forming behind my eyes and I can only imagine the scene we were causing.  Sooo I untethered them and that still did not satisfy him so we went through a three-hour period of an upset and temper tantrum child and a dog who did not know whether to stay by Mom’s side or to try to console his boy because his boy was simply in fight or flight mode. After a few moms stepped in and attempted to help me we finally got an idea on how to pull off a tracking situation in the mall and JcPenny’s of all places but it worked out because we made it as fun as possible.

J & Sherbert in play mode

Once back at the hotel I was hoping for a quiet moment I was even willing to let J take a quick nap for a quiet moment but he had other plans so I let Sherbert and him play for a little while to see who would tired down first. Let us just say as I write this blog he is up making noise and knocking on the wall.  Here is hope that the night manager does not call up here tonight for his mayhem…

Cannot wait to share with you tomorrow’s adventure we are official on countdown until time to go home T minus 5 days…

~Truly Blessed,

Misherald “Missy”, Jonathan “JB” & Sherbert “SD” Brown

Day 5 of Training @ 4 Paws & Tethering in Public

Today was one for the history books.  We are in the mix of the class and a lot is being added in from tracking more often and understanding exactly what are pups are informing of us of too tethering.  Now if you don’t know what tethering is for some this is a great situation the child and the dog are connected with two separate collars, 2 d-rings, and mom has a leash as well as the child while the dog remains in it’s working harness.  Now for me I was already a little leery but I knew it was a necessity because my child has gotten clever with disappearance acts so of course I knew I had my work cut out for me.

After class everyone was talking about this public appearance that we were supposed to make and of course me being me I’m oblivious to what they are talking about so I start asking and once I realize it’s a way to get 4 Paws a donation of five thousand for their building fund I was determine to be there.  I decided to do some public access work as well as tethering well let’s say this Jonathan was good until he realized exactly what all the straps meant.  Tethering is a method to be able to have your service animal used as an anchor of sorts basically the child has a hard time getting away because now they have an actually live animal using its weight to keep them within their boundaries. 

Sherbert rocked it no matter what Jonathan did Sherbert held her position we even changed how we were tether and she kept her boy within her boundaries however this was not the end for us.  Once Jonathan got to the point of okay this is not working, he began to scream and holler.  Now honestly I am use to this and often this is what will cause me to leave a store because it is hard to shop and focus on what I am doing but I do not want to disturb other people with his screaming.  If I have to go shopping and decided to take him I have a list and I do not deviate I make it quick and painless. Today was one of those days where I wanted to test the limits so we walked this outside mall going into Old Navy as well as Sephora tethered and I am thankful for people who do not stare but instead actually initiate to try to help or just simply ignore it.  Today I got help random sales personnel would come and interact with him and his girl to give me time to be able to turn back to my sales associate to make proper selections.  I went to reward Sherbert and realize Opps! Mom only had doggie food which wasn’t going to be worthwhile reward for all that she had went through so that meant a trip to Pet smart which has somehow become one of my favorite stores.

With new information in hand and a dog that had just preformed stellar I wanted to get my girl some goodies.  Walking into the store I was determine to keep her within the no grain just like her food.  As well, as use them to help her be a healthy dog.  When I saw the word sale and discount, I probably went crazy but I also was happy to see it was things I could use.  I began to search the display for some goodies for her but Jonathan had other ideas and Sherbert had her own ideas, which lead to dog, mom and child being wrapped around a pole with straps all over it looked like I had a wrapping game going on.  Once again a sales associate stepped in and began to help not only did her and I discuss different things on how to keep teeth healthy but also how to keep her coat shining but she also made some suggestions to make tethering more rewarding for Sherbert.  So yeah, we went stir crazy and ended up with five bags of treats. However, Jonathan does not like to see red collars and straps it flips him out because he knows what is coming.

Overall Sherbert did her thing! She knows what to do without me having to prompt or indicate it her to do it.  It was so funny today because I was attempting to give her commands and realized that she was trained so good that she kind of knew what she needed to do.  So after a few minutes of watching her I realize that in a sit mode if Jonathan went to try and pull it would basically have her sliding so I kind of let her do her own thing and paid close attention to her actions.  It is amazing how quick she is to calm Jonathan down once tethering is done and how he quickly forgets that, he is mad at her.  I think we have a great team going if we can now just get the little boy on board all will really be well.

  

Stay tuned we will be posting a whole lot more about our 4 Paws training as well as what’s like becoming a full blown dog owner as well as service dog handler I’m sure I’m going to experience a few ups and downs as well as some interesting moments.

~Truly blessed,

Misherald “MB”, Jonathan “JB” & Sherbert “SD” Brown

Day 4 of Training and Oh what a weird day it was

Today was a big day for us.  While my mood was running hot and cold, I would have to say my energy was off the rocker. Today was a tracking day and the coolest thing was it was not as cold and I was extremely happy for that.  Tracking today for us was a little different we allowed J to track in his wheelchair which meant he had to be on pavement because of how Sherbert looks for her boy’s body scent she tended to go towards the grassy area to try and regain the scent and know she’s on her proper trail. I was great learning that as Jonathan loves to disappear in his wheelchair.

Getting back to 4 Paws, we went into obedience mode and I loved the fact that Sherbert knows when that wheelchair is coming at her that she has to move out of the way not to be hit and a command does not have to be given to know that her boy is not paying attention.  We worked on the commands we already knew sit, stand, down, and then we added under which is a helpful command because she will go under anything she is able to and simply lay down until she is freed.

The big finale was the mall and the funny thing was how many people knew our pups and how accepting everyone was of her accepts one guy who had to make a remark and I probably should not have but I responded. His remark was more or less just run the dog through the mall and when I looked at him my comment was yep she is going to run on through cause she is a working dog and has that right and kept on walking. I was simply in mommy mode and he was being a smart allack.  Other than her zip lining me through Lens Crafter while the technician fixed my glasses I was truly impressed I hardly had to correct her and she was so happy because people where just simply in awe with her and her pet siblings wanting to pet and say hi.

The cool thing is now that we have gotten past the public access I am able to take her anywhere I go so we can continue to work on her endurance of staying in her command for lengthy time.  The worst part of my day was my reverse going on my car.  I do not know how it happens but I do know I was thankful I found an honest mechanic and was given honest information without a diagnostic fee.

~Truly Blessed,

Misherald "Missy", Jonathan "JB" & Sherbert "SD" Brown

Day 3 of Training: Updates from Day 1 & 2 and a little rambling

As we began to build into the foundation of being a dog owner, we are now coming into play the part of being a service dog owner.  Many may say there is not a big difference between the two however there truly is and as we add on to what is expected of a service dog owner my mind begins to open to real world experiences as well as accepting the fact a lot quicker that my family just got a whole lot unique. 

I am going to bring everyone up to a little more speed after having the first day be interrupted by viral infection and then the second day I was just pooped.  There are twelve families in all.  Our little lady actually has a sister pup in our mix name Pretzel who will be living in West Virginia.  All of our pups are amazing well trained, behaved, and just particular adorable however they are used to their trainers voice and so the process of getting them user to our voice is simply the challenge as well as getting them to respect our commands.  The very first day we worked on sit and down I was extremely proud of myself because I got the hands commands and word commands down pack quickly and Sherbert responds to both being given together or simply one of the other.

Our second day wasn’t bad well for me it was a rough one after a night in the local ER for a viral infection everything got to me from sound to smell and I was determine to fight it out.  Our goal for that second day was to get our counterparts to remain in the sit and down commands for longer periods.  How many people you know wants to constantly have to tell their service dog no and sit and stay among other things so it’s a learned and practice behavior to get them to stay one place in one position while their handler takes care of whatever it is that they are doing even  when distractions are around.

The great thing about these service dog is they have a understand that when a command is given that I’m already letting him/her know to stay  in that command until I give the release command which happens to be free. When Sherbert is given the command to sit she knows it’s an implied condition that she stays in that position until she’s released  which is simply by me telling her free.  I was amazed at how calm this little lady acted when they started throwing out some cool treats that she seems to love in front of her and the tennis ball. 

O let me tell you about the tennis ball I thought at one point my arm was going to be ripped from my arm she may look small but Sherbert is extremely strong so we keep tennis balls away from her unless she’s being rewarded or we are in play mode. 

Sherbert can also walk into a heel mode which for her it means walk to my left and have her ears within the my leg distance and to follow my every turn and step without over powering me or trying to pull me ahead.  To say she had my respect and attention is far by means but now I realized she knew what she was doing so I know needed to show her I was learning but I was still Mom and she needed to follow rules so here comes day three.

Today was tracking and do mind you I woke up to snow flurries (Did I mention to anyone I’m from South Carolina below the Dixie Line and that we don’t do snow) so imagine my crazy little self-watching the news and seeing all of the craziness going on so my first thought was let’s leave early (that didn’t happen) but we did get there on time.  Now today was totally fun well after I warmed up it was but we went tracking and I have to say if I didn’t say it before My Girl Is A ROCKSTAR she was on her boys trail snapping and S-trailing all on his body cell scent.  For those who are wondering what snapping is basically it’s her head movement that lets me know whether we still have a hot trail and also her way to be able to pick up where her boy has gone.  The S-trail is basically if she’s in a wind pattern the wind will blow the skin cells in certain areas so she’s on the trail but she has to work with the wind pattern. With a few new tricks up my sleeve such as place when Sherbert gets on this special mat that she has and she always keeps atleast two paws on it and she can do whatever she wants.  We had a lot of fun with disturbance training it’s interesting to find how she has now adjusted as me being her owner and when I leave she always thinks like Jonathan has and that thought process “Oh Mom’s gone yeah baby no rules.”

Overall she’s a good girl I’ve been taught some things to recognized about her I know she’s a stubborn little thing because my child is stubborn and I know she will do well as long as I respect her and she respect me. So all in all we are good however I hear my little angel in her kennel snoring and I’m now going to lie it down since tomorrow is a early day and it’s a super fun day as we are going to be doing more tracking as well as our first public access run a busy mall.

Day 3 in Ohio & Day 2 at 4 Paws for Ability Inc

Our second day has been a true adventure Sherbert came back to the hotel with us and she has been a great joy as well as very behaved.  It has been greatly interesting to see others interest in her as well as no one seems to have a negative reaction to her.  Guest has acknowledged her and pet her and the front desk agent even greeted her.

Sherbert is trained on seizure alert so it was interesting to see her in action she must have intensely went at J’s ear and mouth for a good ten to fifteen minutes with alert notices.  Their personalities are exact matches not only are they both stubborn as all else but they have their playful moments when they are all about the playing.

The team at 4 Paws for Ability are great not only are they great at making sure your bonding with your dogs are quick but that it’s a bond that works for everyone.  The coolest part of it all is the bond between the 4 Paws parents.

~Truly Blessed,

Misherald "Missy", Jonathan "JB" & Sherbert "SD" Brown

Day 2 of Ohio: Meeting Sherbet

The big day has finally arrived and we have met our newest family member Sherbet.  The bonding phase for Jonathan and Sherbet was extremely well Jonathan took to her without a problem until he realized that there was a Wii in the kids play area.  Sherbet and I got close and personally, it is interesting to realize how well she took to me and followed my commands. 

So we got to see one of our classmates dogs in action when one of the little girls was in preseizure mode a beautiful golden by the name of Slate went into action sniffing and licking alerting her parents & Jeremy that the little lady was in the mode.  Our other great adventure was one our classmates bolted and we were on a search and rescue because our puppies are not use to the kid’s scent.

Other than me getting sick from something I ate and being exhausted I would say today has been a great day.  However, it is now time to close my eyes and prepare for another day before my little one comes up with another adventure or something that is going to cause a little chaos…

Our Visit To 4 Paws: Day One

Jonathan is super excited about meeting Sherbet

As promise, I am blogging about the experience of becoming a service dog owner.  For me this is a major experience because I’ve never been a dog owner and it’s almost like having another child when you really look at the expenses and the extra stuff that is required to take care of the dog while I’ll continue to say to me it’s all worth it in the end.

          Many people continue to ask me to this day, why I choose 4 Paws for Ability Inc. all the way in Xenia, OH and I still stand by my statement of after doing all the research they were the best and had the best quality scores when it came to training the service dogs as well as the handlers.  The director Karen Shrink truly proved to me her commitment to her clients when my apartment complex attempted to charge me a $300.00 pet fee and I made her aware of it within 48 hours the situation was cleared up and resolved.

          While my day started early, my day ended on a mode of nothing has changed mode, which was the battle of keeping control while making sure Jonathan understood even though we were in a new environment and with his godfather that it did not mean he was in control.  While we are all full of adrenaline, it is wind down time and I am starting to feel the drive, which was long and wet.  Nevertheless, stay tune we cannot wait to show you pictures and tell you more about Jonathan & Sherbet first day…

~Truly Blessed,

Misherald "Missy", Jonthan "JB" & Sherbet "SD" Brown 

Contest Opportunity: Jonathan & Sherbet Raffle for Thirty One Dollars

As March has arrived and honestly caught me completely off guard (2013 has been moving quickly I might add) I’ve just realized Jonathan & I are less than 2 days away from bringing home the newest addition to our family. 

For those may just be getting to know us we are bringing home our four legged friend (a trained qualified service dog) by the name of Sherbet who will be such a wonderful help to his companion Jonathan when it comes to various task that are a part of his everyday life.

With this new addition of course leads to the need to ensure that both of these little ones stay healthy so we are looking to start an emergency fund and by doing this, I am looking to use my Thirty-One business to establish this emergency service dog fund. Therefore, I am raffling off 100 square.

The way the contest works is for every number a person picks they will pay a $5.00 entry fee (there is no limit to entries by one person).  On March 26, I will draw three numbers and announce the winners on the contest page and the Facebook Event Page.  The first prizewinner will win $100.00 to shop on my personal Thirty-One page and second & third prizewinners will win $50 a piece to shop.

Please use the shopping cart button that's on the right hand side of the page!!

If there are, any questions or concerns please send me a message and I will respond back as quickly as possible.  Once you make a payment please send me an email of your number choice I will let you know if the number is still open or request another number.

All proceeds will be put into a savings account to cover Sherbet’s care.