Day 4 's morning included a guest speaker who has her second service dog. She talked all about her experiences with a service dog: the good, the bad, and the ugly. :) Mostly good! We had a great discussion that followed and could ask lots of questions. We talked about where it may NOT be a good idea to take your service dog and why: such as a cruise, out of the country, or to a loud concert or fireworks. We talked about taking your dog on an airplane and how to handle all kinds of situations with your dog. We have an important responsibility to not only represent Susquehanna Service Dogs, but to educate people about them and everyone's rights on all sides of the situation. After lunch, the dogs came in and stayed with us for the rest of the day. We practiced greetings. Such as how to handle all kinds of people in public who may or may not know how to handle seeing a service dog in public. We worked on how Kindle can help Emma when she is in her gait trainer (a walker). It was so funny! Earlier, we couldn't get her to practice "under" under a chair, but as soon as we cued "back," she crawled under the gait trainer and sat there. Too cute! I have a picture. We practiced getting in and out of the car and how we must do this safely for Emma and the dog. We practiced taking Emma in her stroller and the dog into a public restroom. Yikes! That was a challenge. I will definitely need to
practice that more! Either that, or never use a public restroom again!
Ha! That's probably not a good idea. :) We ended with a discussion
about our first night at home with our dogs that included how to give
them a "psychological" dinner. Because they had so many treats today,
instead of their normal amount, they get a small handful. We actually
ended up treating her so much, even when we got home, that she didn't
need even a "psychological" dinner. She has had plenty today. The
pictures below will show you how our Day 4 and the first car ride went. Oh! She was FINE today with her vest on! I guess she is over that already! :)
Hi First grade!! It's almost Friday! Kindle and Emma are really getting attached to each other already! I can't believe it! I really miss you! I can't wait to hear how you are doing while I am gone. Don't forget
book orders are due tomorrow and Friday assigned share. Today, I spent
a lot of time getting used to pushing Emma in her stroller and managing a
dog too! I keep getting Kindle's leash tangled up in the stroller and Emma. Ooops! I need lots more practice! But just like we are learning in first grade, new things take time and lots of mistakes, so I won't give up! Have a great Friday and I'll be back with you tomorrow night about day 5. I think it's "grooming day!" Love, Mrs. Wenger The strap around her face is called a "comfort trainer." It is NOT a muzzle or restraint of any kind. It is like a horse bridle. It simply gives the handler more specific control, like "power steering." We will only use it for Emma occasionally in public if needed. It doesn't restrict her mouth in any way.
Kindle has been trained to walk backwards in front of Emma in her gait trainer. When we cued "back", she had another idea. She crawled "under." Oops Kindle! :)))
Kindle simply resting her head on Emma's shoulder stopped all of her self-stim behaviors instantly!
1st Car ride home together! Kindle really did have the whole rest of the backseat to use! The entire 45 minutes home from Harrisburg, she rested her head on Emma and slept.
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