Thank You! Thank You! Thank You!

In hindsight, I should have started off our blog with this post, but as usual we do things a bit backwards here.

It was quite a journey having Kruizer come to live with us. We had investigated getting a service dog for a long while, but cost and timing were big barriers. Then, as if destined to be, we found out that Klassi Kritters owner Deborah Larson was looking for a match for one of her specially trained autism service dogs. Unlike many organizations out there, she had no waiting list and there was no "donation" requirement (in some cases to the tune of $5000-$10,000).

After meeting with both Deborah and puppy raisers, Meridee and Ed, it seemed this was a match made in heaven. When we saw Kruizer it was love at first sight and all was perfect. There was just on catch. In order to bring him into our home, we had to build a bigger fence. Not so hard, right?

That's what we thought until we started pricing out how much materials cost. We simply couldn't afford it. I was heartbroken, because after a pretty rough year for our family, I hated to deliver another disappointing blow to the kids.

During one conversation with friend, Tami, I told her our situation. Her answer simple. "No way will we let you not get this dog. We can raise the money, I know it." In no time she had made tons of phone calls and got the ball rolling on a small miracle.

The response was amazing! Between Tami, Meridee and Ed, and Deborah, we not only had the money we needed, but an awesome crew volunteers to help us put the fence up.

So, with more gratitude and awe then I can express, I would like to acknowledge all the hard work and money that so many so generously gave. Special thanks goes to master coordinator Tami Johnson, the talented and generous Klassi Kritters owner, Deborah Larson, and puppy raisers and fence builders extraordinaires, Meridee and Ed Cecil -- along with all the others who made it possible for Kruizer to join his boy.

This is Way Too Much Fun!

Yes, Kruizer is a highly competent service dog. He's also a whole lot of fun! Everyone in the family has gotten into the habit of playing fetch with the Chuck-It after dinner. I think I'm finally getting the hang of the thing. Even throwing-challenged beings like me can send the ball flying -- at least far enough to give him a decent work out.

There's usually a fight among the humans as to who gets to throw the ball. Ahh, the competition's good for us. If we're too busy or the weather's bad, watch out! No stuffed animal in the house is safe as he goes around scooping up anything and everything in hopes we'll play. If not, I swear he sulks.

This morning we started working on Kruizer's "wake" command. His boy was having an exceptionally difficult time getting up, so I got some leftover chicken from last night's dinner, put it near his ear and let Kruizer go for it. Fun was had by all as Kruizer jumped up on the bed and licked his boy's head furiously in search of the treat. Five minutes and many laughs later, both boy and dog were up and all was well.

You may not think this is a big deal, but the scene would not be the same if I were to go and try to get DS up. He'd grump and growl and basically be in a horrific mood. This would set the stage for the whole day and things would go downhill fast. Instead, Kruizer's boy woke up happy, the smile lasting well into the day.

We'll continue working on this one everyday. Hopefully Kruizer will get to the point where he's just as enthusiastic without the treats. Either that or I'd better stock up on more chicken.

Boy, Do We Have Work to Do

Today, Kruizer's boy came home. He was in the hospital for a week and a half. Before my son was admitted, the bond between him and Kruizer was very strong. In his absence, Kruizer didn't know where to go, so he slept in our room and was following me around everywhere (he hates to be alone). Now that my son is home, I see we have to reintroduce him as Kruizer's handler and reinforce this bond again.

I've also been noticing some basic training areas of need. His heel is very sloppy. He tends to pull a bunch. He also tries to dart through doors. And I'm noticing a little stubborn streak at times. Now that my son is home, things will (hopefully) settle down and we'll start daily training sessions to work on these things.

Having a service dog is different than I thought. I know its silly, but for some reason I expected that Kruizer would be pretty much good to go when he got here. I think its because his puppy raisers were so awesome and trained him so well. But the training is a continual process and in some respects we have to start from scratch now that he's in our home. There is so much that can't be done until the bond between handler and dog is really established.

I'm anxious to get him to a place where he can help my son more with his meltdowns and other mood stabilizing tasks. This will just take time...and that's OK with us. He's so much fun to have around and a great addition to our household...so we're in it for the long haul and look forward to many years of training.

We're All A Little Lost

This week, Kruizer's boy went into the hospital. He's doing OK, but Kruizer looks a bit out of sorts since DS has been gone. As a matter of fact, we're all a little sad.

While Kruizer continues to make himself at home here, this has definitely set us back in the bonding process, and without his handler, training is now on hold. Hopefully DS will be home with us again soon, so all can get back to normal again.