October 2012 "Pawsitively Blessed"

The Last day and Graduation

Sorry I didn't post on graduation day but unfortunately it was a bit tainted. On Thursday night around 1 am Chevy woke us up. He had vomited in his crate. I took him outside right away and he ran down the hall trying to get outside. The diarrhea started. Every couple of hours he had to go out and Nate was up at 4:15am that morning too.... he was fine! Chevy was not. He was lethargic and I was worried. He continued with the V and D. I called Jennifer, one of the trainers at 1am and she said if he didn't stop to bring him in to 4 Paws in the morning and the vet would take a look at him. Dr. C said he looked better than he thought he would but gave him an injection for nausea and immodium. We were sent home to get ready for our public access test. You could tell that Chevy felt awful. Broke my heart to correct him udring the test, but he passed all the same. We headed back to 4 Paws and during graduation he slept and had two more episodes of vomiting. The vet was concerned about a possible intestinal blockage so after graduation we took him to a 24 hour vet near Dayton. My heart broke when the vet said they wanted to keep him overnight and start an IV. They had seen something questionable on his X-ray. No news was good news overnight and they repeated the X-ray. They did seem something about the size of a pea but that was moving through with no problem and to this day I still haven't found anything... yes I am digging through his poop everytime he goes. He has recovered very well and is eating and pooping no problem. Nothing has passed that would have cause any obstruction. I'm thinking he had some kind of virus. Scared the crap out of me... It figures though... If it's not Nate, it's Chevy. Rewind.... Graduation was so emotional, a celebration, but a sad goodbye to all the families that we had connected with. Every single person that was there for the class was a part of our big family that formed over two weeks. As each family went around the room and told how their two weeks had gone, many a tear was shed. I was doing ok until Tali's mom cried, then Samuel's dad was choking back tears. I said two sentences, broke down and ugly cried. I could attempt to explain the bond that forms but unless you are there and experience it... it's just so hard. This was an exclusive membership to a club that we all belong too. Every parent in their knew exactly what the other one was feeling. Even though our kids are different in some ways, they all have special needs. Not one person was phased if one of the kids went running across the room, flapping, stimming or having a meltdown. The atmosphere in the training room was so comfortable. We were all there for the same thing... our kids. We had all taken the time, filled out the application, raised the money and now made the commitment to spend two weeks training a dog that we hope will bond with our child and become their best friend. One mom said the thought of being able to go to the bathroom and take a shower was now a possibility with her dog. Another father said his son who is non verbal, but communicates by typing asked for a dog several years ago. When his Dad asked him what he thought about his new friend, he replied "I love him." Whenever one little girl would have a meltdown, it was all her dog could do to get to her. Seeing the bond's form during the two weeks was magical... the bond not only with the kids, but also with the parents, (the handlers). I really miss everyone and know we will all stay in touch one way or another. I didn't want to leave the comfort of being with other parents who understand what we go through on a daily basis. The drive home went well. It worked out well to have two vehicles to go home. Chevy had the entire back of my CRV. He slept alot, tried to get up front a few times, then just gave up and laid his head across my shoulder. We went to Cracker Barrel for lunch and he was a perfect angel in the restaurant. This journey was worth every step it took to get there. Chevy is perfect and Nate really likes him. Nate had his IVIG infusion today and Chevy laid next to him on the couch and laid his head in Nate's lap while Nate rubbed his ear. We are ready for things to settle down a bit and resume life... with a new member of the family. I will continue to update you guys on Chevy's new life in the Kothera household. We will start his integration into school soon. He has a grooming appt tomorrow and a vet appt on Tues. Nate has a clinic appt tomorrow for counts and Chevy will be introduced to the oncology clinic. I want to thank everyone that made this journey possible. I want to thank all the Ohio mom's that connected with me and helped make me more comfortable if Nate needed care. Thanks to Jennifer and Lydia for meeting us a clinic and showing us where to go. She even offered us her house if "Sandy" knocked out power to our hotel. People are so giving and so wonderful. We are so blessed to have all these people that have touched our lives. Much love to you all.

Halloween, Day 9 and 10

Sorry I didn't post yesterday but we got back to the hotel and had to get ready for the Halloween Party at 4 Paws. Yesterday Ken and I practiced more obedience and Ken did two tracks with Chevy. He did well. The weather was miserable. Seriously, if you are coming to a tracking class you better be prepared for everything... We started out at 80 degrees and went to 30 degrees, windy, rainy, muddy... disgusting. Everyday, Chevy connects with all of us more and more. He is listening to Ken as much as me and even Nate at times. He loves his Kong squeaky ball and his Cuz too. Nate loves his dog and I really think that Chevy loves him too. The Halloween party was great. Many friends of 4 Paws from past classes and the foster college students came in addition to people in our class, volunteers, staff, etc. The food was great. Loved all the costumes. We set up all our treats in the back and stood by a crate as the kids came around. They had a blast. Tracking today didn't go textbook, but Chevy found Nate both times. Ken tracked the first time and by the time I got Chevy he was worn out. We had classroom lecture this afternoon and Chevy didn't come off his mat. He was exhausted. We practiced walking tight rows on an airplane and heeling, under, stairs. Everything went well. Tomorrow is our big day. We have our public access test. I know Chevy will do fine. His heeling needs a bit of polish, but he is still young and we are working on it. I will take him out for a long walk tomorrow in the morning to burn off some energy. Our test is at 11:30 and we do our paperwork at 1:00. Graduation starts at 2:30. I have a special place in my heart for each and every member of our class. People and dogs included. I have spent so much time with everyone that they feel like family at this point and that bond will always be there. I'm so glad we have FB as we leave over the next few days for our homes. On another note, the guy, named Mark, that Nate found in the middle of the night had the front desk leave Nate a special Halloween treat bag full of toys in our room. Nate was thrilled to open the gifts. Every time we go by room 315, Nate yells, "Hi Mark." The card tore at my heart strings... I have to share as it was so beautiful.. "To My New Buddy Nate! You will always be in my heart. I am thankful God guided you to me in his special way. May your life bring you all the wonderful things you deserve, Love Mark" He also wrote Ken and I a note, "To Mom and Dad, God only chooses those with the strength, caring and endless love that you both have to take care of his most precious children, Hope all is going well with the dog for Nate, Always, take care, Mark (from Maine)." This trip has been filled with joyous gifts. I won't tell you it's been a piece of cake, but the end of the road is well worth the work you put in. We have a beautiful, smart, talented, loving dog and have met many wonderful people that are in the same boat as we are. Even though Nate gave me the sickening scare of my life, we met a wonderful man named Mark who has made an imprint on our lives. Thanks to Karen Shirk who loved our kids enough to create 4 Paws. If it wasn't for her, we wouldn't be in Ohio right now!

Day 8... Ken arrives

Well, "Sandy" certainly did put a crimp in our plans. Ken ended up driving my car here. The flights last night were cancelled and all those people rolled over to today. He got to the training center after lunch and was happily greeted by Chevy. Nate was napping in the car. When he walked in, Nate got a big smile on his face and came over to hug his Dad. He was so happy. We tracked this morning... Holy Cow, was it cold, wet and rainy with snow mixed in. The boots again, came in handy. The first track was a bit hard for Chevy. This is the first time he has tracked in 50 mph winds and this cold of weather. He is only a year old remember. He started tracking in the spring. He found Nate the first time and we sent a trainer out the 2nd time. The 2nd track was easier as the trainer was in the woods and that cut down on the wind. We practiced walking with shopping carts today. Had lectures on chew toys... We track again tomorrow. Ken will go out on his first track. I will definitely have pictures.

Day 7... Quite a scary start to the day

I am going to share this because I want everyone to know what happened. I'm not looking to be judged as I have already beat myself up pretty bad. I woke up to the night manager banging on our hotel room door. I was so totally exhausted and didn't know what the heck was going on. At 4:17 am this morning I opened the door to find the night manager standing with my son... Nate.... the one that was supposed to be sleeping. I looked back at the bed he was supposed to be in and then looked back at Nate and my mouth dropped to the floor. I apologized to the Manager and he said that it was ok... We were so lucky. Nate unhooked the night latch and walked out of the hotel room. I forgot to brace the chair against the door as we had done the nights before. Nate always got up between 2 am and 3 am and woke me up, went to the bathroom and got into bed with me. Chevy was in his crate in my room so he didn't even know Nate had left. I was sick... I was horrified.... Never has he done this... I felt like the most negligent mother in the world. I would have never forgiven myself had something happened to him. Luckily... Nate picked room 315 as the door to knock on. A very nice man named Mark was on the other side of that door. Mark works for an agency Called The Getchell Agency. They manage group homes for people with cognitive disabilities. He immediately recognized that Nate had DS, called the front desk to inform them. The manager searched through the reservation notes and found our reservation that noted we had a child with DS and were in OH getting a service dog. He then brought Nate to our room. After a decent hour, Nate and I walked down to Mark's room, knocked on the door.. When he answered the door, Nate yelled, "Hi Mark". I introduced myself, hugged him and thanked him profusely. We exchanged contact information and he was happy to help. I think that Nate had Angels watching over him this morning. Mark was here visiting his son. His flight that was supposed to leave this morning had been cancelled due to "Sandy" so he would have been gone when Nate knocked on his door. I shared my story with all my classmates who nodded and stated they had been there too. I learned about door alarms today and while training Chevy at the mall bought two on clearance at Radio Shack. Chevy will now be trained to bark when he sees Nate walking out a door. Chevy and Nate have bonded, but he doesn't know our routine yet... I know he will pick it up. We got to training a little late with a migraine to boot. One of my classmates is a pharmacist and also had a migraine today. He gave me an Imitrex and it knocked it out in two hours. When I got to training I was emotionally drained, but the support that came from the other parents was awesome. They knew exactly what I was feeling and what I had gone through. Tonight, Chevy and his crate are in front of the front door. I now know that Nate, however predictable he is, can be totally unpredictable. Ken is now driving to meet us tomorrow. "Sandy" has caused some problems with the flights so he will be driving to meet us and participate in training and meet Chevy. I'm excited for him to meet everyone and share in this wonderful journey. I didn't take many pictures today... as a matter of fact, my head hurt so bad I didn't take any. We had another successful track outside today and then since Nate had been up since 3:45am he took a nap. We tracked at the mall with the trainer hiding and Chevy found her instantly. One of our classmates was so distraught today... The match that was meant for her son was not working out. She conveyed her concerns, met with Karen and Jeremy. The recognized the problem and now they are working with a different dog. I'm so relieved for them. I can't imagine coming all this way and spending all this time to not bond with the dog. I know it happens as nothing is perfect, but to see this rectified so quickly was awesome. I don't have one negative thing to say about 4 Paws for Ability. What a class act organization... even if the training center does smell like a dog... tee hee hee. What do you expect! There are many dogs there. Heading to bed now. Need to sleep and will sleep a little easier knowing the Chevy is on the job tonight... blocking the front door!

Day 6, Oh my aching tracking legs, arms, BODY!!

When you start preparing for your stay at 4 Paws they send you all these packets telling you where to stay, where to eat, where to fly into, what to bring... what they don't tell you is that you probably should start running and lifting weights before you come. They should have a 4 Paws Boot Camp requirement. Training is taxing, and tiring at times.. your brain is tired, body is tired, but NOTHING can prepare you for tracking. I can't describe the feeling you have... You know your child is out there and you watch as this beautiful animal scans for the scent trail, snaps, zig zags and find the trail... and then he takes off... You are sucking wind, your heart is beating, your adrenaline is pumping. At the end of the track when your dog finds your child you need to make the celebration over the top... so you are trying to catch your breath from the run and the adrenaline and so excited that your dog just found your child. Takes a long time to recover from that. Not only is it physical but emotional at the same time. When I started to get Chevy excited about the track and let him go to start my heart started racing right along with his. What I realized is that I have a tool, I possess something that you can't put a price tag on. My child has walked away and Chevy can find him.... You want to jump up and down, yell, cry, Thank God and everyone at 4 Paws for this priceless gift. All this dog wants to do is please you and this is just a big game for him, but all the same it is phenomenal, magical, emotional, exhausting. Until you see these dogs at work you cannot truly understand the power that they possess. AMAZING! We had 4 adults go down today... one of the mom's face planted and injured two of her fingers. This is very physically taxing and takes skill with this tool. I don't want to scare anyone, but be prepared! The smartest thing I did was buy a pair of rain boots with a fleece insert. I've worn them twice now and the really helped me. Also, having two huskies in the past helped me to remember to hold my body weight back when the dog lunges forward toward Nate. We will need to continue to practice this when we get home... to keep it fresh and fun for Chevy and so we don't lose the skill of reading Chevy's cues.

We covered grooming today, more obedience. I was so excited this morning. Nate actually picked up Chevy's leash not once but twice today and wanted to take him for a walk. This is the first time he has ever done this. In the past he is very fearful of taking the leash. The other thing that brought tears to my eyes today was at lunch. We brought Chevy with to the restaurant and practiced "under". Nana got up to go to the restroom, I was sitting across from Nate. He signed "Mom". I asked him "what?" and he patted the chair next to him. It was AWESOME. He talks to Chevy alot too. Chevy is wonderful with Nate and really seems to love him alot. I'm dead tired, focused on this Hurricane and wondering what impact it will have on us this week. Ken is supposed to fly out from O'Hare on Tuesday. I hope he can get out. I am closing with a thought. At the beginning of our journey we applied to another SD agency and was denied with the reason that the dog did not meet Nate's needs. I was crushed, but now realize that things happen for a reason. If that agency had not turned us down I would not have found 4 Paws and Chevy. This dog is truly a gift from God. God Bless Karen Shirk for founding an agency that serves so many different disabilities. God Bless the trainers who work so hard to train these beautiful talented animals. Thanks to all the volunteers and workers who keep 4 Paws running. Thanks to all the fosters and prisoners that help these dogs to grow and mature. Thanks to all the donors that helped us to get here and most of all .... GOD BLESS THE PARENTS of these special kids who have the guts to take the first step and send in that application.... It's a long road, but so worth it in the end. Just look at Chevy and Nate! The Bond growing between the two of them says it all!

Training Day 5

Another day down... each day, Chevy gets better. I am earning his respect and he continues to bond more and more each day with us. He looks for his boy every day. I've caught him a a couple of times in the car, laying next to Nate and doing what we call "lap". He puts his head right in Nate's lap.. and Nate goes "Awwww... good boy." We started the day at the "Waffle House". Nana had never eaten there... so we went. I don't think she will ever go back.. ha ha ha. You just have to try it once and that's all you need. We started to day with a review of our previous night at the hotel. Worked on "under", tethering... tracking. What a track Chevy did today. It was very muddy today and I had my "Hunter" boots on... I bought them specifically for dog walking. They came in handy.. We chose a long track. When we got the first two head snaps... (tracking lingo) our trainer handed me the flexi lead... and we ran. I tried to hold Chevy back as much as I could, we came up over a hill and I almost went head first over the hill when Chevy saw Nate. Jennifer told me to drop the lead and I did... OMG. Face planting would have been so embarrassing. I went out with one of the other kids in our class to hide. It was so cool to see his dog Beckett, come around the corner to find his boy. We had lunch at the same restaurant with two other families from our class. We got to talk a bit and learn something about them. Every family is so different, yet we are so similar in so many ways. This opportunity to connect is just so awesome. We had homework tonight. I took Chevy to Walmart, walked the aisles... did some stands and then went to the dog aisle, put him in a long down and threw squeaky dog toys around the toy aisle. I had a little boy be his distraction and come and pet him. Went back to the hotel and practiced under in the lobby eating area. Just settling in and getting ready to blog for all of you and saw a message from Jinger that her dog Beckett had just peed on her luggage. Luckily, I bought a bottle of Simple Solution enzyme cleaner and ran it up to her so she could spray her luggage down. We have been so lucky... no accidents anywhere, so therefore I probably jinxed myself. Every night we get back to the hotel, I could just crawl into bed... this training is exhausting, but I'm learning so much. The trainers are awesome! I've heard this from other people in previous classes, but you just don't realize how awesome they are until you experience their knowledge and their ability to apply it and teach the stressed out, and tired parents. I really hope this hurricane peters out before hitting Ohio... I really don't want to be out tracking in that!! Good Night all... much love and as always THANKS!!

Training day 3 and 4

Sorry I missed a day... I was so tired last night. The night before I made the mistake of putting a Nylabone in Chevy's crate. He picked it up and dropped it at 1 and 3 then Nate woke up at 3 and moved into bed with me. Last night was a little better. No Nylabone, quiet Chevy... Nate was up at 12:50 and came to bed with me then but slept until 6am. Training yesterday was our first day with Jeremy and our first tracking day. Things seem to be getting better. Chevy is still feeling out how far he can go with me, but realizing that we can work together. He loves his treats from the Liver Lady. We went tracking yesterday and I was rather worried. The weather was beautiful... 79 and sunny. Nana, Shelby (one of the training assistants) and Nate went and hid. Chevy just didn't seem too excited and he was stopping to smell racoon poop and whatever else crossed his path. We had a lecture on how the dogs track and I was wondering how this was going to go. We got back to the hotel in the evening and Kelly Howard from the Sept class came in with Eldora or Ellie (Chevy's sister) and we loaded up the Pilot with the two dogs and went to Wright State University for a Fundraiser for Mallory Hollar, one of the students there. The Foster program is trying to raise funds to get Mallory a SD from 4 Paws. We walked in and I instantly felt like to Mom of a rock star. Chevy was fostered there and we got to see many of his fosters. Grace, one of his foster Moms immediately teared up and started crying. Of course, I did too. Thanked her for all the work she did to get Chevy ready of us. She was so sweet. She has another foster now, but has a special place in her heart for Chevy. We also met Alex who stole Chevy away for a picture in the Picture booth. Alot of the students recognized him and I usually had a group of people around me at any given time. I was asked to get up on stage and introduce myself and say a few words about Nate, Chevy and 4 Paws. I really hope the fundraiser went well for Mallory. Nana and Nate stayed back at the hotel as it was rather late. Today, we started our day at Dayton Children's hospital for blood counts. This awesome Cancer Mom... Jennifer Bridenbaugh who has a 16 yo son, Michael, with DS and leukemia met us in the parking garage and stayed with us until we got back in our car to head to training. It was so nice to have someone that knows where to go stay with you the whole time. Her beautiful daughter Lydia was our escort too. We got the counts later in the day and they are still low. Last week the preliminary counts were 500 for his ANC, but I found out today they were really 400 and today he was 480. His platelets and his HGB remains steady. His sinus issues seem to be resolving too. We will check again on November 5th but as of right now he is off of chemo until then. We got to 4 Paws just a few minutes late and started training with Jeremy. We tracked with Jennifer Varick today. Boy can that girl run.... no wonder she is so thin. I saw a different dog today. OMG.... he saw the first dog go out and he bolted forward... I had to hold him back. When it was his turn and Nana and Nate were well hidden he lost his dog mind and took off. Never once stopping to sniff anything but Nate's scent trail... He found him in minutes. Again, with the 2nd track... this time he went out with Corey, DaMyron's daddy... we try to mix up who Nate goes out with so Chevy doesn't track Nate's companion instead of Nate. So, if Nana goes out with him every time, Chevy may familiarize himself with Nana's scent instead of Nates. Chevy found him so quickly. I couldn't keep up either time... I need to start running again for sure. Unfortunately tracking today was in the rain.. rather misty at first but pretty much a downpour with our last track. We got back in the car. Chevy and Nate passed out. Went through McDonalds drive thru. Ate lunch at the hotel and Chevy and I went across the street to train at the mall. I really enjoyed this because you got some one on one time with Jennifer and Jeremy. It really helped me to refine my commands and some of the bad habits I have from obedience training many years ago with two dogs I had. Chevy did well. It also gave me time to sit down and talk to some of the other families and share stories about he dogs, how tired we were and where the closest Starbucks was. Two of the dogs took a poo in the mall... so glad it wasn't Chevy.

Several of the parents have told me that they love Nate and he lights up the room when he walks in. Brought tears to my eyes... I'm one very proud Mama. Finished up at the mall... came back to the hotel and Nana had Chili waiting for us. What a day. Nate is already asleep, Nana is in her room and Chevy is passed out at the foot of my bed. We track every day for the next week. No track on Graduation Day a week from today. Training is very overwhelming but so rewarding. When you walk away, your brain is on overload, but when you see the bond forming between Nate and Chevy it's all worth it. When Chevy gets in the car from the back, Nate reminds him, "Lelly, down" and then when he lays down, Nate pats his head and says "Good Boy". So amazing and utterly cute. I've noticed Chevy looking for Nate and trying to get to him at different times, when Nate gets out of the car first or walks away from Chevy you can see Chevy wanting to be with him. I love it. I'm going to bed early tonight. More tracking tomorrow... and that means more running in the wet and cold. Hope that hurricane holds off... one of our families is from the NJ area... praying for everyone in it's path. Much love to everyone again for making this happen. The bonds we are forming not only with Chevy but with the other families and everyone at 4 Paws is priceless.

Training Day 2

The day flew by.... I'm tired, but feeling a bit more confident. Chevy is responding well and my days of dog obedience training are definitely paying off. I have this high pitched voice that I use with dogs and it certainly gets Chevy's attention. Chevy responds well. We put the gentle leaders (a different training collar) on the dogs today. Chevy turned into a different dog... very obedient except when he is trying to rub it off his head. Right after I got it on he buried his head in my lap, but the results were amazing. We are meeting so many great people in our class. Such a mix of kids we have... some have autism, some have certain syndromes, Nate and another older boy has Down Syndrome. Kids are running around and playing... class goes on and the trainers don't miss a beat. It's so great to see the acceptance of all the different people in the class. I have to tell you a funny story... we were asking questions and one of the Mom's in class asked if she and her husband were going to a movie or out to dinner without the child the dog is for.. should they leave the dog with the sitter or take it with on their date... Her husband was strongly shaking his head no... I almost fell over laughing. Chevy had a little difficulty getting into the back of the car... I remembered in class to give them a little running start and up he went. He laid down next to Nate.. at one point I heard Nate laughing and Chevy had put his head in Nate's lap. Nate loved it. We had dinner, fed Chevy and now we are relaxing. Chevy is sleeping with a full belly. Going to bed earlier tonight than last night. We split into two classes tomorrow and then start tracking. It figures that Friday is supposed to drop to 50 degrees for tracking after having 79 degree temps... Oh, well, it could be snowing!!! I don't know what I would do without Nana here... She keeps Nate busy, makes great lunches and dinners... she cooked ahead of time and brought a lot of homemade food with her. It definitely makes a difference in how you feel... Ken comes on Tuesday. He flies in to Columbus Airport. I have to chuckle... I can see the tension at times when spouses are stressed out... It's a hard thing... we are so out of our element, running on lack of sleep, the kids are a little off... out of your routine and trying to get this dog to do what you want. It can be a recipe for a big ole fight... I find myself taking lots of deep breaths trying to get my anxiety level down... As I sit here and watch Chevy sleeping on the floor and the smile on Nate's face I know its all worth every bit of any stress or discomfort we might endure. The prize in the end is sooooo worth it. I wouldn't change a thing. Going to wind down... post more tomorrow.

Training Day 1

The beginning of our training class was not like the others. Karen and Jeremy had to leave to go out of town and they are also filming a documentary so they brought the dogs out quickly. It was rather chaotic, but I understand the other classes had to wait sometimes 2 hours for the dogs to come out. This was great. Nate was excited but cautious as Chevy is still very puppy and that is a turn off for Nate. He likes calm and not in your face stuff. Chevy is very much in your face. At first I was a little leery of his puppiness, but I had to remind myself that he is just that... a puppy. When we got out on the floor to train, he was right there with me. And he loves the treats I brought from The Liver Lady. We practiced, sit, Down and free. We had dinner when we got back to the hotel, swam a little, and then got ready for bed. Nate is sawing logs... the crate is put together and we are ready to sleep. I AM EXHAUSTED, overwhelmed, discombobulated, overstimulated, but really happy and excited. I don't have Autism, but I can just imagine how all of these kids feel that are in training and out of their element. I think all the kids did really well on the first day. Nate watched his Ipad and then was checking out the play area. I'll post a few pics on here... unfortunately. The internet here at the hotel is very very slow. Takes forever to upload anything. Will post again soon.

Today is the Day

Thanks to all the efforts of many people we are here... Up at 5:30 and ready to meet Chevy. I promise, as soon as I can I will post pics and let you know how it goes. I can't tell you how excited this Mom is. Nate is getting a best buddy today. That means the world to Ken and I. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!

We made it!!

We arrived at our hotel around 4:30pm today. Nate did great in the car. We unloaded which took two loads and unpacked. Went to eat at Max and Irma's which is awesome because the one by our house closed. Went to Meijers, got groceries, ran into a 4 Paws dog in the store who was their with his foster. Came back to the hotel. Went swimming, ate Pumpkin ice cream and now getting ready for bed. Tomorrow is the day we get to meet Chevy and our first day at 4 Paws. I'm excited, but exhausted since I didn't sleep well last night. I can only hope Nate sleeps through the night. Our room at the Residence Inn is awesome and so was the pool. We ran into another 4 Paws family at the front desk. They have a beautiful fire pit area that I'll have to check out before it turns 40 and freezing here by the weekend. I think they are predicting snow on Halloween... I'll post more tomorrow with pictures.

We Leave Tomorrow

It almost seams surreal. Feels like I just sent that application off to 4 Paws yesterday. It's been a little over a year. I have been packing and organizing most of the day. Ran some errands too. We are super excited to meet Chevy.. I'm just wondering where I'm going to put him and Ken on the way home? Thanks for all the support. My goal is to blog here daily and post as many pics as I can.

Nate's Buddy Gillian begging for Nate's Matches.... we got them the day I posted the videos... coincidence?

How service dogs impact their owners, click on the link to see another video of Chevy

How service dogs impact their owners

Video of Chevy from his foster

Meet Chevy, Nate's New Buddy

Here is the letter that Nate received from Chevy: Nate the Great! Do people call you that? They should because I saw some great beggin going on the past few weeks. Us dogs have been following the begs and seeing if anyone guesses which one of us is theirs! You never guessed me. Hmmm maybe I should make you guess some more? Oh dear, I am afraid that might make your Mom loose it though. So here I am, Chevy! I am a member of the NASCAR Litter and we are all Golden Retrievers. Some of my siblings are in this class too, in fact 5 of us! It will be a NASCAR week! We are going to rule the class. There will be me, Tony, Pace, Lugnut, and Gauge! All boys because boys rule! I could not be more excited that you are coming AND it is Halloween AND we get to trick or dog treat AND if anyone does not give us a treat we have to do a trick, like peeing on their shoe! Be prepared for so much fun! I hope I get tons of Milkbones and Puperoni! What dog treats do you like to eat? We are going to have so much fun together, I just know it. Bestest buddies from now on. We can do everything together! I CAN’T WAIT!! Oh my goodness, pack your bags, steal a car, learn how to drive and get to class. Or I guess you could just have your parents drive you, might be easier, ya think? See ya soon xoxoxo Chevy

Beggin for my Dog

Introducing the Kids of the October 2012 Class Begging for their Matches

Let the Begging Begin

Every class does creative things to beg for our matches.  Approximately 2 weeks prior to our class each child with receive an email from the Pink Girlz (very cute Papillon's that live with Karen Shirk) telling them who their dog will be.  Along with the email comes a picture.  Many classes take pictures, send videos, bribe, cry... anything to get their matches.  Once our class video is done I will post the link to that too so you can see all the lucky kiddos that Nate will be in Ohio with.  

35 Days and counting

It's been quite a while since I posted...  8 months as a matter of fact.  Life has simply gone on and I've neglected my blog... but I'm back.  The excitement is mounting.  We will be in Xenia Ohio in 35 days.  We will know who our dogs are in approximately 21 days.  I will most definitely post the email and pictures we get once we know who Nate's buddy will be.  Once we get to 4 Paws I will try to blog daily with picture updates to keep you in the loop.

Nate is doing great.  He will be officially done with chemotherapy on November 12th.  He had his last spinal tap with sedation and chemo several weeks ago.  He is in first grade and doing well adapting.  We had a birthday party for him this summer and asked for the guests to include a dog toy with each gift.  I still don't think he has figured that one out yet.  Nate's Nana, Sue Kothera will be accompanying us to Ohio.  An extra set of hands is always needed with Nate.  I've become friends with another Mom who is also a nurse.  Her grandson who she has custody of is in the September class so she will be reporting back to me as to what to expect.  We are so excited and it's coming so fast.  Thanks again for all your support!

Update on Training Class

We got the most exciting email today from 4 Paws.  There was an error in scheduling and we are in the October class!!!!!  We are so excited to be moved up to be that much closer to getting Nate's new buddy.  Just thought I would share as soon as I knew!!  As soon as I know dates I will post.

It's OFFICIAL. We hit our goal!!

We received word this week that the check from Friends of Nathan Foundation came in and we have OFFICIALLY met our goal.  We will be in the December training class.  What a wonderful Christmas gift for Nate.  His own "highly trained" dog.  It was so nice to relax over the holidays and enjoy time with family, not having to worry about fundraising.  We are now working on our "travel" fund as we will have to spend two weeks in Xenia, OH to train at the 4 Paws facility with Nate and his dog.  Over the next 11 months, we will fill out paperwork and make a video of our day to day activities so the trainers may chose the right match for Nate.

I still can't believe how quickly we were able to reach our goal and we couldn't have done it without YOU!  I wish I could hug each and every one of you that donated, spread the word, or simply said a prayer for us.  Every little bit helps.  Thanks to my family who was so supportive during this seemingly monumental task of raising $13,000.  I know we will have matching funds coming in during the first quarter of this year.  They will go to another child who may be struggling with fundraising.  $ Paws will make an anonymous donation to help another family make their goal.

This year will be one with many GREAT things happening.  Nate's Leukemia treatment will be coming to an end right before Thanksgiving, we will travel to Xenia OH to meet Nate's new buddy and this will be our first Christmas off of treatment.  HELLO 2012!!

Happy New Year to everyone.  Thanks for your support!  We have met so many new friends on this new path we are traveling and we feel so fortunate to have you supporting us along the way.  THANKS SO MUCH!!

Thanks to Olea Salon

Olea Salon held a fundraiser for Nate with a day of haircuts donated to Nate and also several gift baskets that were raffled off.  Colleen Schramm from Olea paid Nate a visit to deliver over $1,000 and have him pick the winners of the raffle.  Many thanks to Olea for their hard work and donations to Nate's dog.  Also thanks to all the Olea customers and people that mailed in generous donations.  Words cannot describe how grateful we are for all the support that has come from absolute strangers...  Thank YOU!

Colleen brought a replacement puppy dog for Nate to cuddle with until he gets his dog.