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!