All in a Day's Work

Patients School Work

This is a picture of a patients school work. The translation is "At UCSF pet therapy room theres dog named Lani. I love her" By Makenzie

Stories from a patient...

This is a copy of an email that a patient wrote to me, a report that she wrote for her class about Nilani and what she meant to her, and some pictures. With her permission I am posting it on our blog.

email:
"So here is the report and a picture, I have yet to take a picture of the board I made, but i will I promise. I can not wait to see Nalani again so tell her I miss her! Also I just wanted to thank you and Nalani for everything that you both do. You have done a tremendous amount of greatness in the world, and I can not thank you enough for inspiring me in the many ways you both have. I honestly think without you and Nalani i would have probably still been in the hospital. So thank you for helping me in being able to spend Halloween with my cousin, Thanksgiving with my family, and now Christmas with my family, friends, and ANIMALS!! Haha anyways thank you for all that you and Nalani do and i can't wait to someday help the world as much as you and Nalani do. Hopefully i can help the world the same way you and her do, by working with animals and children:)

Thanks again,

Mikayla"

report:

Nalani
Sometimes people can take animals for granted, treat them worse than they would anything else, without realizing the power animals have to help us. My name is Mikayla and I am here to talk to you about what I have been through and how animals have helped me. I was admitted to UCSF just a few weeks ago and was there for fifteen days. I was diagnosed with stomach migraines, eosinifilic esophogitis, and compulsion disorder. All of these diagnosis’s are know to cause pain and god knows I was in a lot of pain. I was taking lots of pain medicine which caused me to have sudo seizures and lots of other side affects. Luckily for me UCSF has a great staff including Nalani. Nalani is a half golden retriever half Labrador mix therapy dog. She helped me through a lot. When I was in lots of pain they would bring Nilani in and she would climb up on the bed with me, lay down, and help me fall asleep. This method called “Distraction” prevented me from taking my pain medicine many times, and also helped me realize just how helpful animals can be.

I could not take Nalani with me because she had to help other patients, but she has inspired me in many ways. I now know that when I become older I am going to work with a group called Canine Companions and find a dog like Nalani that I can work with and take to the hospital to help pediatric patients the way Nalani and her owner “Jeniffer” helped me. I hope other people will learn just how helpful animals can be, an can create a magical bond with an animal the way Nalani and I have. I still see Nalani and Jeniffer today and every time I do I bring Nalani a present to give back the way she gave to me.




"Nalani and I decided we were going to take a nap together! Honestly I have to say when ever I was with Nalani, I was the most relaxed."











"I was in a tremendous amount of pain and Jennifer brought in Nalani and it relaxed me into falling asleep. It was the first time I didn’t have to take medicine in 7 days."




"Nalani and I were getting a moment of peace. One of the few moments when I was not hurting."

Here are some pictures of Lani on Halloween. Our department theme was under water. Lani was a blowfish.

Join Team Lani- Challenge for the Children

UCSF and Causes are joining forces this holdifay season to host an exciting Bay Area initiative, the UCSF Challenge for the Children, to benefit UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital. Harnessing the power of social media, indiviuals and teams will compete to raise awareness of -- and dollars for -- an organization dedicated to the most up-to-date care for children and their families.

The individual or team that raises the highest number of donations at any level will claim the naming rights to The Link. The Link is a prominent gatherin space inside the future children's hospital at Mission Bay that will promote play, learning and discovery for children and their families.

TEAM LANI

Want to join our cause?

Just follow these steps:
1. Google: UCSF Team Lani
2. Clink link "Team Lani for the UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital"
3. Click "join Cause"

Nilani in the Paper

This was written awhile ago but was stored instead of published...

Nilani made the news, feel free to check out her article. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/pets/detail?entry_id=74864

Nilani is still doing great, she is working hard and giving lots of love and comfort. We were working with a teenage patient the other day who thanked Nilani for coming to see her. She said that Nilani makes her less scared and the pain isn't as bad when Nilani is in bed with her. This is a perfect example of why Nilani is here at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital.

Nilani also has a special friend who comes once a week and takes her for a little hike on our lunch break. Nilani comes back to the hospital refreshed and ready to go. Thank you for your help and continuous support of Nilani!

Nilani's Doggy Shower

Friday September 24th was Nilan’s doggy shower and she started the day off not feeling well. We ended up going to the vet the morning of as she had not eating and was difficult to get her up and moving. Nilani seemed to be doing much better by the time the party started. All of the tests run by the vet came back normal.

Many people around the hospital thought the party meant that Nilani was pregnant. Nilani is not pregnant. The party was to welcome her to the hospital now that she has had a chance to settle in. We wanted to thank everyone that came to Nilani’s doggy shower. We appreciated all of your support and hope that you had a great time. Below is a link to the pictures from the event
http://www.1eyespotphoto.com/Events/UCSF-Medical-Center-Doggie/13967840_m9HpJ#1026522372_aTZ23

Nilani got some fun toys and was very spoiled. Again thank you everyone for coming and for your continued support.

Sweeney Ridge Hike

This past weekend Nilani and I went for a hike. The hike ended up being 6 miles round trip but Lani had a blast. If you are looking for a place to hike (and hike often) this is a great place to go. The first 1.7 miles is all up hill! It did have an amazing view and lots of wild life.

Trading Card

Today we made Nilani's trading cards. They turned out really cute please make sure you get to pick one up. Her picture is above.

I have to share this story, 1 to 2 times a week Nilani has a friend that stops by and when he comes in she gets sooooo excited. While interacting with him, she is so excited she starts jumping in circles. It is the funniest thing and I have only seen her do it with this one person. If I can capture it on video I will post it but I have yet to do it.

Youtube

Today we met a beautiful little boy named Adrian and his mom. His mom took a video of their interaction with Lani. Adrian is very tactile and the video speaks for itself. Please check it out.

Title: Adrian Alfaro meets Lani

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkVIJ5erBOg

Lani's new collar and leash

Thank you Lynn and Bella Bean (www.bellabeancouture.com) for the great leash and collar. Lani now has her girly bling. The kids love it too! Today in the All Star Room a little girl was showing me which ice cream on the leash that she wanted to eat:)

Appropriate Toys for Lani

Many people have asked what kind of toys or items they can get for Lani, so Lani and I thought we would include a list of things that she can and can not play with. Please do not feel like you need to give Lani something...

Items that Lani can play with or needs:

Galileo Bone
Nylabone
PLAIN Sterilized Bone
Hercules Bones
Nylabone Plaque Attacker
ANY Kong Toys
Jolly Ball (one of her favorite toys from CCI)
Tennis Balls
A chuck it junior
Rope toys
Poop Bags
Fun collars and leashes
Greenie dental chews

Items Lani can not have...

Pig Ears
Rawhides
Booda Velvet
Chew Hoof
Vinyl Toys
Buster Cube
Human Food
Bones filled with treats

The only dog treats "food" that she can have is greenie dental chews or milk bones. If she gaines too much weight CCI can take her away.

Thank you everyone for thinking of Lani!!!

First time in Sacramento to meet the family...

This past weekend we went to Sacramento to introduce Lani to my family. It went really well but while I was home I found out how much Lani really loves to swim. She spent the whole weekend in the pool. Every time I let her out into my parents backyard and the pool gate was open she would jump in. She loves kick boards and tried surfing on them, it didn't work.


She met her new cousin Zoe and they had fun. Zoe was very territorial which is fine. I didn't think Zoe would miss her but apparently she laid by the door for the first 2 days that we were gone.

I got the FURminator and used it last night and the amount of fur that came off of her was amazing! She still had a lot of hair coming off this morning when I brushed her before we came to work. I think it might take a couple sessions of brushing BUT the brush is awesome and it does work! Sorry the picture is blurry.

On Monday we had our first presentation to the residents about Lani and CCI. It went really well and they had lots of great questions. The only down fall was that the residents came to the presentation thinking that Lani was going to be presenting more. She didn't have to much of a part until the end and than started to engage until she saw her tennis ball. After that it was all over :)

Lani has made so many friends here at the hospital both with patients and staff. Thank you everyone who has welcomed her and loved her.

Our first real weekend

Today we went and got Lani licensed with the county. She actually did an amazing job being at an animal shelter. There were cats and dogs everywhere and she didn't try to go over to them. She laid down right by my side. Now Lani has 3 tags that she has to wear. She definitely has a jingle in her step.

After getting our license Lani had her first trip to the beach with me. I would throw the tennis ball and she would chase after it but when she was trying to stop she would kick so much sand up that she buried the ball. It would than take five minutes for her to find the ball. The first time i had to go over and dig up the ball for her. It was pretty funny. By the time we left the beach she had sand everywhere. In her eyes, mouth, her fur, in between her toes.

To end our day, we came home and I brought a book and her toys to the backyard, thinking we could soak in some sun while it was out. Lani would not come outside, she is so scared of the cat! Once the cat left she came outside. I threw the ball and it accidentally landed in the cat food. That one little throw ruined the rest of our time outside. She wouldn't go on that side of the deck, she wouldn't get the ball, the only thing she would do is pace around my chair. Even after I got the ball she still wouldn't play fetch. Silly silly girl.

We are going to go curl up and watch a movie. Have a great weekend!

First time for everything :)

Last night, I gave Nilani her first bath. I was so nervous and afraid that it was going to be a very messy ordeal BUT she did AMAZING!!! Lani jumped into the tub and stood almost perfectly still the entire time. She is so soooo soft now. Unfortunately she smells like dog now. Does anyone have any recommendations of shampoo and conditioner that leaves a dog smelling pretty rather than like a wet dog??

I don't think I have laughed as hard as I did when it came time to dry Lani off. I started towel drying Lani and she thought she would help. She started rubbing herself all over me. She became completely tangled in towels, she was climbing all over me and winding herself under my legs. It was the funniest craziest thing I have ever seen.

I also found out that Lani is scared of cats, which is weird and funny because CCI has a cat named ADA. So I am a little puzzled.

Today Lani laid with a little boy in the playroom. He didn't want her to come over at first and eventually he started to ask for her. By the end of the playroom shift she was lying on the floor next to him. He kept saying "I think she likes me." He also helped me walk Lani to his room. His smile was GINORMOUS!

One of CCI's requirements is to get set up with a vet and have a "well dog" check up. Lani had her first "well dog" vet check today. She did great and passed with flying colors. If anyone is looking for an awesome vet with patience I highly recommend Steve Randle at Pacifica Pet Hospital. I have never owned an animal before let alone a dog and this vet was great. He took the time to listen to my questions, fully checked Lani and gave me a lot of great recommendations from toothpaste, dog chews, flea meds, ect. Great place, even if it is a little out of the way :)



Alrighty we are off to rest. Thanks for reading :)

REMINDERS....

Lani loves to play fetch!! Please remember that Lani is not allowed to play tug-o-war. When you have the item throw it when she brings it back, if you shake it above her head or around her body she will either lose interest or start to get too playful and think that is part of the game. We want to stay away from things that may make her too playful.

Lani should not be giving kisses so if she does please help me tell her no licking.

Everyone is doing a great job respecting the fact that Lani is working and asking before petting. I greatly appreciate it. I am so appreciative that people have allowed both Lani and I get use to working together and to continue our critical bonding.

Lastly remember that you are all AMAZING people to work with. THANK YOU so much for loving Lani and accepting her into our UCSF family.

2nd day at work...

and she did much better. I tried to keep her in a down position more and have her stay on her bed. She was having a difficult time listening to commands to the point where I had to issue a correction and give the command more than once. I am hoping this is due to her being tired and my tone of voice/body language were not objective rather than resistance. I will know for sure over the next few days but I really need to focus on her when I am around the halls and pay attention to the way that I am giving commands.

NAME CHANGE: We decided to start calling Nilani, Lani for short. The kids and staff have such a hard time pronouncing Nilani. She does seem to respond to Lani and it sounds the same. So Lani it is.

During our afternoon playroom time Lani was in heaven! A teenager sat on the floor with Lani and brushed her for a good half an hour. I taught the patient about the different brushes we use and why we use them. She even helped her 2 year old sister brush the dog. It was really cool and the patient had great questions.

At one point today Lani found a tennis ball and went nuts. Lani is a tennis ball snob!! When we were at team training she had 6 tennis balls but would only let me use certain ones. If I threw one she did not like, she would not go for the ball. At one point, after throwing 2 or 3 balls she would bring me the ball that she liked. Anyways yesterday somebody gave our department a donation for the kids and in a couple of them were tennis balls. She saw the stack and chased them all over the storage room. I apologize to everyone who shares our storage room with us, you may find a tennis ball or two under your stretchers or carts… oops they are from Nilani with love.

We were walking through the ICU to drop off some consent forms and we passed a little boys room. The boy was so excited to see the dog from afar. He had the biggest smile on his face. He said he couldn’t wait until he was out of the ICU so he could come see the dog. I wanted to sneek in and let the dog see him but if I break the rule once I will be given a gult trip for not letting the dog visit with other patients. The dog will soon be allowed to go see kids in their bedrooms but we are trying to make sure Lani is listening to her commands and is not stressed out by the hospital. I also have to make sure that I have her commands down pat, we need to be a well oiled machine before she starts hanging around all of the tubes and kids in more critical conditions. I also have to make sure that we have enough volunteers to help in the playroom while I step out. Someday soon though.

Well it is time for us to go to bed. We have had 2 long days and can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings. I will keep updating the blog please check back in every couple days as I will not be able to post everyday. Thanks so much for your support and comments.

1st day of work!!

Yesterday was Nilani’s first day and she had a blast. We showed up to work to find my desk and office door covered in welcome signs and goodies. AND a giant welcome sign in the playroom. Thank you everyone for the lovely surprises. Nilani was like a celebrity, people had asked if they could take pictures with her because they have been following her blog. Thank you to all of those that have been reading. Nilani was given lots of love today. Her job of the day was to be pet and she showed off some of her tricks. She started the day off with a wagging bottom and tail. She had a hard time sitting still, she wanted to say hi to everyone.

We are doing staff time from 1-130 on Mondays, Wednesday and Fridays. On Monday was her first staff time but I am not sure the word got out because no one showed. Dr. Soifer and Dr. Wilson came by to grab food and said hi. It was nice though, it gave Nilani a chance to take a break for 30 minutes with out people petting her. We tossed a toy around in the room while waiting for people. Nilani was dodging around and crawling under chairs.

By the end of the day we were getting ready to leave and a doctor came over to say hi. She just went up to him and put herself into a down position, she was tired!

To get to where we parked we have to take a shuttle up to the parking lot. I think she was a little traumatized by the end. The shuttle drivers are insane. Half way through the trip Nilani could not stay in one spot, she had nothing to hold onto. So as the driver made a sharp turn and than went flying up the hill, Nilani went flying to the back of the shuttle :0 so sad…. I felt like a horrible mother. Once the shuttle stopped and the door opened, Nilani went flying out the door.

By the end of the day she was truly exhausted.

I have to say it is a whole new experience for me having something attached to my hip at all times. I don't have kids and have never had an animal of my own that I had to take care of, so this is a brand new experience. There is so much to think about. Taking an extra ten minutes to chat with one person cuts into the time that I am suppose to be out taking Nilani to potty. Trying to fit everything in is interesting. I used to stay late to get everything done and now I have to be thinking of the dog. Definitely a life changing event, a good one at that.

Nilani and I are off to bed. Good night everyone and thank you for the warm welcomes!

Secret visit to the hospital....

Before we came home we decided to stop at UCSF and take a look around. The weekends tend not to be as busy and CCI recommended giving her a chance to come in and get use to the sounds, smells, movement and people. Sometimes dogs get over whelmed and stressed out by new places. This will hopefully help ease her into the hospital. We were greeted right away by Cally and Dr. Kelly. She showed off some of her cool tricks and than we moved on to the closed playroom. She took her time walking around and smelling everything. We also saw the All Star Room, the courtyard and the office.

While we were checking things out Nilani visited with 3 families that caught us during our secret visit. One was a patient that looked to be about 15 months or so and he kept trying to get the dog to play with his car with him. He followed us around the courtyard and eventually sat down right next to Nilani and kept giving her pets and kisses. As we were leaving we said bye-bye and he shock his head no :( The second visit was with a 15 y.o. sibling that just pet and held the dog. The 3rd however was a teenager that was heading out to the courtyard as we were leaving the office. She had a look of surprise on her face when she saw us and asked if this was OUR dog. I said yes and she asked if she could pet Nilani. She said she was sad that she was going to miss Nilani's first day. The patient sat on the floor and Nilani sat down next to her, putting her head in the patients lap. They cuddled for about 20minutes and than we left.

I also talked with a couple parents that have kids in the ICU that told me their stories and said they couldn't wait for their children to get better so they could meet the dog. A couple nurses asked me to go visit a few patients. I explained that we weren't really here today but on Monday the patients can come down to the playroom. We got a small taste of what is to come.

Once we got to my house Nilani walked around with her nose going a million miles a minute. She is finally home and seems to be loving it. She has already made herself at home, as you can see in the picture below. We also went for a walk around the neighborhood this morning. As we were rounding the last corner of the walk 2 Chihuahuas came charging and barking at her. She went into a down position and sat there till her owners got control of them. What a good dog!!!

We will see everyone on MONDAY!!!

We are coming home!!!

Yay it is finally time to bring Nilani home! I just finished packing the car and getting everything out of the hotel room and wanted to update everyone on our doggy tales. Team training has come to an end and now it is time to prepare for what’s to come.

Yesterday was graduation and I had a chance to meet Nilani’s awesome puppy raisers, Cassie and Walter. There is no doubt in my mind that Nilani was loved and well taken care of as a puppy. They exposed her to as much as possible including playing in the river, flying, the Grand Canyon and yes she has even been exposed to the hospital environment. I couldn’t have asked for better puppy raisers and I hope that we can stay in touch. They brought gifts for us. Her favorite stuffed animal when she was a puppy, a box of her favorite treats, and a picture album of her baby pictures. Nilani’s breeder and caretaker also came to the graduation. Nilani was ecstatic when she was reunited with her mommy.

After the luncheon and graduation we went back to campus and said our goodbyes to the many new friends we have made over the past 2 weeks. Everyone is leaving this team training a better person and with a much larger family. I was than brought out to celebrate the new addition to the UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital family. Thank you ladies for the lovely party, it was so great to be able to share this day with all of you.

I truly appreciate everyone's support during the past 2 weeks and for my cheer squad at graduation. Everyone said that they were very impressed that 4 people came to show their support. THANK YOU.

We are going to go to her dog park one last time before we leave town and than off to Pacifica to introduce Nilani to her new home.
Thanks again everyone.

Final Exam and ADI Public Access Test

Yesterday was amazing and a perfect example of why we need a CCI dog at UCSF. There is a little boy that is going through the training with his mom to get a dog. He has been through the ringer medically speaking and has not said a single word in almost 8 months. After spending a week with his dog, yesterday he said the word NO. One week of cuddling with a dog, walking the dog, and grooming a dog this child said his first word. Needless to say there was not a single dry eye in the house when this story was shared at our luncheon yesterday.

Today was one of our big days. We had our final and ADI public access test. Everyone was so worried. There were people in my class having panick attacks and pulling all nighters. After a very long and stressful 2 days it all came down to this. The final took about 2 hours, by the last page I felt like I had just hit a wall. I couldn’t remember answers and was way too easily distracted. Luckily we were able to stop taking the test and take a walk or get up to move around. In the end I missed ½ point YAY!!! Next came our public access test. This is what will define whether the dog is allowed to work in public ect. She did great. They took us to the mall and some of the things that we had to do were:

• show that we know how to load and unload the dog properly,
• that we can walk a dog through a parking lot without losing control,
• get on and off an elevator while keeping the dog safe (very important for us),
• the dog will not each food off the floor or food that is thrown at them (this is very hard for the dogs). The instructors walk by and drop doggy bones in front of them while they are standing, again while the are laying on the floor, and a third time you talk with the instructors while they push gold fish off the table in front of the dog. A few of them had trouble with this but not our NILANI
• they had to pick up a pen and keys off the floor and deliver them to us

We passed with flying colors. I am only given public access for 3 months. I have to come back in October and re-take the test, if we pass we than get a public access pass for a year. This is very important: Nilani and I must be allowed to continue to grow together as a team and in her commands otherwise the ADI test will be much harder in October. If we do not pass the test she can not work in the hospital.

Today we also learned that the dogs can play with only certain types of toys and certain types of bones. Nilani can only use sterile bones. She can not have bones filled with any sort of stuff like peanut butter. She can not have rawhides, pig ears, nylabones or rope toys. They recommend the KONG branded toys and the goughnuts toys (indestructible). She loved the jolly ball and tennis balls.

Well tomorrow is our FINAL big day of team training. We have graduation!!! I also get to meet what they call “the puppy raisers.” These are people that volunteer to raise the dog and start training the dog. They have the dogs from about 2 months of age until they are ready to come to CCI (normally about 1.5 years). That will be exciting but hard. Nilani’s puppy raisers are Walter and Cassie and they did an amazing job with Nilani. I know that it will be hard for them to give up Nilani but I hope they know that she will be well taken care of and loved.

Thanks for reading. We can not wait to come home and meet everyone at UCSF!!!

Drum roll please......

FINALLY it is time.....Drum roll please........ Our dog's name is Nilani!!!

Some fun facts about our dog:
*She is a yellow lab and gold retriever mixed.
*Her birthday is May 12, 2008
*Loves to play with a blue ball called the jolly ball and tennis balls doesn't care for frisbees)
*Loves to have her tummy rubbed, in fact, once you start petting her she will normally roll onto her back.
*When I give her the DOWN command she normally crawls under my chair and goes down
*She is 54lbs fully grown and her head is right above my knee in height when she is walking around.
*When she rides in a car she tends to put herself in the foot well(see picture below)*She has many boyfriends at CCI, a picture of one of them is below

Day #7

This morning was our day off and we slept in a little. I than took N on a mile and a half trek and she was exhausted towards the end. I think her pads are a little sore from walking on real asphalt for the first time in about 9 months. I need to start walking her every morning to get her ready for the hospital.

The stress is finally coming out of N. Her stomach is upset and I had some pretty messes (luckily all over the side walk) to clean up towards the end of today. The instructors say that the dogs are under so much stress from being constantly worked and meeting so many people during the first week of team training. I hope that is what is wrong. I will check in with them tomorrow though.

Anyways, We are half way thru training, YAY!!! This has been an awesome experience and everyone has been amazing but it is exhausting! Only 5 more days left but with that being said I haven't seen anything yet. The next 5 days will be filled with group training sessions, lectures, personal training sessions with our instructors, 4 more field trips making sure we can handle the dogs in public, class and ID photos, a practice test to prepare us for the ADI public access test, a written final, the real ADI public access test, meeting our dogs puppy raiser, graduation and than saying good bye to all of our new friends.

Good news is that I can share lots of pictures and our dog's name at the end of class on Monday. I am about to burst over here. I learned today that N is not that into frisbees. But she does love tennis balls and a ball called the "jolly ball." It is a blue ball, twice the size of her head, that she loves to run after and pick up in her mouth.

Alright, time for bed. Good night all. Thanks for reading!!!

Day #5

N slept through the night and this morning went really well. Before we left the hotel I took her for a walk around the premises. N decided to test me this morning while I was toileting her. The command for the dog to toilet itself is HURRY. As we are walked along, she peed a few times but hadn't pooped yet. So I tried to extend the walk a little. N waited until we got to the front of the hotel, where 2 hotel managers were standing and watching. She proceeded to crawl under an oleander and pooped. Soooo guess what I had to do? Tell her she did a good job (for pooping) and than crawl under the oleander to pick it up!!!

Our second adventure of the day was taking our first field trip. We brought the dogs out to Fresh Choice for lunch. This was actually a lot easier than I thought it would be. She followed all commands and did not fall for any of the distractions. After we walked around the buffet and we were heading for the tables there was a 5 year old boy that was just beside him self. He was standing in the middle of the walk way, waving his hands around and saying really loudly to his parents "look at all of these dogs, mom dogs!!!!" He was very excited and for a second I thought our instructors planted a distraction for us to see how we would do, although they swear they didn't. N was great though, she didn't fall for any of the distraction and did exactly as she was told. She was given A LOT of praise when we got back to campus.

By the end of today everyone was exhausted. By everyone I mean dogs, handlers and instructors. It was a hot day and everyone is exhausted both physically and emotionally. They have successfully trained me with 30 commands. Hurry, Sit, Down, Heel, Side, Stay, Fetch, Lap, Retrieve, Car, Get, Give, Hold, Jump, Kennel, Let’s Go, Name, No/Don’t, Off, Ok, Out, Wait, Push, Release, Roll, Speak (can’t do this one), Stand, Stay, Under, and Fix It. N knows about 10-15 more and we will learn these over the next couple days while practicing for the public access test. Plus trying to master the first 30. So much to learn. Anyways the instructors let us go a little early which was very nice of them. I took N back to the hotel and we took a much needed 2 hour nap together.

Tomorrow will be our big trip to Target where we get to shop or do a scavenger hunt with our dogs. I am sure I will have lots of fun stories tomorrow. Final placements will be made tomorrow as well. This means that I will know which dog is ours by the end of tomorrow and I can release her name once the puppy raisers have been called.

Time to go do homework and get ready for tomorrows day of doggy training. I hope everyone has a great weekend and pictures will be coming soon.

Day #3 and #4

Well day 3 and 4 have come and gone. I have been given my pre-placement and (s)he is perfect. (S)he was in my top three choices and after working with it for the past 2 days I know (s)he is a great choice. I am going to call our dog N for now.

Today we had our first test brining the dogs to lunch with us. N did great!! N is not easily distracted by food on the floor, (s)he didn’t even try to jump, sniff or lick. At one point I bent down to help another lady pick up the food she dropped and had my plate right in front of the dog and (s)he looked the other way. That could have been very bad! Today’s lunch was a test for tomorrow. Tomorrow is our first field trip. We are all going to bring our dogs to a restaurant. Oh I am a little nervous, but I know we will do great. There was one dog today at lunch that was having such a hard time. He was sniffing, whining, trying to put his nose on the table and trying to eat food off the floor. I am so glad that is not our dog!

Today we also practiced grooming the dogs and N loved being brushed. (S)he went straight on to her/his back. (S)he was squirming all over the place trying to make sure I got its tummy and back. We learned that the grooming of the dog is so important! Both for physical and psychological reasons. We will have a very well groomed dog! The funniest part of the grooming was brushing the dogs teeth. This has to be done daily. The dog got so excited and was trying to eat the tooth brush. Human tooth paste is mint flavored. Guess what flavor the dog’s toothpaste is……..Meat flavored!!! There breath doesn’t necessarily smell the best but the dogs love it, they go nuts!!!! While you are brushing they are trying to lick and eat the brush. Very funny.

N has a great will power and if (s)he is in a command (s)he will not run after her/his toys until put on a release command. (S)he is very playful, the second you start to pet N (s)he rolls on to her/his back for you to scratch it’s tummy. N will do great with the kids. There are maybe 5 or 6 children here and they have come over and sat with us and (s)he doesn’t mind at all.

Tonight was our first night back at the hotel and we played a little. Afterwards N jumped onto the bed and cuddled with me for a while. N even fell asleep IN my lap. I hated having to wake N up to put her/him back in the kennel. It is one of CCI’s rules though, “until we bring the dog to our house the dog must sleep in the kennel.” I think this is just incase they do not think the pre-placement is working out.

I can not wait to share pictures of the dog. I can share a few tips about OUR dog…
•(S)he is beautiful and my new best friend 
•(S)he is very hairy. I will never be able to wear black again unless I buy a lifetime supply of lint brushes!
•(S)he is a snorer
•Loves to have it’s teeth brushed

That is all I can share for now. It is time for me to go to bed. I have to wake up early enough now to get myself AND a dog ready for school/work.

Thanks for reading and your continued support.

Day #2

The people in these classes with me are remarkable. They are all here for different reasons and they are all so strong. Some are mothers of kids with autism or kids with physical handicaps, adults with physical handicaps and some that want to use the dog both as a service and facility dog. Hearing everyone’s stories and listening to what they go through on a daily basis is an honor and leaves me in awe. Watching some of them interact with dogs just brings tears to your eyes and leaves you with goose bumps. This is a life changing experience and I am so thankful to CCI for allowing me to be apart of it.

By the end of today I have trained with 9 dogs in total. We can call the dogs B1, B2, C, D, K1, K2, N, R and T. These letters are the first letter of the dogs name and it gives nothing away. Each litter of puppies is given a letter of the alphabet and each puppy must be given a name that starts with that letter.

•B2, C, K1, and R did not connect with me like the other dogs did. They were distracted too easily and/or didn’t like to be pet.

•B1 and K2 seemed to do well with me and listened to my commands while responding quickly to my corrections. One of these dogs has a difficult time jumping up into its kennel, which was a little worry some. I liked these dogs and they were adorable but I think other dogs worked better with me.

•D (small, adorable and has a young look about it), N (medium build and playful) and T (quite large with a wise look about it) all seemed to really take to me. They all listened to commands, paid no attention to the distraction that was around us and rarely had to be corrected. I would have no worries about getting any of these three dogs.

Before we finished class we had mini conferences with the instructors to talk about our individual needs of our dog. This is really important because, as I said above, one of the dogs did not like the physical affection/praise and another dog had difficulty jumping into its kennel. These are important because if the dog is going to be in the playroom the dog may get lots of physical affection and it needs to be okay with lots of hands on it. If the dog is going to be getting up on beds it would be beneficial to have them jump up/down. Otherwise I will have to lift the dog, oh imagine the back problems.

Tomorrow morning we will be given our pre-placement dog but they said that they may change the dog out throughout the training if they decide that the dog isn’t working (rare but it happens). I do have a favorite but I know the instructors have our best interest in mind. They said I may even get a dog that I haven’t worked with yet, so we shall see. I am extremely excited to see what tomorrow has to bring.

Tomorrow the instructors want us to step our game up with motivators, commands and energy… with that being said it is time for me to go to bed. I didn’t sleep well last night and we have a big day ahead of us. So good night everyone!!! More exciting news about the dogs tomorrow…

Thanks for reading!!!

Day #1

Wow DAY #1 was… quite a learning process. It was a mix of emotionsbut mainly excitement and nervousness.

We have 25 dogs and 26 people (15 people receiving dogs & 11 that are helpers). 2 of us are here for Facility Dogs and the rest will be receiving skilled companion and service dogs. The people are divided into two groups and most of the people have a family member or 2 or in some cases even up to 4.

My group consists of 6 people and 2 helpers. Today we started with 3 lectures and than moved on to practicing on a carpet dog. We broke for lunch and I had a visit from Carol (a member of the board and a friend of UCSF) and that helped ease my nerves a bit. So thank you Carol. After lunch they felt like we were ready to start with the real dogs. Today we met nine of them. They are all so cute, it is tough to not have favorites. It was also hard to get up in front of a group, try to handle a dog and than be told in front of everyone what you are doing wrong. I understand the reason for it and I am learning a lot, just a lesson in humility. It is amazing to watch the dogs respond to people. Some would respond and listen to me, while others wouldn’t. It is all about confidence and leadership. I just have to remember to breathe.

On Wednesday, they will decide which dog is ours and on Thursday night the dog spends the night in the hotel with me. I am so EXCITED. I have been told that I can not leak out the name of our dog until Saturday BUT I can tell you that we are getting a Labrador. There is only one golden retriever and it is already promised to someone. The dogs all range in size and color. Some of them are even the size of a small horse and hat is NO exaggeration. I can’t wait to be able to share pictures.

Well I have to go do my homework, yes that is right I have homework. Thank you everyone for your comments and support. I will write again soon.

Only 5 more days...

Only 5 more days until I go to Santa Rosa to start doggy training! We are all very excited. I was told that I will train with 3 dogs for the first 3 days. On day 4 I will be told which dog will be the NEW UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Dog!!!

Right now, the only thing I know about the dog is:

• it will be about 2 years old,
• it will be either a golden retriever, a Labrador retriever or a mix of the 2,
• and it already has a name

I don't even know if it will be a boy or a girl. Can you guess what the dogs name will be?? Please feel free to use the comment box below to guess the dog's name.

Thank you for reading and please stay tuned to hear more about the dogs and the training :)