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!!!