Our New Service Puppies!

Hi Everybody!

I hope everyone’s summer was wonderful, and that things are going well or better as we progress further into Fall and closer and closer to the holidays! It seems as though this year has gone by incredibly fast; we’ve already started to receive catalogs highlighting the perfect Christmas gift for that someone special :), in addition to noticing the subtle Christmas-y nature of many TV commercials. Even though things will probably only get crazier as we get closer to the holiday season, my hope is that maybe this is a sign that things are improving economically and financially for everyone.

I apologize for my slowness in posting entries for this blog, and especially for not writing something to let others know what was going on. In September, we found and adopted 2 adorable golden retriever puppies, Baron and Daisy, that were raised by a wonderful family that live close to us here; I don’t think I can thank this family enough for the incredible gifts that they gave us in these beautiful dogs (and for all the time they let me spend when I was trying to decide what to do…..this family had the patience of a saint). Both Baron and Daisy have the sweetest and gentlest dispositions imaginable, and are incredibly intelligent and intuitive (which is very good, since I'm clueless more times than not…..). Even in the short time we’ve had them, they have already shown that they are sensitive to the seizures and to the fainting, which we were hoping for but weren’t expecting, and certainly not from both puppies as we know that this is something that can’t be taught. What we’ve found even more amazing is that they are also able to help with the allergy and anaphylaxis, as well as the complications associated with the adrenal insufficiency; again, our expectation was that both would receive response training for the hypotensive episodes and the seizures, and we hoped one or the other would show some inclination towards alerting for any one of the medical conditions. It has been incredibly interesting and astounding to watch the both of them both as they relate towards each other and towards us; when I’m with them, they pay close attention to what I’m doing, and if it looks like I may need help, they have developed their own alert and response system where one will stay with me (usually Baron), and the other (usually Daisy) will go get help, usually finding my Mom and giving her a kiss on the knee and bring her back to where I am. I have no idea how they figured this out, and how they did so as quickly as they did. Writing down or trying to explaining this behavior doesn’t give justice as to how miraculous what they’ve been able to figure out on their own; it almost appears someone may have already given them some training….perhaps St. Francis decided he wanted to help in some way :). Anyway, I hope to be able to update the blog more often now on the adventures of Daisy and Baron, and probably include a few other things such as recipes just to vary the content, and attempt to write post more photos and videos as we progress through the training and work towards our public access certification. I also plan on continuing to make my cards, including new ones of Baron and Daisy, and other items to help with the cost of the puppies (my goodness, do they eat a lot; and they keep growing at record speed), with new card designs coming out for both Thanksgiving and Christmas (really, who can resist a dog in an elf costume?:), as well as making and selling other items that I hope others will enjoy for the holiday season. I truly believe that these loving dogs are going to make a huge difference for us, and are already wonderful companions to have added to our family.

Thank you so much to everyone that has generously contributed so much towards the service puppies and the training. Even though it has been a very difficult couple of years for many, I’m overwhelmed and very grateful to those that have done so much to help us, both financially and emotionally. I hope that in some way, I will be able to repay the kindness that others have shown to our family, and let everyone know how much we truly appreciate their help and support. Thank you so much again to everyone that has contributed so much!

Heather, Miss Daisy, and Mr. Baron :)