One year anniversary

(This entry is from Kelly's perspective)

It's hard to believe that it's been a year already! WOW!

When I look back on the photos and stories from our first weeks and months with Rufus, it seems like a lifetime ago. At this point, it really seems like he has always been with us. The adjustments that seemed so challenging early on have now become second nature. (Most of those are things that are probably part of every dog owner's routine, but they were new to us --- things like preparing his BilJac daily (raw dog food that is balled up and given as a reward when he performs a service), insuring that he gets enough exercise and time at pack play with other dogs, reinforcing the tasks that he was trained to perform, remembering to put his vest on him and to take the leash (we now have a large collection to insure that we don't accidentally get somewhere without one --- not that that has happened --- twice --- :) , etc.)

And I think we have become more experienced as owners of a service dog. We have had a few encounters with people in business establishments who don't understand the laws related to service dogs. Although it is still challenging to remain calm in those situations (like when you think the hotel is going to turn you away, and it's the week before Christmas and every other accessible hotel room in Oklahoma City is already booked), we are now confident enough to tell the innkeeper that Rufus will be virtually unnoticed by the other hotel guests and housekeeping. The first couple of outings we knew that he was well trained, but until we had been with him, it was hard to say that with the confidence that has come with experience.

We've also become more keenly aware of how exceptional Rufus is and how well trained he was. Since Charles has been teaching middle-school aged kids, there have been times when the kids have taunted and tried to scare Rufus.  All I can say is that I think there is a special angel riding alongside Rufus to prevent him from biting some of those kids! (Lord knows they probably deserve it!) Evidently 6th graders don't understand that he is still a dog, and that if you sneak up on him, there is a decent chance that his dog instincts will take over. And that is interesting since many of them think he is a "pit" and you'd think they wouldn't do that to a "pit", right? Maybe these are higher level thinking skills than 6th graders have? :)

The other non-tangible is about how people/strangers relate to Charles. We were told before we got Rufus that his presence would change the way that people interact with the wheelchair. If you know Charles, then you know that he is a pretty gregarious and outgoing guy so I wasn't sure how much of this would really be discernible, but it really has proven to be true. 

For example, when we're out, sometimes kids will say something about Charles' wheelchair (because how cool does it look if you're 4?! Really! It looks like a mini-rocket ship!) and parents become noticeably uncomfortable because they don't want their child to stare or say something inappropriate or whatever. But with Rufus present, real conversations can happen. A mom can ask more comfortably about the wheelchair or the accident that caused the paralysis because the dog has already broken the ice and a bond has been established. Or a mom can come up to us in Target and talk about her son with special needs who might benefit from a dog. The dynamics are just totally different when Rufus is around.

Okay. Enough blabbering for this entry.

If you have a service dog, have a Plan B

Another learning experience related to owning a service dog...
Charles had minor outpatient surgery Wednesday morning, and although the surgery went fine, by the afternoon Charles was experiencing Autonomic dysreflexia and was transported by ambulance to the ER at UAMS. Because we didn't have advanced warning, we didn't have a plan in place for what to do with Rufus. Usually we would lean on our across the street neighbor (an absolute angel from above), but she was out of town. Since we didn't know how long we would be gone, Kelly didn't feel comfortable leaving Rufus crated. Rufus is not often left by himself and Kelly was concerned about Rufus getting anxious if left by himself. So Charles went by ambulance while Rufus and Kelly traveled by car.

Here's the thing: ERs are inherently dirty places. And so are hospitals. It takes a lot of work to keep the patients from catching germs. In hindsight, this is not a good place for a service dog to be. Lucky for us, Joe (the amazing trainer) came to the hospital at about 10:30pm and scooped up King Rufus. You've never seen a dog more excited to see his trainer! (He's always excited to see Joe, but this time it was probably augmented by his interest in escaping the doldrums of the hospital.)

Once we get home, we'll consult Joe to find out specifically what we should have done differently in this situation. And we'll also make sure that we always have a Plan B (and C) for taking care of Rufus during emergency scenarios. If you are lucky enough to have a service dog, we'd encourage you to be sure you've thought about the same.

Service Dog Etiquette

Kelly found this Dear Abby column on a blog for another person's service dog. Lots of people seem confused about why petting Rufus is not appropriate. Mostly the reason is that Rufus needs to be focused on Charles when he's working. When Charles is in his wheelchair, he weighs ~500 pounds. If Rufus isn't paying attention, he could easily end up with an injury.


December 29, 2007

Dear Abby: I was having lunch in a restaurant recently. Seated next to us was a family who had an assistance dog for their teenage son. I was appalled when someone from another table approached the dog, began talking baby talk to it (while ignoring the people!) and dropped a scrap of meat on the floor in front of the dog's nose.

The dog ignored the "treat," and the mother calmly asked the person to please stop distracting their assistance dog while it was working. I was dazzled by her politeness in the face of such rudeness and thoughtlessness.

Abby, people need to know how to behave around assistance dogs so they don't endanger the person with a disability or the dog:

(1) Always speak to the person first. Do not make distracting noises to the dog.

(2) Always ask before you pet. Do not touch the service dog without first asking for and receiving permission. Petting should be minimal and cease as soon as the person gives the dog a command.

(3) Never feed or offer food to a working dog. It distracts him and lures him away from his important job as an assistance dog.

(4) Do not let your dog initiate contact with a working dog while it's on duty.

(5) Do not ask personal questions about the person's disability or otherwise intrude on his/her privacy.

The Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) ensures people with assistance dogs have access to public places and businesses. Please welcome them into your establishment. -- Karyl Carmignani, Canine Companions For Independence

Dear Karyl: It's amazing how many animal lovers do not grasp the fact that when they see an assistance dog out in public that the animal is WORKING. Although wanting to reach out and touch it is natural, it is no more correct than it would be to pet a dog that works in law enforcement. Thank you for your informative letter. I hope readers will learn from it because many of your comments apply to animals in general.

Pet Country

Today we scooted to Conway to check out a pet store recommended to us by Georgann. We had hoped to go to Pack Play in Mayflower then go on to Conway, but alas, the snow rendered the Mayflower mountain roads impassable.

What a great pet store we found! Pet Country is on Donaghey off exit 125 (The Hendrix College exit). Pierre, the owner of the store (and a former jockey), helped us select good dog food (Diamond Extreme Athlete), a toothbrush and some dental treats. He was a wealth of information!

And when we got to the register, the woman asked about Rufus. They heard about him last fall and helped by handing out fundraising flyers. She was so kind that Kelly almost cried... the emotions ran so high that Charles & Kelly had no choice but to go to La Hacienda in order to calm themselves. :-) Yum yum!

To end a great day, tonight we snuggled up in bed and looked at the Feb/March issue of Bark. (Thanks for the great magazine Dude!)

How blessed we are to have Rufus. Life is good.

Rufus' first visit to Two Rivers Park

We love Two Rivers Park and can't wait to take Rufus there more often this spring.