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.

Eventually we made our way to Oklahoma City. There was snow along the way but it did not deter Rufus. He loves being outside under any conditions. Once we got to OKC, he was spoiled silly. We tried to enforce the no petting rule, but it's always hard when your dog is so stinkin' cute! And when Donna Kay doesn't mind rubbing his belly all day long.

Our first Christmas with Rufus

Dec 25, 2009


Our first Christmas with Rufus (technically his second Christmas)



Because of snow in Oklahoma City, we ended up delaying our travel plans. Initially we were pretty bummed, but we ended up with the best of all worlds. Charles called his Aunts Bonnie Beth and Anne and they invited us to join them in McGehee for a Christmas dinner. What a treat! We got to see Charles' cousins Carrie and Anne-Marie and their kids Annie, Ben and Jasper. It was a terrific day! Rufus enjoyed the car time (always good for a nap) and was glad to get out of the house for a while.

Around the house and at the park

It ain't all rosy

Because we want to be honest for anyone who is thinking about a service dog and in the spirit of full disclosure, the first few weeks with Rufus were a little taxing.

Rufus picked up a DEBIT CARD!

This dog is absolutely amazing!

Here's a re-enactment video

Keys dropped on the van ramp ... Rufus' first big test!

CHarles dropped the keys on the van ramp - took 6 tries but Rufus picked them up!

Food Challenge

Chicken

Rufus goes to Church

Rufus at First Church contemporary service ... music a little loud

First Road Trip - Ft. Smith with Stan and DK

We met Kelly's parents Stan and DK at Cracker Barrel in Fort Smith.

Thanksgiving at Luby's

Rufus joins the Simon Zook family!

Saturday, November 21 Rufus joined our family

Friday, November 27
First car trip (to Fort Smith to have lunch w/ Stan & DK) While demonstrating picking up, Rufus retrieved his water bowl!

Sunday,November 29
First Church service (music a little loud)

Rufus picked up the debit card at Canyon Grill

Tuesday, December 15
First foreign body ingestion (wood shaving at Home Depot - Kelly thought it was part of a fortune cookie, which would have been bad enough...)

The Story of how Rufus came to be ours

In June 2007, Charles and Kelly worked at the Little Rock Film Festival with Georgann and Ben Freasier. Charles grew up with Georgann's sons so they've known each other for many moons. As it turns out, Georgann and Ben are avid dog lovers and train their dogs for agility. And as fate would have it, their agility trainer Linda Laughlin also trains service animals for people.

Charles and Kelly had talked about service dogs periodically over the years, but the logistics always seemed challenging. The only places that they knew of were in Florida and California and traveling that far is always a challenge. Plus, a two week visit is required when you pick up the dog to orient the new owner. Anyway, there seemed to be enough obstacles that they never pursued it very intently.

That is until Georgann convinced Charles & Kelly to ride out to Mayflower with her to meet Linda Laughlin and to see a demonstration by Linda's dog Peek-a-Boo. The demonstration was amazing! Kelly & Charles left there with tremendous excitement about the possibility of a service dog but also more keenly aware of the cost associated with acquiring such a highly trained animal. If you've ever met Georgann and Ben, then you know how dedicated they are. Periodically Georgann would ask Kelly or Charles if they were ready to talk to Linda about a service dog, but they just weren't ready to make that kind of commitment (not to mention their inability to come up with those kinds of funds!). Evidently Charles made an impression on Linda, and she realized what a dog lover he had always been. She also knew what a difference a dog could make in Charles' life. Over the years she had placed many dogs in homes to help children, and although she hadn't worked with an adult client before, she knew that the need was equally as great.

As time passed, Linda and her son Joe (also a dog trainer) eventually learned of a border collie puppy through a contact of theirs at a West Tennessee rescue.They had found a dog that would work perfectly for Charles. As a Border Collie, Rufus was tall enough to be able to reach Charles' lap to retrieve dropped items. Also, he was agile enough to be able to keep up with Charles' motorized wheelchair. And his demeanor was sweet enough that he would put everyone who encountered the duo at ease.

And that was the beginning. Georgann and Ben spearheaded the fund-raising efforts while Joe worked on Rufus. Rufus turned out to be a very quick study and mastered the tasks more quickly and better than any dog Joe had ever worked with. Georgann and Ben kindly asked everyone they knew to help with the fund-raising - either by contributing themselves or by posting fliers and spreading the word. One of the very generous doctors that Kelly works with at Arkansas Children's Hospital offered to leverage his donation by hosting a party. See more details under the thank you post, but Dr. Stanford's Raise the Rufus party was a HUGE success - both in terms of the amount of fun everyone had, but also in terms of the amount of money raised. It sealed the deal on Rufus becoming Charles's by Thanksgiving. How very blessed and lucky Charles and Kelly are!! THANK YOU to everyone who helped. Many people played big and small roles in this process, and we are grateful to each of you.

Lots of people to thank

Many, many kind and loving people helped make Rufus a reality for Charles and Kelly. A few people in particular (in no order)...

Rev. Thompson Murray donated the supplies for the project and with help from the youth at Quapaw Quarter United Methodist Church built the gate to keep Rufus in the backyard



Sloan Swindle's foundation helped with the donations.







Dr. Kendall Stanford graciously hosted a RAISE THE RUFUS fundraiser (photo album on Facebook! Check it out by friending "Rufus Von Schmufus"). Drs. Becky Latch and Christy Bartlett helped corral residents and alumni to attend. Kendall's family and partner (and partner's family!) helped out throughout the event and in the days preceeding it. Debbie and Lewis May opened their beautiful home for the event. Lilly's, Trio's and Boulevard Bread provided all of the scrumptious food for the event. Becca Carey donated a gorgeous diamond ring for a raffle which was won by Dr. Christine Barrett! And lots and lots of people attended - including plenty of people who had never even met Charles and Rufus. It was enough to bring a tear to your eye...
Donations from the evening put us over the top for securing Rufus!




Georgann and Ben Freasier were the masterminds behind everything from the inception of the idea on. Without their help and tenacity, Rufus would never have come into being. (Here's Georgann at the party when Rufus officially became Charles'. She's so over-the-top thoughtful --- look at the cute cake she brought! Thank you, thank you, thank you Georgann and Ben!)


K-9 Camp Laughlin (Joe and Linda) trained sweet Rufus

Cindy Alberding served as a consultant along the way

Michelle and Ken Adams donated the printing for the flyers