Hey folks,
We are still having trouble with the internet here. I also am having issues with my camera, or maybe it is the computer, heck face it it is the person trying to download the pictures off the camera!
BRAINNNNN.... were is my computer techie nephew when I need him????
Anyway, keep checking back and as I can I will work fast to update the blog. If all else fails I will go to WalMart and have picture put on CD so I can get them on here.
Becky
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Day 1, June 17 2008: James meets his dog
Tuesday June 17, 2008
Post by: Mom
The day has come and we are at 4 Paws in Xenia waiting to meet Takoda. There are 9 families very excited families in the June 08 class.
James and Bob sitting on the couch in the training room. James at times talks aways about his dog, but as more families arrive and staff walk in and out of the room he starts to shut down and wants to hide.
James checks out all the create at 4 Paws to see if his dog was in one of them. Of course Takoda as well as all the other dogs were not in the creates or anywhere that the families could see them ahead of time. They were well hid!
Picture 3- 5 are of James as he 1st meets Takoda. He was so excited! He loves his new buddy!!!! Matter of fact, Bob has always been James bestest Bud, well after today he has been dropped to the #2 buddy list spot and Takoda is James bestest Buddy and Dad is just his best Buddy.
Bob and I are so proud of how patient James was as he watched each dog come out and meet their new partner. I was sure that we would hear a lot of "darn!", "Rats" and finish up with "that's no fair!" followed by crying and maybe a meltdown. But he didn't.
James met Takoda and was so happy. I had told Karen, she is the founder of 4 Paws, that we had really hoped James would keep the name Takoda but we do not see him letting go of the name Runner. As James loved on and hugged his newest bestest buddy, Karen asked James if he could call his dog Takoda Runner? He would have 2 names just like you do. James thought this was a cool idea so he calls his Takoda Runner. Sometimes Koda for short.
As for Bob and I, we knew that James would love the dog no matter what one he got. James loves animals and has always loved dogs. When we recieved the email from Takoad and seen he would turn 1 on the 21st we kinda had an idea on what his size would be. BOY WHERE WE WRONG! Takoda is a big boy for just turning 1. Size wise he looks to be 18-20 months old.
Now it is a matter of teaching James that even though this is his dog, Mom & Dad are Takoda's handlers. We have told James that the person with the treat bag is the only one that can give Takoda commands. I am sure this will take a lot of work over the nest 11 days.
When we 1st arrived CNN was there video taping each child as they walked into 4 Paws for the big meet your dog day. They video taped each family meeting their dog and talked to families about what they felt, thought and most important why we are receiving a Service Dog. CNN will let Karen know when their piece will air on 4 Paws, she will let us know and we in turn will post it here.
Becky
Oh forgot, I do have video of James meeting Takoda, as soon as I figure how to get it on here form my camera I will post it.
Post by: Mom
The day has come and we are at 4 Paws in Xenia waiting to meet Takoda. There are 9 families very excited families in the June 08 class.
James and Bob sitting on the couch in the training room. James at times talks aways about his dog, but as more families arrive and staff walk in and out of the room he starts to shut down and wants to hide.
James checks out all the create at 4 Paws to see if his dog was in one of them. Of course Takoda as well as all the other dogs were not in the creates or anywhere that the families could see them ahead of time. They were well hid!
Picture 3- 5 are of James as he 1st meets Takoda. He was so excited! He loves his new buddy!!!! Matter of fact, Bob has always been James bestest Bud, well after today he has been dropped to the #2 buddy list spot and Takoda is James bestest Buddy and Dad is just his best Buddy.
Bob and I are so proud of how patient James was as he watched each dog come out and meet their new partner. I was sure that we would hear a lot of "darn!", "Rats" and finish up with "that's no fair!" followed by crying and maybe a meltdown. But he didn't.
James watched as each dog came out and met the families. The more dogs that came in the more excited he was. He was craning his neck to get a peek as each new dog walked in to see the color. If it anything other than black he would relax and watch. BUT if he seen a black dog he was all about sitting up and smiles, sure that this was his buddy.
James met Takoda and was so happy. I had told Karen, she is the founder of 4 Paws, that we had really hoped James would keep the name Takoda but we do not see him letting go of the name Runner. As James loved on and hugged his newest bestest buddy, Karen asked James if he could call his dog Takoda Runner? He would have 2 names just like you do. James thought this was a cool idea so he calls his Takoda Runner. Sometimes Koda for short.
As for Bob and I, we knew that James would love the dog no matter what one he got. James loves animals and has always loved dogs. When we recieved the email from Takoad and seen he would turn 1 on the 21st we kinda had an idea on what his size would be. BOY WHERE WE WRONG! Takoda is a big boy for just turning 1. Size wise he looks to be 18-20 months old.
Now it is a matter of teaching James that even though this is his dog, Mom & Dad are Takoda's handlers. We have told James that the person with the treat bag is the only one that can give Takoda commands. I am sure this will take a lot of work over the nest 11 days.
When we 1st arrived CNN was there video taping each child as they walked into 4 Paws for the big meet your dog day. They video taped each family meeting their dog and talked to families about what they felt, thought and most important why we are receiving a Service Dog. CNN will let Karen know when their piece will air on 4 Paws, she will let us know and we in turn will post it here.
Becky
Oh forgot, I do have video of James meeting Takoda, as soon as I figure how to get it on here form my camera I will post it.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Heading to 4 Paws
Monday June 16, 2008
posted by: Mom (Becky)
It took until noon today to find a car we could borrow for a few days while Tom's Auto works on the van. The car is small and I had to repack due to not having room for everything we planned on taking in the van. We never got on the road until after 3 PM.
By the time we checked into the Hotel and got dinner it was after 9:00. James is so excited about meeting Runner (Takoda) tomorrow. He is trying so hard to follow the rules but at times he gets so excited he is making not so good choices.
posted by: Mom (Becky)
It took until noon today to find a car we could borrow for a few days while Tom's Auto works on the van. The car is small and I had to repack due to not having room for everything we planned on taking in the van. We never got on the road until after 3 PM.
By the time we checked into the Hotel and got dinner it was after 9:00. James is so excited about meeting Runner (Takoda) tomorrow. He is trying so hard to follow the rules but at times he gets so excited he is making not so good choices.
When we arrived at the Residence Inn they gave James a gift bag for Takoda. They had one for all the families. In it was a bowl, feeding matt, some doggie treats and a toy. To sweet! Above are pictures of James opening the basket and checking out what was in it.
Even though Bob and I are glad that we are finally here and only hours away from meeting Runner the wonderdog, our hearts and minds are heavy as Bob's Dad just went into a nursing home. We are physically and emotional tired today and are looking forward to getting some sleep.
Even though Bob and I are glad that we are finally here and only hours away from meeting Runner the wonderdog, our hearts and minds are heavy as Bob's Dad just went into a nursing home. We are physically and emotional tired today and are looking forward to getting some sleep.
When we received James email from his dog he wanted to take the picture to his Grandpa in the hospital to "keep Grandpa company", than when we moved him in the nursing home he wanted the picture to stay with Grandpa so "Grandpa have someone to talk to" It was so sweet.
We are having trouble with the Internet service here at the hotel. So if you check back and nothing new is posted that is why. Keep checking and we will see what the front desk can do about it and post as soon as they get the network running all the time instead of when it feels like.
Becky
I sure hope James goes to sleep fast.
Tomorrow is the big day and
We are having trouble with the Internet service here at the hotel. So if you check back and nothing new is posted that is why. Keep checking and we will see what the front desk can do about it and post as soon as they get the network running all the time instead of when it feels like.
Becky
I sure hope James goes to sleep fast.
Tomorrow is the big day and
72 hours and counting
Saturday June 14, 2006
post by: Mom (Becky)
Hello cyber viewer! We are new to this whole blogging thing so cut us a little learning curve. If I was writing in my journal I would have no problem, but the fact that someone other than me will be Reading what I write has hurt my thought process. So I guess it is a good thing that I learn fast and am sure that shortly I will be almost as open here online as I am in my journal.
Well, we have 3 days to go before we leave for our service dog training in Xenia Ohio. We are lucky to have such a fantastic organization as 4 Paws for Ability right here in Ohio. For the past 7 months or so they have been training a multi-purpose service for our youngest son James. James, if you have read earlier post, was matched with Takoda, a black lab that will be 1 year old on the 21st.
We have spent the past 7 months getting James ready for this 12 day training program. We visited 4 Paws last June very briefly just so James could see the building and met Karen and here staff in June 07. Than we spent almost a whole training day with the March 08 training class so James would understand what training was like. Now our time is close, 3 days until we climb in the van and head to 4 Paws.
BEEEP..wrong again! Yeap, we had our list of things to get done before we leave. We had the clothes ready, games, DVDs, notebooks, etc. The one thing that was not on the list was the transmission on the van deciding it didn't want to make the trip with us...GRRRRR....
Now the search is on to find a van or if all else fails, a car big enough to take everything with us and bring Takoda back. This is going to be so much fun!
post by: Mom (Becky)
Hello cyber viewer! We are new to this whole blogging thing so cut us a little learning curve. If I was writing in my journal I would have no problem, but the fact that someone other than me will be Reading what I write has hurt my thought process. So I guess it is a good thing that I learn fast and am sure that shortly I will be almost as open here online as I am in my journal.
Well, we have 3 days to go before we leave for our service dog training in Xenia Ohio. We are lucky to have such a fantastic organization as 4 Paws for Ability right here in Ohio. For the past 7 months or so they have been training a multi-purpose service for our youngest son James. James, if you have read earlier post, was matched with Takoda, a black lab that will be 1 year old on the 21st.
We have spent the past 7 months getting James ready for this 12 day training program. We visited 4 Paws last June very briefly just so James could see the building and met Karen and here staff in June 07. Than we spent almost a whole training day with the March 08 training class so James would understand what training was like. Now our time is close, 3 days until we climb in the van and head to 4 Paws.
BEEEP..wrong again! Yeap, we had our list of things to get done before we leave. We had the clothes ready, games, DVDs, notebooks, etc. The one thing that was not on the list was the transmission on the van deciding it didn't want to make the trip with us...GRRRRR....
Now the search is on to find a van or if all else fails, a car big enough to take everything with us and bring Takoda back. This is going to be so much fun!
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
James reaction to his serivce dog email
After what seems like forever that special email from the Service Dog selected and trained for James came June 1st. Yes you read that right, the dog wrote him! This is such a cool idea!
We had been checking out email all day long for days. When it final came I printed it off and read the email to James. He thought the cake sounded gross. But now wants to find a recipe for liver flavor cake.....anyone have one handed please let us know...
He laugh real hard when I read the part about peeing on trees. Was shocked when he heard that his dog liked tennis balls and wanted them for his birthday, We had bought tennis balls last year to put on the bottom of our patio set. They did not fit but James wanted to keep them as a surprise for his dog.
After reading the email to James I showed him the picture of his dog. He said that was not his dog. It was Tricia's ( his sister just got a black lab and looks just like Runner) I explained to him that they are just the same kind of dog, that Tricia's dog was a girl and his is a boy. This of course after awhile brought the question if they would have puppies together. We told him no.
We are hoping James decides to keep the dogs name, Takoda, but I really think he will change it to Runner. This name came out of the air when a reporter with the Sandusky Register was interviewing James and it has stuck.
We had been checking out email all day long for days. When it final came I printed it off and read the email to James. He thought the cake sounded gross. But now wants to find a recipe for liver flavor cake.....anyone have one handed please let us know...
He laugh real hard when I read the part about peeing on trees. Was shocked when he heard that his dog liked tennis balls and wanted them for his birthday, We had bought tennis balls last year to put on the bottom of our patio set. They did not fit but James wanted to keep them as a surprise for his dog.
After reading the email to James I showed him the picture of his dog. He said that was not his dog. It was Tricia's ( his sister just got a black lab and looks just like Runner) I explained to him that they are just the same kind of dog, that Tricia's dog was a girl and his is a boy. This of course after awhile brought the question if they would have puppies together. We told him no.
We are hoping James decides to keep the dogs name, Takoda, but I really think he will change it to Runner. This name came out of the air when a reporter with the Sandusky Register was interviewing James and it has stuck.
Runner's email to James!
Hello my friend,
My name is Takoda and that means friend in Indian. You can call me Koda. I am a Black Lab and am a boy since my name is knd of either a boys or girls name. My birthday is 6-21-2007 so I am going to have my birthday while you are here! Can we celebrate? Can I have a Liver flavored cake with milk bones on top? That sounds really good! I want a tennis ball for my birthday okay? Oh, a couple hot dogs on that cake would be good to, and maybe a sardine or two? After we eat cake can we go out and pee on a tree just for fun? Oh, sorry, I forgot humans are not supposed to do such things. Well, you can eat some of my cake can't you? I mean a guy like you who can sneak onto your mom's computer and get your sister in trouble like that, surely you can eat some sardine, hotdog, liver cake? Do you like to play games? ball? Can I sleep in your room? will you be my bestest friend in the whole world? Hurry up and get here James, I am waiting for you! xoxoxoxo Takoda
This is my best pleading face, pleading for you to HURRY and get here
My name is Takoda and that means friend in Indian. You can call me Koda. I am a Black Lab and am a boy since my name is knd of either a boys or girls name. My birthday is 6-21-2007 so I am going to have my birthday while you are here! Can we celebrate? Can I have a Liver flavored cake with milk bones on top? That sounds really good! I want a tennis ball for my birthday okay? Oh, a couple hot dogs on that cake would be good to, and maybe a sardine or two? After we eat cake can we go out and pee on a tree just for fun? Oh, sorry, I forgot humans are not supposed to do such things. Well, you can eat some of my cake can't you? I mean a guy like you who can sneak onto your mom's computer and get your sister in trouble like that, surely you can eat some sardine, hotdog, liver cake? Do you like to play games? ball? Can I sleep in your room? will you be my bestest friend in the whole world? Hurry up and get here James, I am waiting for you! xoxoxoxo Takoda
This is my best pleading face, pleading for you to HURRY and get here
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
14 days until training starts
James is so excited about getting his service dog. He kept asking if his special mail has come yet. A few days before a training class begins the person receiving the service dog receives a special email from the dog they are matched with. The email reads like the dog wrote it and includes pictures of the dog. James was asking so often about his email that I made a deal with him. IF he did not ask me to check my email again until June 10th I would get him a new Thomas the Tank track set. Now he walks around giving us the count down until we leave for training. This little loophole is driving me crazy, but at least he is not nagging me all day to check my email.
I have to admit I am checking the email several times a day looking for it and am getting both excited and nervous. We have tried not to get our hearts set on any one dog. We know because the dog will be assisting in mobility that it will be a large dog. But what breed, sex or color we have no clue until the email comes.
We are still trying to raise the rest of the money to cover the cost of our 12 day hotel stay, meals and gas. I have turned it all over to God. I believe he would not have taken us on this journey without a positive outcome at the end. Our vision of that outcome is James getting his dog. I can only pray that I understand Gods plan in this journey and it is the same.
I have to admit I am checking the email several times a day looking for it and am getting both excited and nervous. We have tried not to get our hearts set on any one dog. We know because the dog will be assisting in mobility that it will be a large dog. But what breed, sex or color we have no clue until the email comes.
We are still trying to raise the rest of the money to cover the cost of our 12 day hotel stay, meals and gas. I have turned it all over to God. I believe he would not have taken us on this journey without a positive outcome at the end. Our vision of that outcome is James getting his dog. I can only pray that I understand Gods plan in this journey and it is the same.
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