At Least I Don't Have To Save For His College Fund

Frankie has certainly come a long way. From a hyper-active toddler, to a troubled teen, to a playful but mature young adult, to a genius middle-aged woman.

Oh wait. That's me.

Remember how your parents would say to you when you were being bad as a child: "I can't wait until you have children. I hope you have one just like you so you know how you made my life a living hell."? Well, that has happened to me. Except my child is furry and has 4 legs.

Frankie has always been a handful for us. He didn't respond at first to the training techniques we were used to. He defied authority. Any attention was good, even if he was getting disciplined. And that all sounds just like me!

But this weekend he showed that, like me, he also turned out pretty good.

Rick and I worked him using the wheelchair. At first, as usual, he was pulling hard and fast. Too fast, and too out of control. But after a few minutes he calmed down and was responding well to commands. I had Rick let go of my wheelchair (he had been pushing me while I worked Frankie) and go sit on the curb. Then I worked Frankie alone.

That day Frankie showed me he's gonna be a great service dog. I told Rick afterwards that if Willie had to retire tomorrow (God Forbid), Frankie could work for me just fine. He did just that good.

We'll wait and see if that day's events are repeatable next time we do some training. But for now, Frankie appears to have become a fine, young, mature Service Dog.

Yay!

Comments

Anonymous said…
yay!

--lara
9:23 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Workers free dog trapped in sewer pipe

MANKATO, Minn. (AP) -- The sound of barking underneath a street Tuesday led a team of city workers to a dog trapped in a narrow culvert - and you might say they used a backward approach to rescue the mutt. The sickly, scared dog was about 50 feet from the nearest entry point, but since the culvert was just 15 inches in diameter, the workers couldn't fit into it themselves. Not even offers of food could draw out the dog. "He was exhausted," said Tony Talamantez, a public works foreman. Then Talamantez and his colleagues had an idea. They rigged up a long video camera used to inspect drain pipes, and approached the dog from the back. They used the camera to nugdge the dog forward until he reached an entry point big enough for a person to pull him out. The camera recorded the rescue, showing the dog scampering ahead in fits and starts as the camera pokes him in the rear end. The dog wore no tags, only a worn collar. But Julia Gosen, animal control officer for the city, said ...
Read more

Crested Geckos - great pet for the disabled

Image
A few weekends ago at the Austin Reptile Expo, I had the opportunity to meet a really neat woman who breeds and sells Crested Geckos. Since I have lizards as pets and have written before about how great they are as pets for disabled folks, I thought I'd write about the Crested Gecko in particular. The woman I speak of is Kati of Kati's Crested's . She's here in Austin, TX. I had never held a crested gecko before this Expo, but I had seen them in a tank at a local reptile store. They are very kewl lizards! Soft to the touch, almost like suede. The one I held jumped from one hand to the other and held on with it's prehensile tail! The crested gecko originates from New Caledonia (an island east of Australia). Adults range from 6-9" in total length. In the wild, they are nocturnal, arboreal animals living in the forests. Most wild specimens are tail-less, presumably because they dropped their tails while escaping from a predator. All of Kati's cresteds are c...
Read more

Axe Me A Question

Go ahead and ask. Ask the questions you always wanted to ask someone in a wheelchair. Nothing is too embarrassing. You might as well ask me on this blog since you are somewhat anonymous and don't have to look me in the eye. What have you always wanted to ask someone in a wheelchair? Here, I'll start: Q: "Hi, my name is LaLaundria! I wanted to know how do you take a shower?" A: Well, LaLaundria, I sit down. On a shower chair. I have grab-bars installed in my shower/tub and my commode rooms to give me extra balance. A shower chair is a hard plastic chair made to fit in showers and tubs. I have a shower massage type shower head that helps get the water closer to my hair. Howze that? Ask away, no question is off limits! (Oh Jeez, what am I getting myself into!)
Read more