Dog Motel

Not a great picture but... "Jill" is staying here until she goes to her new home. Sweet, sweet girl. Gentle mouth, happy, 6 years old. I took some great pictures inside - NO CAMERA CARD in the camera! Jill is a half sister to my sister's dog "Ruby" in Alaska. Tomorrow is to be READer dog in Somesville - the weather prediction might make us cancel it again :( !!

Thursday 1/22

School this morning with Timber. One boy earned his book today - he was so excited - got a picture for Timber's album. The school superintendent will be at school next Thursday - he requested a Thursday because he wanted to read to the dog! We'll have 2 kids get books next week and we'll have him help "pawtograph" them! Learning a lot about ADD through observation of some of the kids... One girl read and could stay focused and now she cannot - ? if she is off her meds - so obvious - all new to me. I make observations - share with librarian and then she will share with teachers - she also is present in the library making the same observation.

Friday, 1/16

Pet therapy day at the hospital - saw oooodles of patients and staff today - then to the retirement village. One of our favorites is in the hospital - he fell last night and is badly hurt :( Rissa was her usual friendly, outgoing canine self - she's such a love. Timber didn't destroy anything while we were gone!!

Thursday 1/15

School day for Timber - her 6 kids all were in school today. It's interesting and sad to see/hear some of these kids regression from Christmas break. It's like they are back at the beginning of school and all the progress they made over the fall totally disappears. More surprising is the parents do no reading with these kids over break - even with teacher encouragement. AND - they send their kids to school without breakfast, tired and/or without their glasses... I would have never been sent to school not ready to learn.

Sunday 1/11/09 and the year in review

Dog Scout meeting today - in a snow storm and a LOT of people came. Planned troop meetings and events for year plus developed some smaller committees to work on fund raising, education, membership... I also tallied up my volunteer hours for 2008.

Timber Pet Therapy visits at MDIH and BBV = 18 hours
Rissa Pet Therapy visits at BBV and MDIH = 48 hours

Timber Reading Education Assistance Dog at Tremont school = 56 hours
" " at Somesville library = 24 hours
Rissa Reading Education Assistance Dog at Tremont school = 16 hours
" " at Somesville library = 4 hours

All the other volunteer or dog events participated in:
Pet Therapy in-service (March)
Timber - hunting demo dog at the sportsman show, 2 days in March
Volunteer luncheon in May
Sumner High School in May
Bri's READ tea in Blue Hill in June
TV 5 news on us at Tremont in June
Canine Carnival and hunt demo in September
Juvenile Diabetes walk a thon in Sept
North Haven READ in Sept
Alzheimer's walk a thon in October
Rissa - Business of Reading at Bar Harbor School in Oct
READ organizational meeting at MDES in October
Somesville READ tea - October
Acadia Clean up day at Little Long Pond in November
Family Festival - Ellsworth in December
Rissa Rein dog with Santa in December
Orienting new pet therapy team - December
Atticus's READ tea in Bangor - December
Developed 3 handouts, Intro dog/baby - distributed to 3 hospitals - in use now and
dog bite prevention for kids and adults.

Thursday, 1/8/09

School day with Timber. 1 of our boyz left so we got a new one today - he actually read to her last year and started again today. Timber was very calm and gentle at school - before we left she ripped the ears off a stuffed bunny - fluffy stuffing everywhere... The teacher at school shared - the boy that moved asked his mom if the same reader dog would be at his new school - he loved Timber.

1/1/09 Happy New Year!

Today, Rissa and I oriented a new pet therapy team at the retirement village. Kim and Brenin(dog) already visit at the hospital and will now start at BBV. What a handsome, sweet boy he is. He wanted to play with Rissa but, she was all business and wanted to see her people!