Day One

Mommy's physically tired, mentally exhausted,

and she smells like a dog!

But I love my new puppy, Ruffey, (rhymes with puffy).

My day started at 6:30 A.M.

We were supposed to sleep in until 7:00,

but mom couldn't wait.

So, we got ready, ate breakfast, and were

at 4Paws 45 minutes early.

I can see my daddy now just shaking his head.

My mom likes to be early...

sometimes way early so she doesn't have to stress

about getting there.

But we were early enough to get some photos,

get the best seats in the training room,

meet some dogs,

play with some puppies,

find Ruffey's crate,

and meet the other families as they arrived.

At 10:00, introductions began of staff and the facility.

I could go on and on about this facility...it's amazing.

There are a TON of dogs here, and a lot of workers to care

for them.

They even have "grandmas" that come in just to snuggle

the puppies. Mommy wants that job!

The next part was the best...watching all of the dogs

come out, one by one, to meet their new families.

Mommy had a few tears as some very special kids met their

friends.

Some kids were happy, others screamed in fright,

but I was very calm and brave.

I let Ruffey come close,

but I think he was more scared of me.

He kept hopping backward to get away from me at

first. But mommy learned from the trainer how

to "bribe" him with treats, and get him to come

close to me.

By the end of the day, he was lovin' me!

He laid down right next to me and put his paw over my leg.

I pet him, and grabbed his fur, and patted his back.

I smiled at him, too.

The trainer told me that I need to open my hands to

pet Ruffey, and try not to grab his fur.

I'm supposed to be gentle.

I think we'll be good friends.

He obeys very well when Mommy or Grandma tell

him "sit" or "down." Mommy learned how to put him in a "down"

and walk around him without him moving at all.

He never jumps on us, and hasn't barked yet.

He laid right down in the van, and

never moved while Mommy drove back to the hotel.

He didn't eat his dinner tonight.

I think he's a little nervous being around new people

and in a new home.

We have four more days of training.

We are all having a great time!

Ruffey!

MEET RUFFEY!

We have been waiting for weeks to find out about Laura's dog.

Finally, we received this email tonight from 4Paws...well, er...from Ruffey.

Ruffey "wrote" this letter to Laura...so sweet.

Karen, who is the director at 4Paws, has also adopted internationally,

so the note is a bit personalized.

We're so thankful to be getting this dog for Laura!

We leave for training in 10 days!!!

Dear Laura,

I am so excited! When Jeremy saw how much I did not like to go into all those stores and places full of people I was so afraid I would never get a child to love. Piper, she is my friend here, a small Papillon who is very wise, she told me all the 4 Paws Dogs get families no matter what. Today she came to me and said to me that I was getting a very special family. A family just like hers that is molded from love and brought together across miles of water and land. Piper says her family is made that way too and that it is a colorful family. Well, my family was colorful too! Some of us were Black, and some of us White, and a couple of my siblings had a few colors mixed together sort of. I guess that is what she meant! I can;t wait to meet you. I hope you do not mind that I am a boy! I am a boy but don't laugh, okay but I love tea parties and playing dress up and even wearing bows after a good bath and grooming. I think we can be perfect friend. I can be the prince and you can be the princess and we can play all day! My name is Ruffey and I am a part of the Thomas the Train litter born 10-15-2008. I can't wait to meet you and your family! xoxo Ruffey

Pick a dog...any dog...

Here's a site to visit: 4pawsdogs.org/in_training.htm

This website is part of 4Paws from which my dog is coming. The dogs shown are all in training, or are ready to be matched. Some of them are already matched with a person! So, since I am getting a hypoallergenic dog, that means some kind of poodle or poodle mix. There are a few on here...I really like Kiah! What do you all think?

In The News

4Paws is in the news. You can watch the video HERE. Go to the right side of the screen, and find the video labeled XENIA:Specially-Trained Dogs Help Children.

Jan./Feb. Dogs

4Paws sent out their letters of greeting to the kids in the January/February class last night. The dogs being assigned "write" short letters to their new human friends introducing themselves. So far, a golden retriever, papillon, white standard poodle, and border collie/pyreness have been introduced. I'm waiting to see if there are any more dogs in this group. What a mixed bunch of breeds, huh? I wonder if Laura is going to be getting one of the standard poodles from the same litter as this one? Honestly, I'm not big on white dogs as they show all the gunk around their eyes and mouth...lots of cleaning needed. But really...that's not the important thing. Most importantly, the dog is just right for Laura and we trust 4Paws to make the best match. And if it's a poodle, I've read and heard nothing more than how smart and devoted they are to their human friends. Perfect!

Next step is to book the hotel. We'll be gone from Monday through Saturday or Sunday. Classes run from Tuesday morning until Saturday late afternoon, when we have graduation. Here's hoping I pass training! Jamie will probably stay home with the boys until Thursday, and I'll go down with Laura for the first few days of training. It's going to be here before we know it!

Laura's Dog is Ready!

Well, knock me over with a feather, but Laura's dog is ready! Here I was anticipating a 6 month or longer wait when we heard about her dog. But 4Paws sent an email yesterday stating that we are in the March 2010 class! WHAT? I'm not prepared...I don't even know how to start preparing because we won't know anything about the dog until a week or so before we go. (They do this so if something falls through, we're not too attached to our new canine friend).

We're excited to hear about the kind of dog she's getting...the gender (oh, please be female!)...the name...the breed....

I'm really hoping for a doodle breed, medium size. And since we need a "hypoallergenic" dog due to Jamie's allergies, it very well may be a doodle. And that means low shedding...woohoo!

And we're excited to see what this dog will do for Laura. Now remember, it's not a service dog for out in public. This little buddy will be an in-home companion for Laura...someone to keep her company and help with, what they call, behavior disruptions. So, if she's fussy at night, the dog can help. I'm wondering if the dog could keep her from crawling out of bed at naptime...and if the dog will just stay near her to keep her company. Hmmm....

As for the family, I've heard they like the whole family to be there to meet and get used to the dog. This will be especially important for Charlie, and more so, Amarin. Neither boy is very comfortable around dogs, though Charlie has gotten a lot more.

So, we'll keep you all updated as we get more info. Ohio, here we come!

Almost a dog today

4 Paws left two messages on our answering machine last week while we were out of town. When we got home, we were anxious to hear what they had to say.

So, mom called Natalie at 4Paws this morning and she said they MIGHT have a dog for me. But, she needed to know if I often pinch.

Well, I don't really pinch. I don't even have that ability to put those two little fingers together yet. But I do hold on to things tightly because that's how my muscles react. I don't mean to hurt anyone or anything, but sometimes my muscles just kick into high gear and I squeeze...and apparently this dog they thought might be a good match is a little sensitive. So, they are going to look for another good match that will not mind my squeezes so much.