Showing posts with label great. Show all posts
Showing posts with label great. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 21, 2016
A great weekend for Hardy not so good for Laurel
A great weekend for Hardy not so good for Laurel
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| Laurel and her best pillow and friend, Dfer |
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| Hardy and Patina getting comfortable |
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| John, Hardy, Linda & Patina on the train |
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| Sue, Dfer, John, Hardy, Me, Brent, Laurel, Linda & Patina |
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| A tired Hardy at the end of a very long public access outing |
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| Cameras came out wherever we went |
We had a wonderful day for our drive north on Friday. It was much cooler than it has been for most of the summer, we had almost no wait at the border and although we were in stop-and-go traffic on Rt 6 along with everyone else heading north to their cottages in a torrential downpour, we arrived at Sue and Johns farm at about 12:30. When we pulled into the drive, it definitely felt like I was coming home and I knew that although it would be exciting to be taking Hardy home, it would also be very sad when I left Monday morning. It was wonderful to see Hardy (Sue and John, too) and he seemed pleased to see us as well. Hardy had an appointment at Cornell Animal Hospital at 4:30 so we all headed there. He weighs 36 lbs now and got a clean bill of health to cross the border back to the States. We also got another dose of flea/tick/heartworm medication for him. Laurels rabies vaccination expires Sept 11 so the veterinarian agreed to vaccinate her and gave her a clean bill of health as well.
Yesterday, we joined K9 Helpers for their yearly public access outing. We drove to Burlington, about an hour away from Guelph in order to ride the GO train to Toronto. The train was getting ready to leave and we had to race to the other end of it where the ramp and the accessible car were located. There were a bunch of manhole covers which Laurel has difficulty with since she was shocked by stray voltage running through one in New York City. Having to rush made it much more difficult for her. Once we got on the train, though, she had a wonderful time since she loves to ride them. John handled Hardy and they did great together! When we got off the train, we had to transfer to a subway to get to the Royal Ontario Museum. We were on the platform when trains were coming by on both sides - Hardy wasnt a big fan of that! John worked with him on it though and we waited around for a couple trains to come and go. Apparently, the five of us with four service dogs (Patina, Dfer, Laurel and Hardy) made quite a spectacle since people took pictures of us everywhere we went. We only had to walk about a block to get to the ROM. We spent a couple hours looking at the Canada, China and Mammals exhibits. About half way through, I realized that Laurel was gimpy behind and she started bulking at moving too much. Laurel and I waited in the lobby for everyone else to finish looking through the museum. Because they were pretty disappointed with the exhibits, everyone came back early and we headed to a restaurant for dinner. We found The Hungry Beagle and had a nice dinner there - the best part was that we had the place all to ourselves. All the dogs were very impressive in their ability to lie down and relax (I think they all fell asleep).While checking out why Laurel was gimpy behind, we realized that her face was swelling, her gums were very pale (almost white) with no change when you pressed on them. Sue checked for her pulse and found it very slow and thready. We gave her a large dose of Benadryl, and had to run for the subway (which had the positive effect of increasing her adrenaline level) and kept a close watch on her. After riding the subway, we then transferred back to the GO Train. The trains were very crowded so our dogs were confined in very close quarters and they all did great! Watching John work with Hardy all day was really great! They didnt move if Hardy was pulling - John waited until Hardy stopped and looked at him before taking a step forward. It took a ton of patience and John didnt get to see much at the museum except one big brown puppy! I decided to take Laurel to the emergency vet in Burlington on our way home. Sue came with me while John and Brent took Dfer and Hardy home. Because of the Benadryl, the swelling in her face was way down and the first thing the vet noticed was that she had ruptured a ligament in a toe on her back left foot. Although I believe the allergic reaction was because of the rabies vaccination, the vet wasnt convinced. Because we were going to be in Guelph Sunday, we decided not to give her a shot of steroids - instead I would watch her carefully that night and see how she was doing. The vet asked if we did agility and I thought, "Oh, no, we wont be able to do that anymore!" Instead, she said that she had seen Laurels videos on Youtube! Laurel will need to rest for a week or so (which should be fun with Hardy at home) but after that, should be almost good as new. That foot will look more splayed that usual but lots of dogs live with the injury without any problems. I will call our vet, Dr. Neal Sivula when we get home to see Laurel as well. We stayed up late watching a movie and Laurel got to snuggle under blankets next to me on the sofa (she is not normally allowed on sofas so you can tell how sad for her we felt). I used frozen peas to ice her foot and she made the most of the injury-provoking sympathy.
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| Laurel loves riding the train |
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| John working with Hardy as trains race past the platform |
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Wednesday, December 14, 2016
Great LEAD meeting has caused me to think about service dog prospects candidates
Great LEAD meeting has caused me to think about service dog prospects candidates
We had a Lake Erie Assistance Dogs meeting yesterday at Canine Affair. Besides our usual discussions, we set up different stations so that members/guests could practice for the public access test. Next month, Sue Alexander will be with us to do actual testing for our members. I took Hardy to the meeting and since no one else volunteered, he and I were the first to run through the practice test. We have never specifically worked on the public access test before but on the other hand, his behavior is such that I take him out in public so I didnt expect to have any major problems. And as it turned out, the only issues we had were his defaulting to a "down" when we were doing the various activities at the sit station and having to re-cue him for a sit when Mary came up behind us to say hello and give him a pat. Well, that and during the meeting Hardy decided my good (expensive) leather leash would be a good teething toy. While I do appreciate his need for teething opportunities, I dont appreciate his use of my leash nor his persistence (and yes, Sue, I know ... we selected him for his persistence!). Ive added a chew toy to our training bag and we will be using my old nylon leash for awhile (its purple, of course). All in all, once again, I was very proud of my now-bigger puddly!
For a bunch of reasons, I have been thinking about the dogs we decide to raise and/or train to be service dogs. One of the Yahoo Assistance Dogs lists is having a rather heated discussion right now regarding program dogs versus owner-trained dogs with accusations that owner-trainers use dogs that are alarmingly inappropriate for the work. Does that happen? Yes, I have seen examples of that but I have also seen them of program dogs who werent appropriate. Mostly, these discussions continue to make me concerned that the service dog community expects the public to "get" and support service dogs but we cant even be united! Additionally, Ive heard from a number of people recently who want advice about dogs/puppies to get to raise and train for their own service dogs. And, even though Laurel and Hardy are completely different and I try not to compare them, I still do.
When I decided to have Sue Alexander do temperament testing of all potential puppies and ultimately, help me select my 2nd service dog prospect, I did that hoping to improve the selection process resulting in a puppy well suited to doing service dog work for me. I went into it already having an amazing service dog, Laurel, who does more for me than I even knew was possible. What I didnt recognize was that having a dog who is very talented and intelligent, with a work drive/ethic as well as being incredibly willing isnt enough. Throughout Hardys puppyhood and into his adolescence, it is already obvious that it will be easier for him to deal with public access than it is for Laurel.
I think there was some dumb luck involved with Laurels success (and maybe all the phases of the moon were in alignment or something ... ) and I think I had the luxury of being able to focus on her positive traits while minimizing the negatives but I dont think her success as a service dog is the important thing. What is important is that because of who Laurel is (and despite her willingness and enthusiasm), being a full public access service dog is a difficult, stressful job for her. She would never tell you that but that doesnt mean it isnt true!
Im a firm believer in the adage, "When you know better, you do better". I feel that is what I did in asking for Sues help picking my next service dog candidate and although people seem very surprised when I mention that Hardy will be taking over most public access duties once he is completely trained, I think I owe that to my Laurel girl. Everyone who knows us knows that I adore my goofy yellow girl and now that I know that she is doing her job for me in spite of who she is, I appreciate her that much more! But I also realize that this could have been a miserable life for her and I dont want to see that happening to other willing, talented, intelligent but ill-suited dogs. Now, if Laurel can teach Hardy a fraction of what she has taught me, he will indeed grow up to be an amazing boy!
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Sunday, November 27, 2016
Such a great sleeper
Such a great sleeper
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Great Books On Personal Development
Great Books On Personal Development
Over the years, I have become an avid reader of books that deal with personal development. I have a sincere passion about either reading these books or listening to videos and audios on YouTube that pertain to this subject. I just want to state briefly that in junior and senior high, I was not much of a reader. This reflected in me having low SAT scores in verbal as well as having to work very hard to succeed and get through undergraduate and Optometry School. Some of this lack of reading could be attributed to my eyes not working well together.
The first two books I want to discuss which were written in the 1930s were Dale Carnegies How To Win Friends and Influence People and Napolean Hills Think And Grow Rich. Dale Carnegies book, as described in the title, discusses ways of improving your ability to get along with others both in your personal life and in business. Such ideas like letting the other person do most of the talking and becoming sincerely interested in the other person are just two of the many concepts discussed. Napolean Hills book covers more about succeeding in business. Ideas like starting with developing a chief aim, developing a group of individuals whom you have similar interest with and discussing ideas of how to succeed (described as a "Mastermind" group in his book) and being persistent are just a few of the areas covered.
Another, more recent book, that Ive read is John Maxwells Intentional Living. In part, he discusses his life where he has lead a "life of significance" helping and mentoring others. Of course he describes how other individuals (some in their teens) are leading a life that makes a big difference to many others as well as themselves. John Maxwell can also be followed on YouTube as well as Success Magazine. His other books on leadership are best sellers.
I will be discussing in future blogs both authors and lecturers who I feel are tremendous in the information they share.
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Friday, November 4, 2016
A Great Cataract Experience
A Great Cataract Experience
I could write so much but had to stop myself. I feel like a brand new person as Im able to see colors and read road signs etc. Watch out mall, here I come. The moment I walked into DAmbrosio eye center for my first eye examination, I knew I made the correct choice. Everyone in the office was not only professional but treated their clients with respect, warmth and friendliness. I felt the same way when I entered the Cataract & Laser Center. I felt welcomed and was treated with the utmost respect. I was greeted with a smiley, friendly receptionist that took some necessary information. She put me at ease immediately.
I went in the next phase, received my pretty yellow robe along with eye drops and a blood pressure reading, with yet another friendly face, that prepared me for the next step. She explained everything to me and what to expect next.
Once I was seated, in the most comfortable recliners I ever sat in, several more procedures took place by caring, compassionate nurses that explained every step as they went along. They also made sure I was comfortable and doing okay. I could also ask questions through any of these steps. The last step, surgery itself went smoothly and Dr. Robbins is my new angel. She did a wonderful job. I was comfortable with a nice warm blanket and time went by pretty fast. After surgery, I went back to the recliners and received my instructions and then on my way. I was offered something to drink, eat etc.
Later that evening Dr. Robbins checked in to see if I was doing okay and to let me know not to hesitate to contact the center, in the event something didnt seem right to me at any moment.
My experience was wonderful. I felt I was treated extremely well by people that cared and made sure this experience was the best it could be.
When I first considered eye surgery, I could just barely see; mostly shadows as my eyes were getting progressively worse. I am so amazed that I can even read the smallest type on the eye charts. After my second eye surgery, I was able to see even better. I only need to wear readers for small print.
My husband, who came along with me through the entire experience, is totally pleased with the outcome of the surgery and the professional, courteous treatment he also received during this time.
Im totally pleased with the eye surgery, the special care I was given, along with the clean friendly environment. The total experience was excellent and I certainly would recommend anyone to go there.
Thank you to all the participants that made this experience a wonderful one.
Guest Blogger: Cricket
Staffed by a team of Ophthalmologists, Optometrists, Opticians, technical and administrative staff who provide eye examinations for adults and children, cataract surgery and intraocular lens implants (IOL), laser vision correction such as LASIK, diagnosis and treatment of cornea disease including cornea transplants, care for diseases of the retina including diabetes and age related macular degeneration (AMD) and diagnosis and treatment of glaucoma as well as contact lenses, eyeglasses, eyewear and optical services.
DAmbrosio Eye Care is a leading eye and LASIK care practice in Athol, Lancaster, Gardner and Acton that serves the greater Boston and central Massachusetts area including Acton, Athol, Berlin, Bolton, Boylston, Boxborough, Chelmsford, Clinton, Concord, Fitchburg, Gardner, Greenfield, Groton, Harvard, Hudson, Lancaster, Leominster, Lexington, Littleton, Lowell, Lunenburg, Marlborough, Milford, Shelburne Falls, Shirley, Sterling, Stow, Sudbury, Templeton, Westminster, Westborough, Winchendon and Worcester, Massachusetts.
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Monday, September 19, 2016
Hardys a great young man but hes not Laurel!
Hardys a great young man but hes not Laurel!
Probably like with children, I shouldnt compare Hardy to Laurel but I do (and to be honest, although I tried not to compare our son, Devin, to his older sister, Kristen, occasionally I did that too). If Im going to do it, I should definitely compare Hardy to Laurel at the same age but I usually dont ... when I compare, I compare Hardy to Laurel now. Obviously, thats not fair since Hardy just turned 1 year old on Sunday and Laurel will be 5 at the beginning of June. Additionally, I was working much harder with Laurel at this age while I have had the luxury to focus on Hardys socialization and basic living skills while enjoying his puppy-hood and adolescence. As my first attempt to raise and train a service dog, poor Laurel was subjected to unnecessary pressure caused by my stress-level because it was so important she make it as my public access service dog,especially once she showed her natural abilities to alert to my medical problems.
Just as we found that raising children was much more difficult (as well as wonderful) than we had expected, we realized that was true for raising a puppy service dog candidate as well. Additionally, family members who had been completely supportive of the "service dog idea" werent prepared for the intrusion and bother that being involved with our puppy/SDiT presented for them. Certainly with a puppy and through at least the first part of the service dog in training period, it is hard work without the benefits of having the dog do task(s) to mitigate your disability. I realize that I could not do that without the help of my husband and even with that, since I only have so much energy and physical ability in a given day, working with the puppy or young dog takes precedence over other things I might like to do.
I certainly believe that my service dogs will be learning new things their entire lives (as I hope I will be too) but there is a point when going out in public together becomes much easier and the help the dog provides outweighs to effort involved. Because of our years training together, that is where Laurel and I are at; Hardy and I are not there yet. However, because Hardy has such a lovely, stable temperament, all the things that we dont have yet are those that I can train. And because of that temperament, being out in public is easier for him than it is for Laurel. However, she knows and understands what I am doing and what I need; things which Hardy doesnt yet get. Hence, I have decided that I will continue public access training and work on task training with Hardy - meaning that I will generally take him out with me (understanding that he cannot yet do what Laurel does). This means Ill be leaving Laurel home on those occasions but will ask her to help me there and when we are out doing dog-related things (classes, trials etc). Because my two Labs have gotten so good at taking turns, I am confident this will work nicely for all of us!
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Sunday, September 11, 2016
The Weathers Been Nicer and Overall Hardy had a Great Week!
The Weathers Been Nicer and Overall Hardy had a Great Week!
The beginning of our week didnt seem promising since Kristen, Sean (her boyfriend) and Soapy left early Monday morning on their long drive to Skagway, Alaska. All of us enjoyed their visit immensely and are missing them already! Hardy, especially, loved having his "cousin" here to play with and hes feeling the loss the most, I think.
Instead of laying around missing everyone, Hardy and I ran some errands (while Laurel took a nap). We picked up a prescription and a couple items at the drug store and took a deposit to the bank. He was very well behaved and received many compliments from employees and other customers alike. In the evening, we went to the rally class - we did some mini-courses to work on the various exercises and I recognized that Hardy struggles with focus and enthusiasm at the beginning of the course; once he gets going, he can be brilliant! Obviously, I need to work on developing that from the very start. After the rally class, Laurel got to come in and play "obedience dog". We worked on directed jumping, retrieve on the flat and over a jump, drop on recall, and the go outs. We tried to connect the go out with a directed jump and discovered that we need to work on that. Besides using treats, Im also using a ball as a reward - Laurel finds that combination extremely motivating and she is a happy, happy worker!
Tuesday, Hardy and I attended an obedience class - we worked on long sits and downs with distractions. Although we are working on this, Hardy still tends to sit in a sloppy "puppy sit". Weve been working on having him sit up and straight by asking him to sit and clicking just as his butt hits the ground and then throwing the treat so that he doesnt sit back and get sloppy. Obviously, he can sit "well" but it seems to be difficult for him. And when he is doing a long sit, he tends to slide into a down - he doesnt get up and go anywhere but he doesnt remain sitting either. So while his down stay is really solid, we need to keep working on the sit stay. We also worked on changes of pace and in order to have him enthusiastic as we step off heeling, I did a lot of starting off fast from a halt. Im sure I can work through it with him but this certainly reminds me again just how different Laurel and Hardy really are! After class, Laurel got to come in and do some more obedience. She did very well and we were able to do a send out and then a directed jump on her way back to me. Then Hardy had his first "big boy" agility class. Hes still jumping 12 inches but also does the full height A-Frame and Dog Walk, 1/2 height teeter, tunnels & chutes and has the beginnings of 6 channel weaves. For class, we performed a number of exercises which involved having a tunnel wrapped around one end of the dog walk and then did a complete 19 obstacle course. Hardy handled the tunnel to dog walk entrances going both ways beautifully and I have to admit that I was amazed at how well he did with the entire course. So far, he does not take the jumps very seriously - of course, he can trot over a 12 inch jump so he often knocks down the bars. However, he did the course without any knockdowns while completing the contacts (dog walk and teeter) and tunnels beautifully.
Wednesday and Thursday, Hardy and I went for walks at the MetroParks on our way to my Levels classes. There is an entrance to the park right on my way to Canine Affair and the weather was cool and beautiful. We had a great time - Hardy is a joy to walk with and we spent some time enjoying the scenery with him sniffing to his hearts content. He also did demos for my class which is always fun!
Yesterday and today the weather has turned nasty again (cold and wet) so we worked on things around the house. If the weather cooperates tomorrow, Hardy will get to run around outside with his Border Collie friend, Xen, while we visit with our friends, Ana & Rob. Xen is not Laurels biggest fan but well see if they do better outside with lots of running room!
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Monday, September 5, 2016
We had a great time at Hillside Music Festival!
We had a great time at Hillside Music Festival!
Friday, Sue and John were busy getting ready to perform at Hillside Music Festival over the weekend. Laurel and I ran to the grocery store to get milk because Id hoped to head to the festival for the evening too. We were expecting thunderstorms and I hoped to run in and out ... except the ramp on my van got stuck out when I got out. I spent about 45 minutes trying to figure out what to do. I couldnt find the hand crank for the ramp and whenever I pushed the power button, the ramp moved sideways and hit the sliding door. It looked like it was going to rain any minute and I realized I couldnt close up the van, much less secure it or drive it anywhere. A nice woman with three young children asked if I needed help. She asked a guy who happened to be walking past if he knew anything about wheelchair accessible vans ... surprisingly, he did not! But he agreed to try to help anyway. I searched in the very back and found the hand crank and then looked at the modifications handbook. The two people who had stopped helped me crank and we got the ramp into the van. Once we were successful at that, the ramp became normally functional again. In the midst of everything, I realized that the only two phone numbers I had on my Canadian phone were Sue and Johns and I couldnt reach them. By the time I was heading back to the farm, I figured it wouldnt be a good idea to go to the festival. I called Sue to tell her and she convinced me that I should come. She and John turned around and came back to let me follow them to the island (where the festival is held). We decided to take Hardy too since John could handle him for me.
It was really crowded at the festival and Hardy did a great job walking through all the people. At one point, we had to walk right past a big stack of speakers that were booming. Hardy stopped to think about all the noise for a minute before walking on. Overall, he did a great job although he did get tired of sitting on my lap while Sue and John participated in the opening ceremonies. On the way back out to the van, Hardy got to ride on Johns shoulders ... it was a lot of walking for a little brown puppy.
Yesterday, Laurel and I went back to the festival, leaving Hardy at home. A friend, Kathy promised to come to feed, let him out, and play with him. She sent me a text message telling me that hed done great which was a relief since Id never left him alone for that long before!
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Saturday, August 20, 2016
Laurel spent her down time thinking and Hardy had a great public access outing!
Laurel spent her down time thinking and Hardy had a great public access outing!
After getting the go-ahead yesterday to start doing some light exercise with Laurel, this morning we went downstairs to our matted area to do some work. Laurel was thrilled to be doing something with me and did some great heeling! We did some recalls and then tried out several different things - drop on recall, directed jumping (over a 4 inch jump), signals at a distance etc. Laurel seems to have been thinking about all those exercises while she was resting since shes never done them better!
Then, we took Hardy to visit my favorite doctor. Laurels always been welcome at his office (and everyone asks when I dont bring her) so I didnt anticipate any problems and there werent any. Hardy was his usual friendly (but not overly so) self and handled himself with a lovely professionalism for someone so young. Unfortunately, I found out that I have some sort of "major infection" - which is why I feel so crappy so after the appointment, we went to the store with Hardy to pick up my prescription. Again, he acted like hed been doing it forever. After that, we went home and havent been doing much since.
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Sunday, August 14, 2016
Great Individuals To Work With
Great Individuals To Work With
It’s really great when you can come into your office and everyone really gets along well.. I find that with the individuals in my office. Believe me, I have worked in offices where this wasnt the case. You probably have, too.
It’s really wonderful that I am able to delegate many of the office tasks to my employees where I am then able to concentrate my efforts on patient care. The other area of the practice I enjoy is the networking part of my practice. From the gym to chambers of commerce to online, I really enjoy meeting with people and discussing (with enthusiasm ) my practice.Patients are really able to pick up where there are “good vibrations” within a work environment. I encourage you to read the testimonial section of my website, www.wehelpuc.com. The last testimonial describes this to a tee and made me feel really good.A second year optometry school student remarked to me: ”Bob, you never say you’re going to work, you say you’re going to the office.”
-Dr. Robert Rothbard
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Thursday, August 4, 2016
We had a great day at Canine Affair Centers Open House!
We had a great day at Canine Affair Centers Open House!
The rally course was a simple AKC Novice one. Laurel did it well and seemed even happier to be working than usual! I was more relaxed than usual when doing AKC rally which Im guessing made all the difference!
I took Hardy in wearing his vest. I believe one mistake I made with Laurel was not taking her to "dog" places (training halls, dog shows & trials etc) wearing her vest or harness. When she was older and I needed to take her to to dog events as my service dog, she found it very confusing and Im sure she felt frustrated and conflicted. As a result, we had to work very hard to help her understand that even though we were at a dog-related thing, if she was dressed, she was working. Its fine now but I want to make it easier for Hardy so Ill be remembering to have him wear his vest at the training hall for special events, as well as at dog shows and trials.
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| Hardy & I try rally |
Our agility foundations instructor, Ana, asked if Hardy could participate in the afternoon agility demonstration using a scaled down course of 9 obstacles. Because he is only 7 months old and hence, too young to really jump, each one was 4 " high. He has really gotten the idea of doing a "course" and galloped between obstacle. He did the jumps willingly and made the entry to the tunnel, even though it was right next to the A-Frame. He stopped at the A-Frame and then Ana & I realized that he had never done it full-height before. We lowered it and he did it beautifully! Ive heard trainers & competitors say that agility isnt won or lost with the dogs performance at the obstacles but rather based on what goes on between each. And Im so proud of my little guy - at 7 months, he worked beautifully off-lead and was able to work the various combinations in order to successfully complete the little course. He had a wonderful time, especially since he got lots of turkey at different points in the course!
Now, he is sleeping and snoring his way through the evening!
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Wednesday, August 3, 2016
Another Great Reason For Practicing Optometry
Another Great Reason For Practicing Optometry
A couple of days ago, a seven-year-old boy came in for an eye examination. The mom came in with information from the school nurse as well as the history of her son. The nurse at the school said the boy’s distance vision was about 20/50 and he had a lot of trouble focusing up close. There was also a history of a non-malignant growth on the brain. The mom said even though her son was in second grade, he was only reading at kindergarten level. The school was developing a special individualized plan for his education.
When I examined the patient, I found him to be 20/20 in each eye and he responded to questions exceedingly well. He perceived him to be very intelligent, well spoken and probably very frustrated. When I checked his focusing ability at near (around 12?), he had a very poor focusing system. I held a pair of lenses in front of him and checked his reading. To the almost shock of the mother and my surprise, his reading ability was tremendously improved. Most young patients don’t have this type of focusing deficit and response to this type of prescription, but this patient did.
I get so excited when we are able to make such a dramatic change in an individual’s vision as well as performance. I am looking forward to following up with this patient.
- Dr. Robert Rothbard
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