Finally....

Whew! I promised, so here it is....We LOVE Koolio. He's really an amazing animal and has quickly fit into our family in a way that we'd never have imagined. Our lives are definately changed! Hannah has warmed up to him nicely and thoroughly enjoys bossing him around. It's not unusual for us to hear her saying, "Koo Yoo, NO! Koo Yoo Down! Koo Yoo, Sit!" LOL! He's always got his ear and eyes tuned her way no matter what he's doing. It's pretty awesome!

We had a great trip home and are slowly getting settled in at home. We hit the floor running and have been terribly busy since returning home, but hopefully this weekend we can get caught up on some things. That would be a great feeling.

On Monday Koolio took Hannah to school and met her teachers and classmates. He spent the rest of the day home with me and was constantly looking for his girl. He was rather mopey even. He was very happy when it was time to go get her and so was I! He's much like having a toddler and he gets bored occassionally.

Tuesday we decided to do a half day stint at school. It started out a little rough in that a couple of the boys in Hannah's class really wanted to be able to play with the dog and the teacher was trying to establish the rules with them, and well, new rules require new "fights". LOL! I felt so bad because I wanted them to be able to play with Koolio but also knew that for him to do his job effectively the rules had to be established first. I really think it went well and had expected the adjustment to be much worse than it was. First I took Koolio to Mrs. Skelton's class so they could meet him. That is the regular ed class Hananh does her inclusion in and I couldn't believe how well the kids behaved. They were incredible and so informed and willing to do whatever they needed to so the dog could do his job! They wrote a social story about the dog working and not petting him and being able to pet him later when he wasn't working. It is great! They also have signs to put in his pouch so the kids can visually see that Koolio is working and then when they can pet him and play with him they put a sign in saying they can play with him. Oh, and when the kids did get a chance to pet the dog they all sat around him and it was exciting to watch Koolio lean towards Hannah for lovin'! We left before lunch and went home. Again Koolio moped some but he slept alot. He was tired. LOL!

Wednesday I had an appointment in Arlington so Koolio went with me. He took Hannah to school but then went on to my appointment with me and then went with me to pick Hannah up. He was pretty mopey and looking for her alot.

Today we took him again for half a day and I could not believe how great the morning went. Mrs. Mobley handled Koolio for the most part. She did great. Koolio didn't heel with her as well as I'd like him to but I think a little practice and he'll do fine. He did sit and down for her quite well. He tried her a few times by getting up or doing his belly crawl, but she was able to put him back in his down and it worked great! We left around noon and he spent the afternoon being bad (chewing toys), and moping for his girl until it was time to pick her up. We'll probably do a repeat of this tomorrow.

Next week we go to the zoo one day so that should be interesting. I'll be sure to post about that!

It's time to go get Kyle from work so I'll have to pick up on this post later! Thanks for everything!

Some photos on from on the way home...

Koolio in an under while we ate at Dairy Queen

Koolio and his girl! Hannah is going through this strange strike a pose phase.

The Kool Man and his Kool Girl!

We're home...

We're home. Got here late last night. I've been so busy getting everything done and ready for us to get back to life in the morning. Don't have any time to post but will do soon! I promise.

Last training Day....

Today was our last day of training. We met at the AIA center and did two tracks. Actually we did two indoor tracks and one field track. I handled the dorm track and Koolio did awesome both times. I tend to want to lead instead of allowing him to lead me, but with time I think we'll work it out. David did the field track and Hannah and I hid back in a wood pile. Koolio is spot on. He's a fabulous tracker. We then broke for lunch and met back at 4paws for a final question and answer session. Jeremy went over just about everything we could possibly need to know. I feel confident that we have been taught as much about handling Koolio that was possible int he 10 days we've been here.

Tomorrow we will meet at the mall and take our access test and then go to 4paws to sign paperwork and graduate. I cannot say enough about 4paws. The staff is incredible. EVERY ONE of them made the experience pleasant and as perfect as possible. I did not meet a single person that didn't go out of their way to help in any way they could. Oh, and they "get" our kids! Awesome! It really is an amazing experience. The training is alot of fun. Not a single boring moment. It is actually quite a hoot at times. LOL! Anyway, if you're thinking about getting a dog from 4paws for your child I would 100% say that it is worth every moment of time, energy, and money!

I get so emotional when I think about the past 8 months of our lives and all that has happened with Hannah and then Billie. I know that God's timing is perfect. I KNOW it. We're experiencing that perfection. Billie passed away less than two weeks before we left to come to training. Wow! I just realized it was a month ago today! Getting Koolio has been a welcome distraction. He certainly doesn't replace Billie in any way, but he sure is aiding in the healing from the loss. Losing Billie was a HUGE loss and always will be. I still can't imagine life without her. Anyway, I don't want this to be a mourning post. I just wanted to acknowlege that God has perfect timing!

So many people had a part in this that it keeps us in awe. We didn't get here without all of you and your support and contributions! Thank y'all so much! Truly, this has been lifechanging for us. We LOVE this dog! This dog adds a level of independence to Hannah's life that would not be possible any other way! She loves her Koolio! I will try to put into words all the things this dog does for us as soon as I can get some time. We will be hitting the road running when we return to Texas. It's back to school on Monday. Doctor's appointments right around the corner too. Life never stops!

We're ready to be home again. We'll miss all these fabulous family's we've gotten to know. As I've said before the most amazing thing in all of this to me was being among people who "get it"! Hannah's acted out in ways she's never done before and there has not been a single strange look or shaking head. I can't tell you how liberating it is to be among these people for 10 days. For a few days all the behaviors were the norm. I've sighed a huge relief more than once! LOL!

I apologize because I feel like I have not articulated this experience to the best of my abilities. Even though it's been amazing and exciting, it is incredibly tiring. I know I have not done it justice. Just please know that we are VERY thankful we got this opportunity and are VERY aware that we wouldn't have had it if others hadn't cared! Thanks!

A BAD sprain....

Kyle has a bad sprain. They put him in an air cast and on crutches. He has a prescription for vicodin. Thank God, it's not broken!

Ankle Injury

David is at the ER with Kyle. At our 4paws St Patty's party last night he injured it playing basketball. We thought it was just sprained but it's really hurting bad and looks awful. Keep your fingers crossed it's nothing too major! I know.....if it's going to happen, it will happen to us!!!!!! I'm just refusing to get down! So far, it's working.....

An emotional moment and today's training....

On the way to training this morning David and I both had an emotional moment as we glanced back and saw Koolio sitting closely by Hannah and her grinning from ear to ear.

This picture is the one that made us the most emotional. Koolio laid his head on Hannah's arm and she tolerated it. She even enjoyed it!!!!!

I have talked alot about tracking but thought I'd show a little about what I've been talking about. We go to a local park that most of the time has wooded areas. Today Hannah and I walked around these wooded areas and found a place to hide. Here are a few pictures of those woods.
After Hannah and I have had enough time to hide David tells Koolio to track his girl and he heads off. Today we hid beside some woods and he actually tried to go through the woods to find us because he got our scent from where we were hid. He was full of burs and had to have a hair cut to remove them all. He did go around because he couldn't get through and the next picture shows him coming lickety split when he found us! I do not have editing software on David's laptop so it's not the best picture but it still shows what he did. He is THRILLED when he finds us!

The whole process is rather incredible. Jeremy explains how we shed human skin cells and how the dogs can track them. Seriously, it's unbelievable what these wonderful creations can do.

This afternoon we met back at 4paws and went over more tracking notes and grooming. I asked several questions about school and think I got some great feedback on it all. I can't wait to get home and continue in this experience. I know that I'll miss the trainers and 4paws staff and wish I'd have brought at least one of them back to Texas with us. LOL! Really, this experience has been worth EVERY minute of time and energy it took to get here.

This evening we all got together for a 4paws ST Patty's party and had a great time. We thought for a moment we were going to be doing a "live" track as Hannah took off after one of the other 4paws parents and we didn't see her go with her. Talk about a moment of panic. LOL! Luckily she was with another parent safe and sound.

Kyle may have sprained his ankle playing basketball tonight. It's pretty sore and swollen but he is able to walk on it. I've got him sitting with it propped up and ice on it. Please pray it's nothing serious. We've already made one trip to urgent care. Uggggh!

Only 2 more days and then our access test and graduation on Friday. Time has flown by! I'm definately ready to go home though.

Priceless....And our Koolio

Another Incredible day....

This morning we did tracking again. We split into two groups and our group first met at 4paws and learned behavior diruption. I so wish I had brought my camera with me this morning. It's so hard to remember everything when we're trying to get out the door to training. To teach the dog kisses you put peanut butter on your hand or face and tell the dog kisses. When he licks all the peanut butter off you give him a treat. David thought that since hannah will only let us kiss her on the forehead that he'd teach Koolio to give kisses there. He put peanut butter on his forehead and let him lick it off. It was HILARIOUS! Besides kisses we learned the lap, over, nuzzle and touch commands. Koolio does alot of it unsolicited when Hannah starts melting down but it was really good to learn the commands in case I need him to and he doesn't.

We were the third one in our group to track. We went to another park and Hannah and I took a path Jeremy gave us. Once we were well in the place he told us to stop we dunked behind a building. I peeked around so I could watch. We were mostly open terrain this time so I was able to see Koolio work. He did an awesome job. Hannah stepped out from the building when Koolio was about half a block away. He saw her and went off full speed with David running behind him. I thought David was going to pass out once he got to us. LOL!

This afternoon we met at the mall to learn to track there. We also practiced tethering with Hannah. She wouldn't hold on to her own leash but she did enjoy walking behind the dog and being attached. Koolio heeled perfectly and we did two tracks in Sears where he did an awesome job. We then decided to try our hand at heeling with a shopping cart while we were in Sears and he did awesome. We had one tumble when Hannah went for the shopping cart after I had put it up instead of walking behind Koolio and myself. She recovered quickly though and everything went o.k. from there.

Tonight we took Koolio to the hotel lobby for dinner and he did great. I did have to give the command twice but still that was good I thought. We then took him outside and practiced commands with him.

I'm going to post some photos in a bit. We're all tired and so ready to be home. We'll miss 4paws and the trainers but it will be so nice to be in our own home and in our own beds. Hannah has about had all she can take of being out of her element. LOL!

For a really awesome blog posting of this whole experience please check out www.4paws4dylan.blogspot.com

Photos

Yesterday and Today....

I didn't update yesterday because it was a WILD one. Hannah woke us up at 1:30 a.m. running a VERY high fever. It didn't come down until nearly 5 a.m. so we missed tracking yesterday morning and took her to a local urgent care center. She has a ear infection and a URI. She's doing some better today. We were able to go to all the training today with her.

Something exciting happened. The seizure dogs will do an intense sniffing when they smell a seizure. Hannah had a complex partial in the night but Koolio wasn't in the room. Later, I witnessed the intense sniffing that Jeremy described to us and he pawed the bed. I haven't played the seizure game with him yet so he's not aware that I'm the one to paw should he sense a seizure. Well, I have but just once. Later she had several absense seizures, so he did alert! I was in such shock that I didn't know how to respond.

Like I said we missed tracking yesterday morning but was able to leave Hannah with the boys and go to the mall training. The mall is less than 5 minutes from our hotel. Koolio is a very friendly dog and he was so excited about going to the mall. We met at the food court and he walked right by all the food and people without batting an eye. Once he saw all the other dogs he got really excited and had to be corrected but he was SO good. We practiced heeling and he did good. He was a little distracted at first but he soon got on his best service dog behavior. LOL! David became a walking 4paws commercial as everyone wanted to know about the dogs in the mall! It really was cool! If these dogs can handle the mall on Saturday they can handle ANYTHING! LOL!

Last night most of the families met at 4paws for a little get together. Unfortunately we didnt' get to stay long because Hannah just wasn't feeling well. Hannah and I crashed when we got home and my wonderful husband did our laundry. I did it on Wednesday but we were already needing it done again. He's such a great guy!

This morning we met at 4paws and practiced heeling with a shopping cart. It went good. We also practiced some more of the under and place command. Then we met Jeremy at a park for a tracking where David held the tracking leash. Hannah and I walked way back in the woods and she didn't want to stop walking. LOL! Finally she got mad at me and threw herself on the ground. Koolio found us perfectly. He's such a good boy!

At lunch David and I decided to try eating out with Koolio. Koolio was a little hesitant on the under but did it perfect the second time and he lay under the table the entire time. Actually I think he slept most of the time. He heeled perfectly through the restaurant on the way in and to our table and on our way out. I was really proud!

This afternoon we went over tracking and then learned about grooming. We dismissed and Hannah and I came home and let David take the boys out for an evening. I know that the guys have learned so much. If I need them to do a track they can. They have learned the commands and are helping us in getting Hannah and Koolio bonded. It's all so exciting.

I'm really tired but it's a good tired. I am so thrilled with the addition of care for Hannah that Koolio brings. She's slow to warm up to new things and we've watched as each day she gets more and more comfortable and in love with him. She sat in the back seat today and said, "I love Koo Yoo". Of course she LOVES to boss him but she LOVES to boss everyone and everything. LOL! We've really got a kick out of her giving Koo Yoo commands. At any rate, we cannot be happier with our new family member. He is a perfect match for our family. Perfect. It brings tears to my eyes.

Please keep Hannah in your prayers. She just really isn't feeling 100%. Thanks for all the support! It is appreciated. I'm about to post some pictures.

Today...

This morning I nearly froze my Texas behind off! We met at 4paws at 9:30 a.m. and went to track at the park. We were the third track....Thank the Lord! Hannah didn't want to hide. We hid near a ditch in some brush and she hollored the whole time...."No....daddy!....No....daddy!" Koolio did excellent. He found us and went all through the brush to get to us. He's an awesome tracker.

This afternoon we learned the place and under commands. We got mutt mats for our dogs and learned how to use them. We also learned how to put our dogs in an under when we go out to eat somewhere, etc. Koolio did the under command but it wasn't his best. LOL! We'll have to work on that one for sure.

After learning the place and under commands we did some seizure work and Koolio did awesome! We brought some boxes home to practice tonight.

We met the Kilpatrick's for dinner tonight. Kira and Hannah have so much in common and seem to enjoy each other. We had a great time spending time with them. It's so nice to be around other family's like ours.

Pray for one of our family's; the Wooley's. The dog they were supposed to get got sick and wasn't going to get better so they had to get a replacement dog. They are handling it alright but have to be sad. Dora was a beautiful dog. I'm sure the new dog will be great but 4 days is enough time to get attached to a dog and they'll be sad, I'm sure.

Really Tired...

Tonight I'm really tired. I have not slept well in quite some time and it has taken it's toll. David said he'd take care of Koolio the rest of the evening and I'm going to take Hannah and try to crash. Hannah is still coughing pretty bad and struggling respiratory wise but no fever so far so hopefully it won't get worse. It's cold here. I think the high today was 42. Could be worse, I know, but still it's cold for these Texas bones.

This morning we did tracking with the dogs. It was incredible. Koolio went first and Hannah and I hid in some trees. He did well and found us. I got to watch a couple of other tracks and it's really quite fascinating. We did learn today that it's harder for the dogs to track in the dryer, hotter climates. Hopefully we'll never need a track but if we do, we'll have a dog that can do it. It'll be fun to practice. I have a feeling we'll all be in much better shape with this dog in our home. Don't laugh! I know, we ALL could use some getting in shape! LOL!

We got our tethering straps this afternoon and learned how to use them. It's all such an amazing process. The entire training keeps us in awe. The trainers and the staff at 4paws are wonderful! We got to see the pinkettes the first day and they are the cutest little things. I want one! LOL! Anyway, I can't say enough about all the 4paws personel. Wow!(I've said that alot, huh?)

I got some brochures from Karen Mull today about DRAVET and we're hoping to find some time to just sit and talk. I have alot of questions and she's so willing to answer them. Hopefully we'll get to find some time to chat.

The most amazing thing of all I think is the parents and families of all these special kids. It is tremendously relieving to be in a place, among people that "get it". One of our kids is melting down and it's like no one bats an eye. No strange looks or worries. Our kids are free to wander in an area that is set up especially for them. Jeremy and the other trainers are capable of teaching us how to handle these dogs in the midst of it all! That is a feat!

Hannah has been alot more playful with Koolio this evening. It's day three and I've seen her grow more and more comfortable with him. We let her just rain treats when she feels like it. Tonight she actually hugged him twice. It brought tears to my eyes.

We meet to track again tomorrow. Can't wait!