Trapper's Dog!

May 10th...Zion is home with Trapper in Fairbanks, AK.

2009-05-10T00:16:00.000-07:00

It is Sunday. At around 4 am our children were awake....because it is not only light outside, but we are on Ohio time. So to them it is 8 am. This could be a rough week with very little sleep.

Happy Mother's day, too! I feel like I have a new child, his name is Zion.:)

We actually fought getting up until about 5:30am, then we stated breakfast, unpacking, emails & such. We got ready for church, but missed the 9 am service. The 11 am service is very big & busy. We thought we would take Zion, but I left him in the car to ask again. I had asked prior to our family even moving to Fairbanks. I found the church on-line & thought it sounded like a great community of people. I wrote a letter explaining our family dynamic & how it would change to include a service dog in the spring. I received an encouraging reply and Welcome...but the person I originally wrote to decided that it needed to be brought to a meeting again as Zion would not be with Trapper @ all times. Trapper can be in the nursery/children church without him depending on how many children are in the nursery. Rob & I are the trained handler's. So we expected Trapper & his Zion to sit with us during the music part of service and then we would talk Trapper to his class room & Katie to her's. Then Zion would sit with us during the service. However, we were not greeted with a welcome today as it was not clear why the dog would be needed if the child wasn't with him. For anyone who may see this the same way....think about these things. The dog needs to continue being around public places, eventually Trapper will sit in the entire service with us (we hope) & Zion will be completely familiar with where he is. It is fairly loud & the service is close to 1,000 or more at the 11 am service. This is excellent training for Rob & I and great continuation of social situations for Zion. Plus, it stays around 80 F in the summer in Fairbanks & can dip below -40F in the winter. I will not be leaving Zion in the car from here on out. So, I either have to figure out who to talk to @ our church (we are new to town really, our church family that helped us raise money for Zion is in Skagway, Alaska). So we will be finding another church family if they feel strongly about Zion's presence in church service. We really do like our church though, so the thought is sad. Church is not held to Laws in place for the American's with Disabilities Act. The reason is the separation of Church & State. All other places of public access are required to allow access to a service dog by law. However this is where compassion & acceptance in a church body comes in. So we will see.
After Church service, Rob ran into Lowe's to get some posts for the play center he is building for the kids. Then we went home and got busy on projects. Rob leaves in just a few days for a conference in Florida. We hope to get some tracking practice in while he is here.

Thank you to all of you who have continued to keep up with my post. Sorry I am a person of many, many words.:)

Day 12...travel...travel...we really dislike all travel!

2009-05-10T00:15:00.001-07:00

Let me just start with...it has been a horrific day!
Early morning flight, two dogs who refused to use the "pet run". It was sand & Taya (our daughter's Schipperke) wouldn't even step foot on it & Zion seems to be trained for grass only. He was intrigued by all the smells though, being that he is trained for tracking it proved a bit trying for him to not put his nose to the ground.
We had one excess bag & a pet to pay for. $100 one way. It was supposed to be "through to Fairbanks", but in Seattle the Airline we booked our travel though tried to charge us again for the pet & the excess bag & even tried to charge for Zion. So, a frustrated, exhausted woman pushing a stroller with a screaming child that was beyond being pacified...a woman who looked like she should be wearing a sign on her fore-head that reads "please...for the love of it all, do not even talk to me!"...has to get upset because the lady behind the counter had to go and argue with me about fees. Oh, the woman was me.
I also got flagged by security in Seattle when I was trying to come back in after taking Zion out for a potty break (in another gravel pit). That was fun. Zion travels very well, but our children, not so much.
We had one nice airline attendant on US Airways to Phoenix. Yes, we were routed through Phoenix.:) What's another 4 hours on an airplane, really?:P
The worst flight this time was Seattle to Fairbanks. Our airline attendant had an attitude. A man in first class (right in front of the bulk head) complained because Trapper was crying & yelling. He had a total melt down when I wouldn't let him run down the aisle of the plane. This lasted 20 minutes.

~~~~~It feels sooo good to be home! Travel yesterday was horrid! Zion was great...well except that he may have been bored while flying because he tried to chew up everything my daughter put in front of him....her new MP3 player is gone. Will teach her though to pick up her toys.;) Getting through the airport was only difficult because EVERYONE is staring @ us & running up to Zion, which makes him think "playtime". We have to work on that because he gets a little too excited about little kids...including his own.;) We also have to work on the stairs. He about took me out this morning & was so excited to see Trapper that if I hadn't been awake he would have been pushed backwards by his new "very much a cuddle bug" dog!
We got home last night & Zion went sprinting through the door, but wasn't prepared for the wood flooring, so he slid to a crash into the wall. It was funny & I hope he is learning, "no running in the house".:) He is so smart...now he just runs upstairs on the carpet. So, after his "hard wood floors are slick lesson"...then we let him see his new back yard...let me just say he loves his new yard! I wish i had a charged video camera because it was like a kid in a candy store....and it was about about 50-55 when we got in last night...I know Zion liked that too. He's been sniffing his new home, yard, car all morning. I am pretty sure he is pretty happy here already! We are going to bring him to church this morning. They had already told us it was okay, but that was back in November... I hope they remember telling us that.
Oh...yesterday I had to get a little angry at a "check-in gate attendant" person....they wanted to charge us another hundred for Taya (Schipperke) & another $75 for an excess bag. Thing is we already paid this in Columbus checked through to Fairbanks. Then the woman said that there may be too many dogs on the plan because I have two & there were three more....so she's calling for assistance from a supervisor....this was in Seattle! She said only so many are allowed on each flight...I explained at least three times that Zion is not a pet. She already had me angry with the paying twice (which she waived, after I got a little upset). Seattle to Fairbanks was the last leg of our flight...we had already been through two other connections! After massive apologies from several people at Alaska Airlines they waived all there "extra" fees, gave me our boarding passes...which I had to have ASAP so i could take poor Zion out through security to the "dog run" (which for some insane reason the security agent @ the gate decided was grounds for flagging me, so security was another stressful issue....THEN when we were trying to board the flight there was a different woman & she argued with us too saying we needed to pay for both dogs, I gave here names of those who had cleared us & she proceeded to tell us that it wasn't on our boarding pass so we may have to wait until everyone had boarded, we were "early boarding, young kids, special needs....ahhhh!) ...so I am a little disappointed with Alaska Airlines, which normally is my favorite. We didn't have to wait on everyone else to board because she got me upset & within seconds the problem was resolved. I think that if you looked like your hands are pretty full, your exhausted with a screaming kid under each arm, stroller, carry on bags & two dogs....they just really have to cause more problems...because maybe you don't look like your going to put up a fight or something, but then they got a little more furry then they expected. Not just from me, two other passengers stood up for us too & helped us. We had ONE...just one excellent, helpful, flight attendant. He name is Tracy & US Airways is going to get a "good" letter from us. Alaska Airlines...there letter isn't going to be a good one....and I took names!
Oh & Trapper had a meltdown on the last half hour of our flight & two of the first class passengers (in front of bulk head) complained to the flight attendant!!!) Trapper yelled, arched his back, bite down on his arm & cried for about 20 minutes...but it was mild compared to most of his fits. So the flight attendant came & asked if she could help & I told her that there really wasn't anything she could do...she seemed flabbergasted & just stood there staring at us. I was holding Trapper down because he was slamming his head into the window area at one point & Zion was trying to nuzzle....so she thought Zion was "out of control"...I tried explaining it to her over Trapper's crying...she then leaned over the seats in front of the bulk head & apologized and asked if they would like something to drink (meaning alcohol because it was on the house)!!! I am the one who needed a drink. She came back and asked again in a snotty tone (& let me know people in First class were complaining) if there was anything she could do to help him "quiet down"...I said as nice as I possibly could @ the moment, "find a cure for Autism." She didn't come back.
Thank God we are Home!

Day 11- Public Access test & Graduation Day!

2009-05-10T00:12:00.000-07:00

We were scheduled for our test @ the Fairfield Commons Mall @ 12:30!
It was a crazy busy morning....all because we slept in....then realized we needed to do a load of wet laundry so we could pack it. Check out was at noon. So we rushed around I brought breakfast back to the room, but Rob wasn't feeling too hot. My guess is that he never drinks "water beer" & due to high stress volumes he decided, "free beer is good beer". Didn't really agree with him the next morning though. I have to say, at this point in the training every one of the parents are just spent. Not only with our own children, but take thirteen kids with Autism (or behaviors that are very similar to the Autism we see everyday)...add in twelve dogs & twelve sets of tired parents, plus a few siblings that have "had it" by now...it was pretty hard not to feel stretched thin. Trapper picked up a few stem's we are praying he doesn't decide to keep. However this did help us realize that there is no way we are putting Trapper in an exclusive Autism program this summer...no way! We adore each & every family we met @ the training, but now understand even more that some people can deal with things better then others. Not one of these children could be confused with another, they are all so unique, so amazing...and each a blessing to the parents they belonged to. The hardest thing for us was that almost every other parent told us that Trapper reminded them of there child at his age. Trapper & these two darling little girls were the youngest in the class. Most of the other children were between 8 and 10. What was difficult for us was imagining how Trapper may be in four more years. Not one of the children whose parents told us this were anything alike...not one! The funniest moment at the training was Master trainer Jeremy's Birthday & our get together party. My son & two other little boys were holding their ears, two others were screaming in the highest pitches, three were crying and melting down in different corners....and every parent's face had a look of exhaustion. It was comical though. You have to find the humor in the moment I guess.:)
So, the laundry wasn't dry, but I was due @ the mall to take the Public Access test. So Rob dropped Zion & I off & headed back to the hotel with Trapper to get the laundry. There were three families still ahead of us, so I took Zion for practice. Every few feet we were stopped & asked questions or got to hear really crazy comments. Like, "must be a dog show at the mall today." After awhile you find yourself shaking your head yes and want badly to give directions to where they can go watch the show.
I got back to the meeting area just in time to find Jeremy & the family from Australia ready to start there test. It went very smoothly, Zion is awesome. We passed the test & headed back to the 4 Paws Training Facility for Graduation.
Rob's parents brought Katie up & were able to stay for the ceremony. So...then this awesome blessing arrived! Katie & her Grandparents had headed inside & Rob was getting Trapper out of the car on one side & I was getting Zion on the other. I was putting Zion's gentle leader back on & he didn't really want it on right then, he wanted to cuddle...so I said, "Oh come on Zion". Then I heard a gasp to my left. There was this beautiful little family. A Mom & her two adorable children. The little girl (about 10 I think) gasped. You see they were Zion's puppy raisers. Zion acted like a puppy when he saw them. It was an awesome reunion! The mom & her little girl were in tears, the little boy (about 7) was hugging Zion tight & being licked clean.... I of course got all teary eyed. It's like meeting a mother who gave you her child. I have so much gratitude for all the love they gave Zion...they helped make him the perfect match for Trapper. I think they were all a little crushed when I told them Zion was heading to Alaska.
I is still very funny to me that of all the dogs in the "Alaska Litter", Zion is the only one without an Alaskan location name & he is the one heading to Alaska.:) They brought toys for Zion, a sweet card with encouraging words for Zion & his new family...and they brought us his puppy pictures too.
So the highlight of my entire day; Zion's puppy raisers came to our graduation so that they could see him again, meet the little boy who Zion was meant for & say goodbye to this amazing dog that you could tell they adored. It was such a bitter-sweet blessing to meet them. I can not even put into words how overjoyed, humbled, grateful, and blessed their coming today meant to us. If Michelle, Phil, Kylie, & Zach ever read this blog, we just want so much to tell you thank you again...from the bottom of our hearts. For being part of this amazing journey with us. For all the love, care, & items Zion may have chewed up while in your home.:) Mostly thank you for your faith & commitment & all the prayers... you have given our son the most amazing gift! We are so thankful you came today & that you were part of this answered prayer.

~Graduation was load, but slightly fun...except for Rob. He isn't a family photo kinda guy, but he married me, so goes his luck.;) Katie was crying because her dog Taya wasn't in the family picture & amazingly Trapper was more relaxed one in all the commotion. Thanks to Greg Felix, we have pictures to recall the moment. ha. I think I should put it on Rob's desk @ work.

We finished our paper work & rounded up the kids. I meant to go back inside & buy a few extra Service Dog items, like a second Mutt Mat & a few 4 Paws bandannas, as well as a couple T-shirts for the kids....but I forgot after Katie threw a fit over having a piece of cake. Before I remembered we were almost to Columbus.

We are staying at the Comfort Inn near the airport as we have a 6 am flight in the morning. Rob's parents drove with us to Columbus because we couldn't fit two car seats, all our bags, two dogs, & ourselves in the rental car. It was a Dodge Journey, roomy, but not roomy enough. We may need to get a bigger vehicle at home in Fairbanks, because the dog isn't going to fit between two car seats in an Xterra. We plan on Rob, all our bags, Katie & her dog Taya (12 pounds fits under the seat of the plane) taking the rental car back and meeting us at the ticketing area. Trapper, Zion & I will take a hotel shuttle. Please pray tomorrow goes much smoother then we imagine.

~written by Jami (Trapper's mommy)

Photo of Zion chewing on his Kong toy & Trapper chewing on the tire of his new truck.:)
I think they both have Pica....or both just love to chew on things.

Day 10...More tracking, travel stuff...we will miss our new friends.

2009-05-07T23:09:00.000-07:00

Early...Early...at about 1:30am Trapper woke up giggling. Crazy giggling...this went on for a couple hours.
The day started with tracking again. Zion was awesome. It took Trapper & I at least 20 minutes to get out to our hiding spot. Zion watched & barked & pulled when he saw Trapper & I walk off. We want him to bark when he sees Trapper heading off to warn us. We were given the choice, do we want him to warn us or not...we say YES! The grass was long & wet as we hiked out from the parking lot. We had to cross over a meadow, then over a hill & down near a creek & around a long bend into some trees & brush....and there was a lot of trash every where near the creek. Trapper & I sat down and I occupied Trapper with his GFCF cookies & juice...but not for long. It took Zion all of about two minutes from the time Rob said "track" to find us today. He didn't hesitate at all & Rob said today he never looked up or back...and Rob had to run pretty fast to keep up with our awesome tracker! Zion was rewarded with his all time favorite reward of hot dogs & all kinds of praise. We wanted to go on a couple other tracks today, but for some reason the road near the parking lot was really busy & we couldn't keep Trapper away from the road. We went ahead & headed back toward the 4 Paws training facility and stopped to mail some of our "stuff" back to Alaska on the way.

The afternoon was spent working with our dogs on listening to our commands. These dogs are highly trained and listen immediately to the people involved in their training. However, now they have these new handler's , some with strange accents, deeper or softer voices...and it seems to take a couple days for them to understand what we may be asking. A few times Zion has tilted his head while standing waiting for my command to make sense. In some commands he listens to me really well & not Rob. In other commands, like "track" he gets much more excited by Rob's tone then mine. Our trainer's (& the dog's trainers) have reminded us over & over that practice daily is the key. Zion's main goal is to make us happy. He loves treats, but he loves praise & hugs, too.

Also this afternoon we went over all last minute concerns, travel issues, ADA laws, health expectations, the re certification that is required annually, equipment options/needs...and the biggest question we all had, "what will the last day of class look like?"
We were all given a time slot starting with the first Service Dog's & handler's Public Access test at 9 am & the last family of the day starting their testing at 1 pm. We were second to the last @ 12:30. I was pretty nervous, but that was silly really. Zion was awesome, he has only one issue in public & that is that he loves children. This isn't a bad thing at all. It is important that people ask prior to petting Zion, but as long as he is not in the middle of working on a command (like in the middle of a "track" at the store or a disruption of behavior for his child Trapper)...then it is fine to ask. We would love for people to ask Trapper, but because he will most likely not respond the handler's will answer, but it will still be good to start asking him as this is his dog and a great social beginning or building block.

We headed back to the hotel after getting our meeting time. The test will be at the mall the next day. We went to Toys 'r us & Pet Smart, then back to the hotel to eat. We sat with some of our new 4 Paws friends & it quickly turned into a party. I left Rob to visit & brought Trapper to the pool next door. He really likes swimming! Problem is, after I was dressed I thought if I took his life vest/float vest that he would not be comfortable back in the water....well not the case. He jumped in & my new friend Kelli & her son Zach got back in the pool because he kept getting closer to the deep end. He had no fear at all! I had to carry Trapper kicking & screaming all the way back to our hotel room...past the dinning room where the 4 Paws party now included a guitar & the party was getting bigger & now people were singing...including Rob. I am curious as to how much beer got him singing.

After Trapper & Zion were sleeping were were able to visit a little more before bed. What a great group of people we have in our class! The hotel let us know we were the "more vocal group"? When we asked what this meant, we were told that we were all so much fun & all the staff just loved being included in our celebration of life, children & the dog's that are trained to help us. That was nice to hear. I thought they were meaning that we were all obnoxious.:o)

~written by Jami (mommy)

Day9~ Rain, Rain...and someone stole Trapper's shoes @ the Mall!!!

2009-05-06T20:34:00.000-07:00

Today was a heavy day on tracking. Zion has been doing awesome, but in the last two tracks Jami handled & I hide with Trapper, there have been some issues with tracking (not for me, but for Jami). I think mainly due to the fact that Trapper is still so new to Zion and it takes more time than what we have had so far to develop that strong bond, plus Zion is looking to us to see if he has done well & we need to kick up his excitement a little more...he's still learning what we are asking of him or who we want him to track. Still, Zion has done remarkably well in tracking Trapper.

Today we started with two tracks at a local park in Xenia, OH. The first one was difficult as we crossed tracks with another family who had just walked over the trail that Trapper and I made as we walked through the grass/woods. Also, it was pretty windy so the scent was really pushed around quite a bit. After the first attempt we did another track in a different direction. Zion did very well with this one and located Trapper within minutes of starting the track. Before starting the second track my mom and Katie came to the park to visit and Katie got to hide with Trapper. She enjoyed it very much and wanted Zion to track again. We had to remind Katie that this wasn't exactly a hide and seek game. The last thing we need is Katie and Trapper running off to play hide and seek with Zion.:)

After tracking in the park we headed back to the facility for more obedience/intervention training. Zion did well but was pretty tired from all the tracking earlier.

In the afternoon we headed back to the big mall in town and did two tracks in JC Penney. Zion did well there also and found Trapper quickly. Once hidden in a changing room and once hidden amongst clothing racks. Zion works pretty efficiently in public. He is impressive at all tracking, but it's pretty amazing with all the scents @ the mall...he is so quick to find Trapper. Also he has been trained to bark twice when he sees Trapper walk away. That we love.

Also, I took Trapper to the Pool again tonight. Jami was busy doing laundry & packing a couple boxes to ship back to Alaska. Trapper screamed the entire way @ a very loud volume all the way back to our hotel room, and then for about ten more minutes while Zion tried to "Nuzzle" him. The kid loves water and has absolutely no fear.

We have 2 more days after today and everyone is getting pretty tired. Training with the dogs and keeping kids in check wears on you pretty quickly. After the two days are up we get to look forward to a long day in the airports again on our way back to Alaska. Ugh! I will be glad when Saturday night comes and we are back in our own beds and off planes!

Written by Rob (Trapper's Daddy)

Note from the Mom: I can't believe it! Someone stole Trapper's shoes at the mall today! The only shoes I can get him to wear are these little Keens & someone actually took his shoes from the kids play area today!

Day 8~ Tracking, behavior disruption...cool tricks & approved dog supplies & grooming.

2009-05-05T18:28:00.000-07:00

Today we started the day off with a nice breakfast in the dining room @ our hotel. Zion was excellent with his restaurant manners, making for a very stress-free meal.

Trapper really enjoys the tethering, which is awesome....but also we can tell him to hold & he will hold on to the loop on Zion's harness & walk beside him. This isn't something he will do for a long time, but it is a start to holding on to his dog.

We practiced tracking again this morning, it's interesting to watch the dogs pick up the scent. Today Rob hid with Trapper and with some help from trainer Jeremy....Zion & I worked on tracking. After our tracking practice, I ran on the track behind "Torch" & his two darling twins. Then Rob ran after a track with Zion's sister "Kenai" & her little boy Braeden. Then we headed back to the training facility for training with Jennifer on behavior disruption & cool tricks our dogs are trained to do too. The cool tricks will help Trapper be able to socialize (eventually) he can show other kids all the cool things his dog knows. Like giving a high five and playing dead when we give the command "bang" with hands as a gun.

We discussed all issues we have seen with each dog with the trainers so we can work on correction needed in our homes & gear, grooming, safe dog toys & acceptable behaviors (meaning if the dog is not allowed on the furniture...never allow it, because dogs don't understand that something is allowed only sometimes). It is interesting to understand why our dogs do some of the things they do & don't do some of the things that "pet" dogs do.

We also practiced tracking after getting back to the hotel....well after Rob & Trapper went swimming...then after dinner...then Trapper & Rob went for a walk. Zion really dislikes his harness when tracking. He was slightly spent by the evening, but did do a great track when Trapper & I hid in the stairwell. Then we went back, Trapper was asleep in five minutes flat...so was Zion. Then we lost internet connection because we didn't know the new pass code for the hotel Wi-Fi...so this is late.;)

Written by Jami (Trapper's mommy)

Day 7~ Tracking, Training, Tethering....and more tracking!

2009-05-04T20:59:00.000-07:00

Well, today was eventful. We slept-in until 7:45am (this is 3:45am in Alaska...so please look at it from that stand point;)...this meant get up, get dressed, take Zion out side, get Trapper & Zion feed, get bags together & in the car...and then rob took first break to get breakfast while I got myself ready and Trapper's clothing out....then I ate while Rob finished getting Trapper ready. Then in the car & to the facility...follow Caravan of vehicles to tracking destination. We were the first track as Trapper really wasn't doing to well staying put & we were last the day before.

This time Rob took Trapper & hid and Jeremy (trainer) started the "track" & then handed Zion's lead off to me. That was something. The wind was swirling above this field & Zion would find Trapper's scent & then loose it...a couple times, then he caught it & bolted. It was hard holding the lead for me to not allow Zion to keep going when there was quick jolts in one direction. I hope to go on a few more tracks to see other dogs track their kids as well tomorrow morning. This depends on Trapper of course.

So after an educational track (for me the mom)... Jeremy asked that we go back to 4 Paws facility to see the vet about Zions stomach stuff. So we went back and the vet there fixed us up while Rob & Trapper played on the outdoor play center. Then Zion & I joined them because we had near 2 hours until our second class started. So Zion was able to play & Trapper too. There was this red play mustang car there that was fun for about a half hour until dad pulled a muscle trying to push it around. The battery wasn't working.

Then we went in for instruction & training under Jennifer. We worked on "heel", "back" (backing our service dog up when needed), we worked on "stand" which should help us towel Zion off after he gets in Trapper's bath. We were able to ask questions about tracking at the mall before heading that way.

So... at the mall we worked on tethering until it was our turn to track. We hooked Trapper up & he loves it, then we walked around a little bit. Then I decided to go to my first store...well coffee shop.:o) So With Trapper tethered & Zion at a "heel" we walked in to Starbucks and stood in line. Trapper reached for a smoothie juice (Odwalla) from the cooler & held it & the tether strap. Then I ordered my drink & paid for his...it was easy & painless. Then we caught up with Jennifer for our first "mall track" in Sears. We need to practice more, but Zion was excellent. He found Trapper in less then a minute. After practicing a couple times. Rob took Trapper to play @ the indoor play ground. The play ground in the mall wasn't real big, but it had only one exit and was closed in by half walls all around it. So Rob was comfortable with Trapper not being able to get by him and he started talking to one of the other dad's in the class. Well they were talking about how fast the kids are when Rob scanned the play area and couldn't see where Trapper was. He started to panic and was searching all over the little play area...when a man came up to everyone & said, "is anyone missing a little boy dressed in Camo"....Rob followed the man to the back side of the play area on the other side of the wall & Trapper was there. An entire family sat & watched this four year old scale this wall & run & they didn't stand up, say anything or let anyone know. If I hadn't been on the other side of the mall working with Zion, possibly we could have tracked the little escape artist. So, today Rob lost Trapper....what a day!

We left the mall & headed back to our room with a very tired kid & dog. We decided Zion needed a break to sleep a little, so we put her in her Kennel & took Trapper swimming next door at the Holiday Inn. Our hotel & the Holiday in have an agreement of some sort on Pool sharing.
Trapper hasn't been in a pool for a couple years. We want him in aqua therapy, but so far do not have that set up. He was awesome in the pool. He loved it. The only meltdown was when it was time to go. He loved it & didn't want to leave.

After the pool we came back and Rob went out to get dinner so we could eat in our room. We ate & then Trapper fell asleep on the sofa shortly after.

This was how our 7th day went. We love doing the tracking with Zion and hope to get more picture of the actual track tomorrow.

God Bless!
~Jami (Trapper's mom)

Day 6~ Tracking & Behavior Disruption

2009-05-03T21:39:00.000-07:00

Today we headed out again in the morning for tracking with Zion. He is a great tracker and has already shown such an awesome connection with Trapper. We practiced today, outside of a school where Zion had never tracked before. Jami and Trapper walked away and moved around the back of the school, hiding in a small stairwell on the outside of the building. I stood with Zion, keeping him out of eyesight from the direction that Jami and Trapper had gone.

Once a few minutes had passed, Zion was fitted with his tacking collar and lead and, after a small pep-talk, we were off, sprinting around the building, exactly in the direction that Trapper had gone. Amazing! Within 2 minutes of starting the track, Zion pinpointed the location of Jami and Trapper and happily received his reward of hot dogs.

It is incredible to me that this dog has already grown so attached to Trapper within just a few days to already be able to track him down in a foreign area. These dogs really are incredible.

After tracking we proceeded back to 4 Paws to do some “intervention training” or “behavior disruption” This is training the dogs receive in order to intervene when Trapper has his meltdowns. They are taught to place their head in the child's lap if they become agitated or nuzzle them. Zion did well with these but he was pretty tired from tracking earlier in the day. He has also been dealing with a nasty stomach bug, for which he is now on antibiotics so he is not has chipper self most of the time. Hopefully these new meds will help to get him back on course.

Tomorrow we head back to the dreaded mall to do some tracking indoors. Zion handles the mall well but Trapper is another story. Crowds are not his thing and I completely understand his feelings.

Wish us luck!

~Written by Rob (Trapper's daddy)

Day 5~ Tracking in the woods...Mall on a Saturday!

2009-05-02T20:43:00.000-07:00

This morning we tracked @ Peirce Park in Xenia. Trapper ran off several times & Zion let us know when he would jet off....well except for the one time when he had to "go" & Rob wasn't paying attention...and I was talking to Renee & Cyndi on the other side of the parked cars (assuming Rob was watching)...I had a hard time catching him, but thanks to a little girl named Jessica (who is eight & runs faster then me)...she just about tackled Trapper before he made it to the busy road.
So after Jeremy saw the tail end of this "retrieval of our super fast kid"...he said we could try tethering now. So we did.
It was great Trapper loved it & Zion was hard at work, he turns very serious...Rob with Zion at a "heel" worked with the tethering system on Trapper for about a half hour. The only problem was that Trapper didn't want to stop the tethering...because it was fun for him.

After finally convincing Trapper that Juice & Corn chips were much more fun....we got ready for a "track of Trapper" in a heavily wooded area of this park. Trapper & I (mommy) started down a path...Zion whimpered & barked as if to say "wait for me"...Zion loves the tracking game! So Trapper & I came to two different forks in the trail. The first one had a man with a walking stick hiking along on the left fork, so we went right...the second fork in the road we turned left, but then after going a few feet I thought maybe Jeremy said to go the other way. So we turned around & went down the right fork...then around a few more bend & into a clearing. We sat inside the brush on a tree stump & Trapper drank his juice.
Jeremy & Rob (daddy) started the track & Zion was sniffing & had found the trail...he made the same turns we did & found us in what seemed like seconds after we sat down on the log. We rewarded Zion with crazy amounts of praise & hot dog pieces (which appear to be his favorite food ever!). It was a great track & I have totally fallen in love with this dog! Who wouldn't? Zion is a great tracker & such a cuddle bug too! He is the perfect dog for Trapper & after seeing his tracks...we have no question that he is an answer to our prayers.

After tracking in the morning, we went back to the 4 Paws Facility to train more under Jennifer. We worked on being able to go into a restaurant & getting our dogs not to eat scraps or food off the floor. For poor Zion who loves beggin strips...we worked on the "under" command used to keep the dog from being stepped on in resteraunts...Zion will go under the table or as much as he can get under it....then during training we would drop things off the table...so kind of a "temptation torture training";) & we learned how to correct Zion's behavior if he decides to try for the dropped food. Zion did manage to eat one beggin strip because I wanted Rob to give it a try & I don't know if Rob understood what we were doing. He was watching Trapper & I didn't really get to explain what we were training to do before handing it over to Rob. So, Zion got away with it. He really is just like a child.;)
We also worked on tethering...not actually tethering our child, but being good handler's for our Service Dogs who are trained to tether. This gave us another huge boost of confidence in our son's service dog...he must have spent a lot of time training for tethering, because he is awesome at it!

Toward the end of class instructions with Jennifer, our daughter Katie showed up with Grandma & Papa Leeth & Aunt Melissa (who we haven't seen in a few years)...they then came with us to the Mall. The Mall was crazy! We thought we could eat lunch there, but that didn't really work out. Rob & I took turns working with Zion in the mall. Zion did excellent with heeling, crowds, commotion, elevators, stairs... and all commands. He worked hard to show us that he knows what he is doing.:o) The only issues we had was the amount of people who didn't ask before touching Zion. The one child that grabbed Zion's tail as we were going up the stairs was particularly annoying...but get this, Zion didn't even turn to look at the kid. He just slowed down & kept right on going up the stairs with me.

***A note for anyone reading this who doesn't know this...if you or your child would like to touch a service dog, "ask". Personally I would prefer you ask my son,, but most likely I will help him answer as he doesn't talk. This may help build his communication skills though & give him some social situations that will build his interactions with others...by example. If the dog is working at the time we may say that. It is not to be rude, it is because the dog is working. Also please wait until we get the service dog ready. We may need the service dog to be in a "sit" or a "down" position. Before this training, I didn't know any of this...but I still would never have touched a service dog with out asking first & I would NEVER grab the poor dogs tail while he is working.

So After a few hours at the mall (thanks to our visiting family who helped watch Trapper & Katie while we too turns working with Zion)...we headed back to the hotel and visited for a little while before saying goodbye because they had just driven up for the afternoon. Katie went back to her Grandparents home too. Trapper really missed his sister. We had Trapper & Zion in our vehicle & Katie went with her Aunt & Grandparents...Trapper screamed "KaTee" the whole way from 4 Paws to the Mall & then from the Mall to the hotel! He really misses her....that was so awesome to see & hear! Yes, him screaming Katie name was actually a blessing to us.;)

So we thought we were done for the night...we started to get Trapper ready for bed. He was in the bath & we placed Zion on the outside of the tub in the "down" command so Trapper would stay in the tub. We look over because Trapper is giggling and there is Zion with his two front paws in Trapper's bath & Trapper is trying to push him from behind into his bath. So Zion got in & Trapper just loved that. After they both shared a bath, Trapper had a little bag of GFCF cookies & a handful of dog treats. He sat and ate one of his coookies...and then gave a treat to Zion...then he ate one of his cookies & gave a treat to Zion! Awesome...they are bonding!!!

Zion slept most of the night on Trapper's bed, but was feeling sick again in the morning...that is our guess as to why he got back down on the cool floor near the door the remainer of the night.

What a crazy long day our fifth day was! We are very proud of Zion though, he worked so hard...he slept pretty good too.

~written by Jami (Trapper's mommy)

Day 4~ Tracking, Tethering....and a party, too.

2009-05-01T20:05:00.000-07:00

Zion has been pretty sick to his stomach & is on a special 3 day diet to help. I am pretty sure that the abundance of treats we gave him was out of the norm for Zion & although he was lov'in it, it hasn't been so great on his tummy.
Trapper also hasn't been doing to well on his diet as he will not stop eating dog food...which is almost always not Gluten-free. We will hand Trapper a treat for his dog & he will sometimes give it to Zion, but 9 times out of ten...he eats it. We are working on this.;)

Today we had a great track, but the best connection happened today when Trapper ran across this field with Daddy. I encouraged Zion to find his boy (on instruction from a great trainer) & Zion shot across the field (dragging me) & he went straight to Trapper. Then we did this a couple more times. The most encouraging was when Trapper ran his usual bolt-action speed farther out in the field & Rob held onto Zion & encouraged Zion to "go get Trapper...find your boy...get your boy"...he ran fast straight to Trapper. Our trainers Jeremy & Kayla were so encouraging to us. Zion really loves Trapper, already. He wants to be where Trapper is & whenever Trapper cries, screams, or even laughs...Zion's ears perk up & he looks for "his" boy.

Today, we did more tracking and learned some about equipment, tracking, and so much more. Another awesome trainer at 4 Paws named Jennifer encouraged us to get Zion around horses, because in Alaska Moose are an issue. We see them often around our home...this will be all new to Zion when we get back home to Fairbanks. We are wanting to get Trapper into hippotherapy this summer, so possibly the ranch that offers this therapy will help us here as well.

After a couple tweeks in Zions equipment we feel very confident in being his handlers. He is such a good dog, but like a child he likes to test us...see how much we will allow or bend the rules for his darling face. He's not having too much luck, but he is easy to love....that's for sure.

After today's training we learned it was our trainer Jeremy's birthday & we had a 4 Paws Family get together...BBQ, Party...my son & another little boy were in one corner...both covering their ears, another little boy was climbing on his mom, one crying and two others screaming, and one yelling, "done...done...done"...yes, it was a great time, but a little much for the kiddos...umm & my husband.;) The best part about this get together though was that not one person there was staring at my son, or wondering why my kid is doing "that"...not one person was making us feel like we didn't belong there...when Trapper started screaming about the cake, I didn't have to ask to have it put out of site, four other parents started moving it up & out of site....not one person at the party was feeling sorry for us...not one person was wondering why we are bringing our kid out in public...not one person there was judging us...Because everyone at the party understands what it means to have the blessing of a child like ours!;)

Trapper has really wanted to get in to see the Palpions puppies & today he got the chance...the puppies are darling!

Tommorrow we are going to the mall to practice tracking...I am so nervous. Trapper doesn't do crowds well...neither does my husband.;)
Good night!

Day 3~ 1st Day of tracking with Zion!

2009-04-30T20:12:00.000-07:00

We woke up to very sweet Trapper & Zion moments. Trapper does not really like to get to close to Zion yet, but will sit near him & sometimes they just watch each other.

Our first day of tracking was awesome! We started at 9:30 am, it was sprinkling a little off & on. Trapper was ready to run & wasn't waiting well...so we were the first handlers to track with our dog this morning. Trapper & Rob hid with one trainer in the thicket on the other side of a big field. Then master Trainer, Jeremy heald onto Zion and I followed as best I could to watch how Zion tracks. It was amazing...Zion is a great tracker! After our track a couple others in our morning class tracked.

The photo above of Kayla (trainer for tracking dogs) is of one of the other families track. We were not able to carry our camera as Zion is super fast at tracking and there was no time for a photo shot.:0). The above photo is of beautiful little Erin, her mother Renee & her auntie Cindy, & her amazing service dog "Bubbles". This family just moved from Alaska to Virgina just a month or so before the training.
During our track, I followed on one & Rob followed on two other tracks (for other children & dogs) as well. On the last track, the Felix family started off & the rain began to pour down! We were all wet after that, but the Felix family & trainers got soaked.
Zion found Trapper & trainer right away. So exciting to see. He is such a good dog! At the end of the track, Zion was given his favorite treat & highly praised for his awesome job!
While waiting on a couple of the tracks to finish, we started playing a game of chase with Trapper & Zion...Trapper loved it! Of course Zion was very excited that his boy wanted to play with him. The only issue we're having with the two of them is that Zion loves to play & Trapper gets easily overwhelmed. Also Trapper doesn't want to give Zion his toys or allow him to eat his food (without sharing with Trapper)! :)
Trainers Jeremy & Jennifer answered many questions & concerns today. We are feeling a lot more confident with Zion & are starting to understand that Zion needs a bit more correction & thrives on Love, Praise & hot dogs.;)We need to lay-off on yummy chummy treats & treats in general...maybe give more praise & less treats...because he was pretty sick last night & today. Trapper said "Zion" today once & hugged him (with encouragement a few times). He loves when Zion plays "chase" with him & was caught several times running his fingers through his dogs fur.We love seeing Zion's concern for Trapper every time he cries...and Zion wants to be next to Trapper whenever he is upset.I am so tired & need sleep...tomorrow we track again first thing. Oh & I absolutely love the "Spring loaded" class! What a great group of families!

Day 2~ Handler's in Training

2009-04-29T19:13:00.000-07:00

We spent the day of training focusing on new commands. Zion is a wonderful dog but there are definitely many things we need to learn about one another. We worked more in depth on commands such as "heel" and "place". "Place" basically commands the dog to stay in a certain place and not to move until instructed to. 4 Paws provided a mat for each of the dogs. We picked the color green, just because we though Trapper might like it. We are not sure really, but blue & green appear to be favorite colors. We hope some day he will tell us if we are right.:)
While we are training with Zion, Trapper spends much of his time with other children in the 4 Paws Facility. Well...near other children. Often he is playing with Thomas Trains or watching his DVD's, or just running in sprints across the floor in the training room. At one point today, Trapper dropped an item down through the cracks in the stairs. He started crying and screaming. Zion was in the place position at the time. He stayed in his "place", but sat up & seemed concerned about Trapper. All the other dogs stayed still & didn't pay any attention, but Trapper's crying really put Zion on the alert. That was great to see.

Zion likes to test us, just like our kids. We were very proud of him today in class though. He was so obedient. We know he is just as excited about us as we are about him...he may even be more excited and that is hard to imagine.;)

Trapper has made good progress with Zion and actually played with him when we got back to the hotel room. He is growing more comfortable with him every day. Zion is so exuberant sometimes that it is overwhelming for Trapper. Poor Trapper gets pushed down a lot when Zion starts to play hard. It is funny to watch Trapper as he carefully studies Zion, especially in the car. Today he started wanting to give Zion treats and touching his soft fur more.

One thing I can say I am not enjoying is the endless clean up of dog doo. I do not recall being told this was part of the job. :)

We are very excited about what each day will bring and we have seen great progress just in the last 24 hours. Tomorrow we are starting in the morning with tracking class then working more on commands.
We also learned that Zion knows a lot of fun commands like "high five" and "play dead".
More adventure tomorrow!!

~written by Rob (The Dad)

Day 1 ~ Our first night with the Trapper & "Zion" team!

2009-04-28T19:45:00.000-07:00

Around 5 pm our class was dismissed for the day and (if we felt comfortable), we were encouraged to bring our child's service dog back to our hotel for the first "over night"!
We didn't really have much confidence as handlers yet, but really wanted to help Trapper bond with his dog. Zion was already trying to cuddle & play with Trapper, but Trapper just didn't seem too sure about all of this.
The first adventure was the car ride back to the hotel. Zion was VERY excited & not really sure yet who we all were or where we were going, but he was very happy to jump in the car. We had a hard time getting him to stay sitting on the back seat. He kept trying to get in the front with the mom & dad characters. Trapper was poking at Zion's fur and he wasn't really fond of doggie kisses all over his face. He would first giggle then cry.

Trapper fell asleep & we put dog treats in his open hands and let Zion wake him. Trapper woke up laughing and trying to wipe his hands on his new friend.

Back at the room, we had a very excited and curious dog and Trapper who keeps trying to get out of the hotel room. We helped Trapper feed his dog (and Zion was forced to share with his boy, too)... not really sure how to avoid Trapper eating dog food & treats. It seems gross, but he is interested in Zion and that is great to us.

After Zion ate, we put her in her kennel and went to eat in the hotel lobby. We were able to borrow a kennel from 4 Paws for Ability for the time we are at training...this saved us from having to pack this enormous dog item back & forth from Alaska. Trapper actually ate two hard boiled egg whites and corn. This is besides dog food, so really he ate a lot today.;)

After eating Trapper ran sprints back & forth on the court yard walk ways and then rolled in a large rain puddle...so back to the room for a bath and some bonding (we hoped) with his service dog. We could tell right away Zion loves water or is just very curious about this boy he has been matched with. Zion didn't leave Trapper's side while he was in the bath tub.

...Now it's late and I am off to bed...because it is almost day 2 and I must rest my head!;)
Good night.

Day 1 @ 4 Paws for Ability~ Meeting "Zion"

2009-04-28T18:56:00.000-07:00

It has been a crazy day! We are so thankful that Trapper was matched with Zion. He stole our hearts at first glance into his kennel. He is very strong... Rob & I know we both need a lot of training. Zion has so much training it is a little intimidating as handlers. The Master trainer Jeremy @ 4 Paws for Ability is awesome and we feel pretty confident that he will be there whenever we need help.
For those who may not understand, this two week training course is to train us as handlers for Trapper's service dog, it is not to train this dog. Zion is "super dog" trained already! We are actually amazed at the things Zion is trained to do.
Trapper was overwhelmed at the initial meeting of his dog & it took about an hour before he came over and showed much interest. Zion LOVES his treats! He will do anything for a treat (except the "No Grainers" GFCF dog treats...he just spit these out)...As we suspected Trapper also loved Zion's treats & didn't really want to share them with his dog at first.
Zion made us laugh at his "showing off". He would do the commands before we even asked. Then he started doing tricks like rolling over & trying to give us high five....this was before we knew he could do these, so we were not really sure what to do or what he was doing until it was explained later in the day. ;) Zion really loves treats & really wants to make us happy.

Trapper's sister Katie & his Grandma Leeth came up around Lunch time so Katie could meet our newest family member, too. She is so excited for Trapper & thought Zion was pretty cool and very cuddly.

Trapper's Letter from his Service Dog Zion!

2009-04-19T18:27:00.000-07:00

From: Karen4paws
To: Trapper Leeth
Sent: 4/17/2009 12:12:37 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time
Subj: Dear Trapper

Hey Trapper, love the name! My name is Zion, and guess what? I am a member of the ALASKA litter born to Mom Nakita right here at 4 Paws. Can you believe that? What are the odds? Alaska litter - going to ALASKA! Woo Hoo that is just too cool. Then I find out I have this boy with the coolest name and you are all mine and we can play every day and probably more days than not, in the snow! Hey, is it really true sometimes there is NO night there? Or was it no days? Do we get to stay up all the time and just play and play? Whew, I have lots of questions don't I? Well, my birthday is 5-17-2008 so I am almost a year old and we can celebrate my birthday together and I will get lots of presents, Right? Can I sleep with you in your room? Well, on the nights there is night anyway. Bring me some toys and hurry to Ohio. better leave today because I heard Alaska is REALLY REALLY REALLY far away. xoxoxoxo Zion

Trapper's Service Dog is named Zion!

2009-04-19T15:16:00.000-07:00

We are so excited to let everyone know which dog will be
Trapper's new buddy!

His name is Zion!

He is a Golden Retriever & part of a litter born at the 4 Paws for Ability Organization Facility in Xenia, Ohio...but get this!!! His litter is called "The Alaska Litter". How cool is that! All the other dogs have Alaskan names, he has two brothers named Homer & Juneau and he has four sisters! His sisters are Willow, Denali, Sitka & Kenai. His sister Kenai is going to be in our class too. She was placed with a very special little boy named Braeden.
They all celebrate their 1st Birthday on May 17! Zion will be home in Alaska with his boy just in time for the party!

We are not yet sure why he was named Zion, as it is not an Alaskan name,
but we love his name
& it means so much to our family!

Zion is an anwer to our prayers
...so it is only fitting...
so references to the name Zion:

(Psalm 87:1-3) God founded Zion
(Isaih 14:32) God loves Zion and God has spoken gloriously of Zion
(Isaih 2:2-4; 4:2-6; 28:16)

Psalm 87:1-3 says, "His foundation is in the holy mountains. The LORD loves the gates of Zion more than all the other dwellings of Jacob. Glorious things are spoken of you, O city of God.”
Occurring over 150 times in the Bible, the word “Zion” essentially means “fortification.” In the Bible, Zion is both the city of David and the city of God. As the Bible progresses, the word “Zion” transitions from referring primarily to a physical city to having a more spiritual meaning.

The most important use of the word “Zion” is in a theological sense. Zion is used figuratively of

Israel

as the people of God (Isaiah 60:14). The spiritual meaning of Zion is continued in the New Testament, where it is given the Christian meaning of God's spiritual kingdom, the heavenly Jerusalem (Hebrews 12:22; Revelation 14:1). Peter refers to Christ as the Cornerstone of Zion: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in Him will never be put to shame” (1 Peter 2:6).

---------------------------

Originally Zion meant the Jebusite strong hold that came to be called "the city of David"
Later the designation "Zion" meant the temple area on Mount Moriah

[where the ark was moved during Solomon's reign]
It was later applied to the city "Jerusalem."
Then applied to the place where God was dwelling or to heaven it’s self.

---------------------------------

My favorite one:

God made a promise to Solomon after the construction of the temple,

“I have heard the prayer and plea you have made before me;

I have consecrated this temple, which you have built, by putting my Name there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there” (1 Kings 9:3).

God did not look upon Zion as nothing. God would put his name there forever and God’s eyes and heart would always remain there. Thus, the people are worshipping God’s righteousness in his continued defense of Zion.

------------------------------
We know that our Zion is a Dog...but his name is awesome to us
& we feel he is a gift from God above! An Answer to our prayers. ~Jami

"Dog"...Trapper waiting on his Service Dog match!

2009-04-08T19:32:00.000-07:00

Look! Listen! Trapper's got a brand new word...

what dog will be his?

Please, Please I beg you Yoda & the Pink Girlz....help little
Trapper have a doggy face to practice his new words on soon!!!

God Answers Prayers!!!

Waiting as Patient as possible in Fairbanks, Alaska!
~The Leeth Family

For friends that do not understand why this is a big deal...let me explain. Our son Trapper is 4 years & 5 months old, he has Autism & is non-verbal! But...the last couple have days have been AMAZING! So, I have to share with everyone, because this is truly what I pray for all day, every day of my life!
This is hope for our child's future!

Also, he doesn't like his head touched, so his hair cut is by me & not good;)