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Post by fay on Nov 21, 2006 15:56:10 GMT -5
Hello Friends! Just wanted ya'll to know that we got the call today from Canine Assistants here in Alpharetta, Georgia that Scott WAS approved and selected for his own Service/Seizure Response dog!!! We are THRILLED! Scott can't stop laughing and smiling. We have a 1 to 5 year wait but we don't mind a bit! Another prayer answered for us! Tanks for all the advice and encouragement. Jen, when Scott gets his dog, could I changemy avatar to show a picture of Scott with his dog instead? Idon't think you'd mind at all and am hoping you don't get mad at me for even asking! Just that this IS your board and Ihighly respect you so feel as if i need to ask anyways. Hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving!
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Post by fay on Nov 22, 2006 21:13:52 GMT -5
Oh, Donna! I wish that you could see his face! He is so excited and happy that he just walks around smiling from ear to ear. He hasn't stopped smiling since the lady told him! My Mom keeps asking him if it's his birthday or something because he seems so happy and has such a big smile on his face. He hasn't gotten mad at her for asking him at all. He likes to tell people and has already told everyone he knows and she keeps forgetting so this is working out very well for both of them. I know that sounds weird but he's happy to tell her knowing that she thinks he's telling her for the first time. i think he's the one with the patience of a Saint! We went to Petsmart today to look at the doggy beds and toys because he was drinving us nuts about it. He's wanting to buy one now so that if he needs to go into the hosptal when he gets his dog it will already have a bed. He is worrying that his dog will have to sleep on the floor if he goes into the hospital. We were able to convince him that if we were the dog, we'd like to pick out our own bed so he's decided to wait until he actually get his dog. I'm not about to tell him that just because he was approved to get one, doesn't mean that he'll automatically get a dog so we don't need to be buying anything until we are on our way home with the dog. They may decide he isn't the right partner for one. This is serious business and these dogs aren't just pets so i'm simply praying that Scott can handle the training process and that he really does get his dog. Every Thanksgiving I put a basket in the center of the table and all day long everyone writes down a few things that happened since last Thanksgiving and when we sit down to eat, we take turns reading them. Scott insisted I put the basket on the table today rather than tomorrow and he sat down and wrote " Thank you God for my dog". It took him about 5 minutes to write it cause he has trouble writing and he wanted it to be neat. He told us he wanted his to be the first one in the basket because he "had the most thankful". Yes he does-in more ways than he'll ever know this year!
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Post by Mary D. on Nov 25, 2006 12:37:52 GMT -5
I am sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo happy for scott.The wait may seem endless but the way scott seems to be acting is very mature.His writting being just so.Sure it took him 5 minuits but with how hard he worked I am very impressed.Tell Scott we are rootting for him and his dog.Has the place come up with a name for the dog?Or does that happen when he finds the right dog for his needs? Hugs,Mary ;D
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Post by fay on Nov 25, 2006 17:49:22 GMT -5
Thanks Ya'll! From my understanding the dogs are already named so he can't pick it out. Once we get the call that it's time for the 1 to 2 week training, the people getting the dogs spend time with each dog. On the 3rd day they pick out 3 of the dogs that they like best. I was told that usually by then the dogs pretty much pick out the person and the person has already picked out the dog. In other words they pick each other out perfectly. Don't even know if it will be a boy or a girl dog until then. It's nice that both human and dog pick each other out though and get bonded really well during the training too. He is getting a combo service dog that will already know 89 different commands plus a seizure response dog that will stay with him during a seizure if he is home or at school or will go for help otherwise. The dog will get a card out of Scott's pocket and give to the person which tells them what to do (call me with my home and cell numbers). The dog will wake him up every morning (he doesn't hear alarm clocks or smoke detectors) and wake him if the smoke detector goes off. it will brace him due to the dizziness and feeling off balance when he first wakes up or has a migraine headache. It will snuggle with him and help as needed (turning of lights, pick things up, bring things to him, etc) during the severe headaches when he doesn't want to move. The dog will also be an ice breaker at school because he wants to fit in but he's shy and knows he doesn't look his age plus knows he a little different from teens his age. More than anytthing though the dog will instantly become his best friend and constant companion which is something he's wanted more than anything else in this world for about 2 to 3 years now. I'll be taking lots of pictures and will need to change my avatar to show both of them together. A friend of mine that has a child with Angelmans syndrome came by yesterday with a Neurology magazine that had an article about Canine Assistants (which is where Scott is getting his service/seizure response dog through) that ran a few months ago. It was explaining about how the seizure response dogs help kids and adults with epilespy plus gave more info about the training that Scott will do with his dog too.
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