Our First Post of the New Year 2011

HAPPY NEW YEAR

to you all.

We hope you all had a fabulous

HOLIDAY SEASON

Our update of what we have been doing and are working on now.

• Therapy Dog Service: As most of you probably know the Holiday Season is one our busiest times of the year. The past couple of months -- November through December -- we sure worked hard making sure we put BIG SMILES on our clients/patients faces by dressing up in some holiday outfits. Even though at times our faces my have looked like we were discussed -- we sure had fun when we seen how everyone reacted. We are some of the biggest HAM BONES you will ever find.
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• Adding Team Members:  Mom has been very busy this past year to help other teams get registered with the Delta Pet Partner Program in our area.  Which lead to the formation of DeBoy's Therapy Animal Group -- which will go by DeBoy's T.A.G. Team as new teams complete their training, evaluations and registrations.  Which we are very excited to announce our 1st Delta Pet Partner Workshop is being conducted this week and next.

• Our Play Time:  With being therapy dogs and working on a weekly basis, mom has us doing lots of different things to keep us fit, less stressed and having the opportunity to be just plan DOGS.  Although we absolutely LOVE our work, we must play; so our play time consist of agility, fly ball, trick & challenge training, swimming, hiking, walking with friends and just cuddling up to dad at night after spending the whole day with mom. 
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• Mom's Blogging Goal:  Mom has decided to get herself organized.  LOL  She is using the month of January to get a good standardize simple plan in place for posting.  If anyone out there can help her with this idea, please do.  Well here is what she is thinking           
• Blog Post Themes (some we are doing now, but need to be                 more consistent)

                   Monday's:  Manic Mondays (we wish it were Sunday) -- devoted to our preparation for our therapy visits: which in tale revolves around our weekly baths.  These post will most likely be just photo's, hoping they speak for themselves.

                   Tuesday's:  Therapy Days -- devoted to what we encountered during our Monday visits to the hospital (Dixie Regional Medical Center) and Tuesday visits to Cliff View Senior Living Center.  Hopefully we will be able to capture some video/photos of us with the patients.

                   Wednesday's:  Wordless Wednesday -- this one we love to participate in for we love seeing all of your photo post that speak a thousand words all by themselves.  PRICELESS!

                   Thursday's:  This day maybe a mixture of Tricks and Training Challenges -- Ricky please forgive us for not be a very good participant lately, we love your ideas and you all are an inspiration to us.  Thank you for letting us be a part of your day.

                   Friday's:  Not sure what to call this day.  Maybe we will use this day to post about things of the past.  Hmmm  

                   Saturday's and Sunday's:  Posting will be very limited these two days -- for this is our time to spend with DAD!

So, with this all said, mom is on her way of completing one of her NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS -- making her/our blog post simpler and by February we should be posting consistently.  

Wish us luck and happy blogging to you all.

-- Brutus, Tytus and Patti

    

Our Training Challenge + a Trick

Mom started to use this basket as something for us to go around while working on our following technique, but Tytus ended up having a fun idea and it turned into a new trick.

We ended up compiling a couple of things into this: learning a new trick, practicing our patients challenge -- which we are still working very hard at.  Sometimes we do wonderful and others times we forget and just want to join in the fun.



We even ended up taking the basket along with us on our visit to Cliff View Senior Living and tried it in front of our fans. We need more practice before we try that again in front of them -- although we did get a few smiles and that is what we are there to do.

Training Challenge -- Mother Nature vs. DAD's Nature

As you may recall, a few weeks ago I (Tytus) had a training session with Mother Nature.  I learned that thunder wasn't as bad as it sounds, mom taught me that if I stayed calm and close to her, the thunder wouldn't get me.

Well, now for the past few weeks I have been dealing with -- DAD's Nature. What is DAD's Nature, you ask?  It is FOOTBALL season, do I need to say more! :)  Just in case you all don't have a DAD that likes to watch football games on the TV -- my DAD not only watches, he at times will talk or even yell at the players/coaches like they can hear him or something, even CHEER by clapping or jumping out of his seat like he was at the stadium.

This is where my training challenge starts -- like MOTHER nature you don't have any idea when the THUNDER will pop, or do you know when DAD's nature is going to have a THUNDERS POP reaction to the football game.  I am usually resting/sleeping at his feet or at least in the room while he watches for I do love to be with DAD.  At first I thought his thunderous pop was caused by me; I would jump up move a few feet, lie down, glare with my ears twisted back (you all know the look), but mom assured me that it wasn't nothing I did.  She rubbed me and squeezed my paws the same way she did when mother natures thunder was popping, and showed that she had my back.  But, this time she also scowled DAD for making such a ruckus -- I now think this training challenge is for me and DAD...LOL :).

So, last night was the big test,  prime time football with DOLPHINS vs JETS; I should let you know that DAD's team is the DOLPHINS.  We started watching the game in the living room as usual, me resting at Dad's feet.  Mom reminding me that nothing dad does tonight is caused by me and she has my back.  She even REALLY set dad straight, by telling him he better be good.

By half time, DAD had a couple of small roars I handled them like a pro, just lifted my head and gave him that glare.  Boy does that glare work on dad...Woof.  Then we moved into the bedroom to finish watching it in bed.  I ended up right next to mom, the most comfortable place on earth.  Well that is all I remember, mom will tell the rest of the story:  Tytus ended up cuddling up to me and went fast to sleep, even through a couple of small thunderous roars from dad.  I would have to say both DAD and Tytus successfully passed the test this time, but we still have 13 or so weeks left.

If any of you are wondering, where is Brutus during all of this ruckus?  He is my strong solid sheltie sleeping though it all (only on occasion does he look up to see whats going on); gives DAD the look -- Would you please keep it down, are you SERIOUS?

Training Challenge -- Football Patients

Well, Mom is finally posting proof that we have been doing our challenges.

Last year at this time, Mom couldn't even think about taking us to a ball game.  We had no self control what so ever; the mixture of footballs and kids, running and throwing just took us over the edge.

So, mom decided to be brave and use this as one of our training challenges.

OK, this is how it went down.  Mom first told us to down, stay, leave it and watch all the commands she could think of.  She then placed a chair between the kids playing closest and us with a football at our feet, we think she did this to really make us think and keep thinking.  Well, it worked!  Woof, High Paws to Mom.

Brutus on look out, kids playing football game on one side and kids just running and playing on the other side.

I'm going to try something different, maybe if I close my eyes like I did in the park last week the kids will come see us, again.

Tytus still on, "Kid Watch Out"!  Being very patient.

And, It worked the kids came to see us!  Our REWARD for having self control...WOL!