Special Needs

Doctor Doctor, Give Me the News!

October 15, 2011
Thumbnail image for Doctor Doctor, Give Me the News!

Wishing it so doesn’t always make it so. But today I like to think Sam learned the magic of wishing and his mom saw a dream come true. Today Sam had 2 doctor appointments. Never a fun task. Two in one day! Often, per mom’s reports, such endeavors involve lots of dragging of child and [...]

Read the full article →

Bubbles Part III

October 5, 2011
Thumbnail image for Bubbles Part III

It’s been exactly two weeks since Bubbles paired with Sam. I have to admit I’m quite impressed with the speed with which they have bonded although I’m not surprised. It really speaks to my motto of getting the right make and model of dog for the job. And there’s the significant and measurable improvements in [...]

Read the full article →

Bubbles Repurposed – Part 2

September 29, 2011
Thumbnail image for Bubbles Repurposed – Part 2

Part 2 – Placement (Part 1 – Repurposing) As you may recall, Bubbles arrived in my care back in January 2011 as a 9 week old golden retriever puppy selected for specifically for an autistic boy —  her sensitivity, beauty, good health and breed type all taken into a balanced consideration for the best functioning [...]

Read the full article →

Bubbles Repurposed

September 26, 2011
Thumbnail image for Bubbles Repurposed

This year winter splashed into spring, spring to sultry summer, which slipped subtly into fall, the harvest time of year (although my tomatoes never did seem to ripen). Later this week marks Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year, considered the new year of people, animals and legal contracts. In the Jewish oral tradition, Rosh Hashanah [...]

Read the full article →

International Assistance Dog Week 2011 Har-Vest Hurrah

August 8, 2011
Thumbnail image for International Assistance Dog Week 2011 Har-Vest Hurrah

It’s that time of year again — International Assistance Dog Week. The week was created to recognize all the devoted, hardworking assistance dogs helping individuals mitigate their disability related limitations. The goals of IADW are to: Recognize and honor assistance dogs Raise awareness and educate the public about assistance dogs Honor puppy raisers and trainers [...]

Read the full article →

Flint River Ranch June Letter – Natural Flea/Pest Control for Dogs

June 17, 2011
Thumbnail image for Flint River Ranch June Letter – Natural Flea/Pest Control for Dogs

Found June’s monthly column from  Flint River Ranch President Jay Margedant worth passing forward. Gives you reason to re-think pest control. While I admittedly recently dosed the dogs with what is a monthly regiment of Frontline Plus, I really want to eliminate as many chemicals from my life as I can. So I’m going to [...]

Read the full article →

Graduation Season

June 9, 2011

Graduation season is upon us. This week, my oldest graduated from high school (go Zena), my middle from middle school (way to go Callie) and Bubbles graduated from her second round of group training classes. Graduation day for puppy class consists of a modified version of the classic (and now sadly out of print) board game [...]

Read the full article →

Bubbles at 6 months

May 19, 2011
Thumbnail image for Bubbles at 6 months

You nurture them. Food, water, exercise. Instruction, structure, guidance. Rest, play and exploration. They grow. If you’re consistent, fair, patient and kind, they thrive. Educate, socialize, manage and train. So by six months you have a solid foundation of basic manners in many locations. Sure they test people, what teenager doesn’t? Interesting that in the [...]

Read the full article →

Bubbles – 12 week review

April 15, 2011
Thumbnail image for Bubbles – 12 week review

This week marks 12 weeks since Bubbles landed in Cleveland from sunny southern California.  What has she learned? She has almost tripled in size, is house trained,  crate trained and has become quite cuddly without being overbearing. She has learned how to sit, lay down, come (touch) despite most distractions, stay, walk nicely on a [...]

Read the full article →

Embracing The Triple Bottom Line [TBL] – economic, ecological and social

April 7, 2011
Thumbnail image for Embracing The Triple Bottom Line [TBL] – economic, ecological and social

In the many previous “real” jobs” life  I’ve had  – where I not only had to learn all the names and ultimately the quirks of fellow workers — but often be obligated to know the terms and conditions of detailed policy manuals outlining all the “do’s” and “don’ts” of the organization — I’ve had various [...]

Read the full article →

← Previous Entries

Next Entries →