Happy Birthday, Riley

Yes, our very own Riley-Roo turned one February 27! And what did we do to celebrate...nothing else but have our very own BIRTHDAY PARTY! With frosted cupcakes (a frosted bone for Riley!!!), ice cream and Dora party hats!!! If our household knows how to do one thing, it's PARTY!

It was a blast! The girls were gearing up for the party all day! They knew Mema and Papa were coming over for cupcakes and ice cream that evening for Riley's party so they were on their worst behavior! UGH! Riley on the other hand was in fine form...energetic and happy-go-lucky as usual!

Enjoy the posted pictures!

Uh-Oh

What do you get when you combine part poodle, part lab, part boredom and a whole lot of hunger? See below...

Yep...a ripped up, unuseable service dog vest! Notice part of the patch is missing? Yeah, we're "waiting to find that in a later deposit", if you catch my drift!!!

Seemingly it was a long ride back from therapy in Battle Creek in the back of the SUV. So, with Daddy driving the buggy, Leah watching a DVD, Riley decided to have an hors'devour! Undoubtedly an expensive one! So be it!

Just another day in our lives... *SMILE*

More Fun for the Knight Family

There isn't much to report, other than we are having a GREAT time! Life is an absolute riot with twin girls and a 50-some pound dog! We have a million stories to tell all of you but I'll only share a few!

We regularly take Riley out-and-about with us! Training, training, training...all in an effort to grow the bond between Riley and our family as well as to pass the Service Dog Certification Test. Riley's been to MSU's campus several times...he loves the go-go-go of campus!!! He goes to work with Josh a few days a week and also therapy with Leah each time! Then, there is the restaurant trips (no problems since!!)! Panchero's, Applebee's...a well-dined doggie! And so well behaved! All of these trips are in an effort to practice specific skills...and he's making progress in each area!

One fun trip that we all took with Riley was to the Grand Rapids Children's Museum. Can you say, "FUN!!!!"? It was an absolute blast and Riley was the center of attention amongst all of the activities at the museum. He did a really nice job with all of the distractions and all of the kids poking and prodding him. It was a great experience for us in trying to work him and it was an excellent training day for him! Not to mention the girls had a blissful time in the bubbles, mirrors and sand! What a great place! (Below is a picture of the girls after a long day of playing with Riley!!!)

I guess there isn't much more to say...oh, we close on the house next week! Hooray! So, "adios" to Grand Ledge soon and "hello" to DeWitt! We're excited, but the event of moving is a bit daunting! So be it! It will all be worth it in the end!

OUCH!

I know...no one likes the smell of 'wet dog'. You can say it, "Yuck!" But have you ever thought that touching a dog is yucky too? Well, Leah thinks so! She describes it with an "Ouch" or with a very distinctive "AAAHHHHH". You would think that a monster is attacking her...nope, just Riley brushing up against her or trying to give her a lick!

This is probably all related to her delay. Leah is 'sensory defensive'. She doesn't like certain textures and go figure, her dog is one of them at this point. Her therapist really thinks it won't take too long to get over it, but it will take some work. We are encouraging her each and every day to give him a High-5, or a quick touch on the nose, or if we really feel naughty we haul out the M & M's and bribe her with those just so she'll pet the mongrel!!! We have gotten her to get close with some therapy tooth-brushing as well as getting them together in the shower...an activity they both love!

Logan on the other hand is laying down with Riley, hugging him, kissing him, sitting on him, brushing him...we have to tell her to be the gentle one! So, no adjustment problems there!

Hope you are all staying warm and keeping your winter spirits up...today is Valentine's Day!!! Love to all!

Does A Service Dog Offend You?

Well, I guess it had to happen sooner or later. I really didn't think it would happen (maybe because it's the line of work that I am in or maybe because I didn't want to believe people were so d**m ignorant), Josh really thought it would! We were almost turned away from a public place because of our service dog! What a disheartening event!!

I told you in the last post that we went out to eat as a family of five and things went perfectly smooth! Riley was a great dog...if anything the girls were the obnoxious ones! Well, due to the 8+ inches of snow I didn't travel the state as I had planned today so Josh and I went to lunch today. We decided to return to the same restaurant as we had dined at last weekend with the girls and Riley. It was just a fact that Josh had Riley at work for continued socialization, thus he was going to head to lunch with us. As we walked in the front door (of our favorite restaurant I just might add) two employees immediately confronted us. One did the talking, while the other supported him. Mr. Talker stated that 'several other diners mentioned their discomfort with the situation and that the owner would only allow dogs for the blind.'

My hackles went up and I'm sure my face was a rosy shade of fire. I stated calmly, but with an advocates' voice. "But you are breaking a fedeal law by not allowing us in. You are not complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Would you like a card to describe this?" They stated that they would like a formal description of the act. WOLLA...out of Riley's vest, I pop a non-compliance card stating that if they do not allow us into their public arena that they could be slapped with heftly fines as well as lawsuits.

Nevertheless, we had OUTSTANDING service! Our drinks were always full, they checked back 3-4 times...yes, they. We had 3 servers checking in on us! How accomodating.

I will have to say that I did lose my appetite at first though. It's strange how disability becomes such a normal part of life for some and such an inconvenience for others. And that we do everything that we can for our daughter to overcome these disabilities and yet there are others in this world, this community, that are so ignorant and just ignore that fact...so we have to fight even more. I guess that's what good parenting is, what positive support from family and friends is and what this whole journey is all about.

So to wrap this post up I'll give you something to think about...does a service dog offend you or does seeing a working dog just enhance your awareness?

(Off my soapbox now... :) )

Getting To Know You...Getting To Know All About You...

Yes, we are getting to know Riley and he is getting to know all about his new family!

We know all about his fear of shadows...his huge appetite...his hunger for things other than food (crayons, bowls, toys, styrofoam, buttons on pillows). I try to run a pretty tight ship around this house, but Riley is throwing quite a kink into my style! HRUMPF!!!! Yes, he is only 11 months old...but come on!

Riley is learning about us too! He knows that I mean business when it comes to chewing on things other than his own toys. He knows that Josh is a cuddle-bug. And that the girls are "his girls". He knows that Leah and Logan scream for fun, cry for attention and run around to play! Riley normally joins in on the last activity that I mentioned!!!!

We've had a couple of training sessions with Riley. One at Lowe's...where he did really good. He was 'fed' lots of distractions and he really showed well. The girls on the other hand were running from one end of the store to the other. Josh finally distracted them with letting them play in a circular shower...oh, to be 2 years old again!!!!

We also went to an obedience class with him. He did pretty well there too. So many distractions there...big dogs, little dogs, dog smells, dog barks...oh, to be with other dogs!!! Bravely enough, we ventured out to eat with the family of five as well! The girls were chomping on dinner and Riley laid on the floor just as a well-trained service dog should. Not one issue! Good boy!!!!!

With all of the snow that we've had, we've enjoyed watching the girls get to know Riley while playing outside with him. He loves to be outside just as much as the girls do, so I have every feeling that we'll be an outdoor family this spring and summer.

Like I've said before, we're only at the beginning of this fun and exciting process! There's so much more to come!!!