Some News to Share

We went to see the puppies again last week and they are doing so well.  They are all so friendly and they manage the noise and all the handling the got from the 5 girls beautifully.  Sienna was so happy to see Jedi again and Jedi seemed happy to see her.  Sienna was given lots of kisses and snuggles until Jedi fell asleep on her lap.

Yesterday Asia (Sienna's big sister who has River, our other service dog) had a really rough day.  We had gone to the park and when we got home River was was very upset.  Asia came outside and told me that River was acting "weird" and wouldn't leave her alone.  My first reaction was to give Asia meds so I insisted that she take 200mg of Pyridoxine. (the med of choice for her seizure control)  Asia insisted that it wasn't her she was alerting for but I was convinced because River wouldn't leave her alone.  She barked at her, followed her everywhere and wouldn't take her eyes off of her.  To make a long story short, River was right about what was going on.  She was able to sense the pheromones that are given off before a seizure.  So, thanks to River... Asia took her meds and about 10 minutes after she took them she was hit with a horrible seizure aura.  She got pain in her eyes, had trouble seeing, lost her balance and had horrible bouts of dizziness.  20 minutes after taking the extra pyridoxine the aura went away.  (the time it takes Pyridoxine to work is about 15 to 20 minutes)  Asia was still very unwell for the rest of the day but never had the seizure.  River saved the day once again.  We are so proud of this dog!

This is the type of work the Jedi will be trained to do for Sienna. Sienna suffers from the same seizure disorder that Asia has, but also suffers from autism.  As we visited with our Breeder Carol and the beautiful puppies we decided that since River is so important to Asia that we really can't be without the help she gives us, we are going to take a second puppy from Jedi's litter and train him for Asia.  Yes, I know...we already have River and she is doing a terrific job...so why get a second...the answer can be given quite easily... River is 10 years old.  Sadly, she is getting older and there will be a point when she won't be able to work anymore.  So, we are going to train a new dog with the help of River.  By the time the new pup is ready to work River may need a break.

So, on November 15th we get to bring home Jedi and her brother Griffin.  Both pups will be welcomed into our family and River is going to be delighted to have them here.  We are doing the puppy raising at the same time so I am thankful that Asia wants to be a big part of this.  River was trained for Asia but I was the handler.  This time Asia is old enough to be the handler so I will be training Griffin for her.  The excitement around here is huge...2 new puppies, lots of love and high hopes.   River will never be retired since she is part of the family and always will be.  I can't just turn off her amazing skills and tell her that she gets to retire.  She is beautifully healthy and will hopefully be with us for many years.  The only difference is that if she doesn't want to go out and work in the community, tagging along while we do errands she won't have to. (especially in the winter months)  It will be a good 18 months before the puppies will be able to do that anyway so River is still working until SHE decides she wants a break.

The black lab in the picture is Asia's Griffin.