Navigating Life's Detours
Finding the right path for a teen with special needs
Aiming for success
It’s Saturday, but it was a business as usual — at least for the first half of the day.
We got started with a lesson in loading and unloading J.P. and the dog from our vehicle, then it was off to Lowe’s with all the students, dogs and instructors.
Everyone went to Lowe’s on their own, so the dog got to ride in our van for the first time.
We went on a scavenger hunt, and then returned to Canine Companions for Independence for a lecture on daily routines.
We learned more about how to care for dog and make sure it gets daily exercise in order to maintain a healthy weight. The staff takes it very seriously, and because they maintain ownership of the dog after graduation, they can take the dog from us if it isn’t being cared for.
I don’t think I’ve talked about it much, but over and over again in class I’ve been struck by how the trainers have stressed the importance to them that all of us succeed — and that includes both humans and dogs.
Whether it is simply in completing a task at the moment or thinking years ahead, they want each of the teams to work together for a lifetime. I was told their success rate is 99.3 percent.
They must be doing something right.
Coming up in the final week of training, we’ll be preparing for graduation with photo sessions, interviews and another field trip to the West Oaks Mall. We’ll also be taking our final exam and our Assistance Dogs International test to get certified to take the dog in public.
The dogs will also be groomed for the big day, and we’ll meet the person who raised our dog as a puppy before it came to Canine Companions.
There is no class on Sunday. Happy Mother’s Day!
Doggone nice people
J.P. had a good night and seemed to feel better today.
Our dog also seemed to have more spring in its step this morning and did well as we learned more commands — and we even visited the dogs’ play area at the facility.
It’s really cool to be in class with several different dogs. While we were told early in the application process that every dog is different, it’s amazing to see how varied their personalities are when they tackle the commands they’re given.
Again, I am not able to disclose the name of our dog because of Canine Companions for Independence policy, but I can say the dog is fairly reserved, very loving and petite.
I think the dog is bonding well with our family and has one very cute quirk: One of the most used commands in class is to give the “sit” command. For most dogs it happens within a second or two, but our dog takes longer than you would expect to put its rear on the floor. It’s really kind of funny and has taken a bit of getting used to.
While all of our dogs have different personalities, so do many of the facilitators and recipients. I didn’t expect to meet so many great families during the training.
The 11 recipients have been broken into two groups. One of them is for skilled companion teams and facilities, and the second is for service dogs.
For those unfamiliar with the blog, skilled companion teams are for recipients who can’t offer commands or care for the dogs themselves. They require facilitators to do that part of the job. J.P. is receiving a skilled companion dog. There are two other boys getting them and three facilitators who will receive facility dogs.
The rest of the recipients are in another training room and will receive service dogs.
All of the people in school with us have grown into a big extended family. We’re sharing a very memorable time in our lives, and I hope the bonds we’ve made during this experience will last for many years.
While the diagnoses of the three boys in our class are varied, we have been through many of the same experiences and have shared our stories — both good and bad — and the things we’ve learned along the way.
One of the boys has the same feeding pump as J.P., so we both start looking when the alarms sound to see whose child needs the attention. We’ve laughed together about that several times.
There’s also an investigator for a law enforcement agency’s child sex crimes unit and two counselors who will be using the dogs to aid in building cases with the victims of child abuse and elder abuse.
In the other training room, there’s a teenager whose disability makes a dog her key to going to college, and a local theme-park employee who will gain independence with her dog. She also has a penchant for joke-telling.
Of course, the big thing we’ll all have in common very soon is that we’ve been given the amazing privilege of having a highly trained service dog that will go home with us — as well as the skills necessary to care for it for many years to come.
The link below will be used for a live stream of the Canine Companions for Independence graduation ceremony on May 17. Click on the link now to set up an account. You can then go back to the link to make sure you see the CCI graduation page. You can also put the Live Stream app on a smart phone for free and watch it there.
http://new.livestream.com/accounts/7867197/events/2947860
Dealing with unforseen problems
I’m posting this blog entry with a furry friend nearby.
We were able to bring our canine companion back to our room which completed the final piece of the training puzzle.
It’s been really exciting learning more about the dog that will in all likelihood be spending at least the next 10 years with us. Some of the topics covered in class today included canine health, grooming and play.
J.P. assisted with brushing both the dog’s hair and teeth, and WESH-TV’s Dave McDaniel and Chief Photojournalist Pete Delis caught it all on video.
We’re hearing the pieces will air on WESH-TV on Monday, Wednesday and Friday of next week. I’m really excited to see them. They should also be available on WESH.com.
Despite what was a very memorable day, we have been dealing with some unforeseen issues.
On the way back from checking on our house last night, our wheelchair van seemed to be having some mechanical problems. I had to get up early today to have the van checked and rush back in a rental car in time for class. After class, I had to rush back to get the van.
It wasn’t exactly what I had hoped for the first night with our dog, and things got worse when J.P. began vomiting tonight. I’m hoping it was a one-time thing. He doesn’t have a fever or any other symptoms. Please keep us in our prayers.
We’ll be talking about our first night with the dogs first thing in the morning. Our dog seemed a bit stressed when we had to run around when J.P. got sick. We also tried some play with the toys we were given, but the dog really seemed to just want us to be the toys.
It will be interesting to see what the weekend brings with our first field trip with the dog on Saturday. There are no classes Sunday.
Thanks so much for all the well wishes during this process. While it has been a very memorable experience, we’re both dealing with a lot tonight trying to accommodate the dog and make sure J.P. is OK. Can you say stress overload?
A preliminary match
J.P. was preliminarily matched with a canine companion first thing Wednesday morning. If all goes well, the dog will return to our dormitory room on Thursday night and eventually graduate with us on May 17.
There was a short ceremony Wednesday morning when the matches were announced, and it appeared there were no big surprises. I think the staff at Canine Companions for Independence have this pretty well worked out from the beginning.
Shortly after the ceremony, we took another walk around campus and actually got to observe our dogs in playtime. That was extremely interesting to see them when they weren’t on the job. Many of us were surprised they can be real dogs.
We learned more commands for the dogs and practiced using them. We also became more involved in the toileting of our dogs and making sure they drank some water. There is also a command for that.
The same command, which is “OK,” is used for eating. The dogs don’t have access to free food and water, so you must give them the “OK” to consume.
Speaking of food and drink, some of the Canine Companions for Independence puppy raisers brought us our lunch today. Thanks so much to them for their hospitality.
During the afternoon session, we learned about resistance, which is the term used when the dog doesn’t follow commands, what causes resistance and how to correct it.
Paige and I both actually missed the memorable moment of the day. During a lecture, our dog was on a mat with J.P. in a down command. It’s a popular command used when the dog isn’t going to be needed for a while.
One of the trainers told us the dog heard J.P. cough and got up to make sure he was OK. She then got back in the down position.
That sounds like a good preliminary match to me. Check back tomorrow for more on the first night in the dorm with the dog.
J.P. begins his work at dog training
We took the dogs outside for a walk Tuesday, and it seemed pretty clear which one will be our preliminary match.
The day began with a lecture on canine motivators. Some of the ongoing things to remember are the importance of immediate correction and praise, and how Paige and I must be clear and authoritative with our commands in our role as facilitators.
J.P. also helped in class today. In order for the dog to recognize J.P. as the recipient, it’s important that he praise and love the dog, and he’ll take part in feedings and grooming.
WESH-TV was at Canine Companions for Independence for our morning mat session. That’s kind of a playtime where we all get on the floor and love on the dogs to see which one seems most engaged with the recipients.
I talked with Dave McDaniel about the things we hope the dog can do for J.P. and the role we hope it will play in our family.
For J.P., we hope the dog will be a friend to him and open him up to more social interaction. The dog should also be able to pick things up when they’re dropped, assist in our travels and cheer him up during hospital stays.
There was a surprise at lunch when the meal provider, Summit Greens Women Club, gave Canine Companions a $500 check to go toward raising puppies. They also provided a delicious meal for everyone.
During the afternoon session, we spent time learning how to walk the dog at the same time we’re pushing J.P.’s wheelchair. The trainers also did their best to distract the dog, which meant we had to correct the dog while trying to guide the chair at the same time.
This was the most amazing part of the day. It truly showed the extent of the training the dogs have received. More times than not, the dogs stayed on task or quickly got back on track even if they did momentarily fall for the distraction.
Hurry was the command of the day. That’s what you tell the dog when it’s time to toilet. The dog has the extent of their leash to get the job done and most did their business within just a few minutes.
We’ll learn our preliminary match at a mini-ceremony with staff in the morning. I would really be shocked if it’s not the dog we’ve worked with the most for the past two days. Things could still change after the pre-match before Thursday — and even again before the weekend — but the direction we’re heading seems pretty clear.
There’s one more thing I wanted to share that has been really cool this week. That is the other recipients and families we’ve meet who are going through the same thing right now as they prepare for a canine companion to enter their lives.
While their stories are varied, they have also been down similar paths as my family, especially those with medically fragile children. I hope the friendships that begin here will last for many years to come.
Cinco de Canine: Surprise at dog training
What an exciting first day of training at Canine Companions for Independence.
We learned a great deal about the program and how dogs behave.
The day began with breakfast and a chance to get acquainted with the staff and other students with whom we’ll be spending the next two weeks.
We listened to several lectures about the facility and plans for the next two weeks, but the most interesting was about canine behavior.
Dogs are very “in the moment,” so when it comes to correcting a canine, if it’s not done within about three seconds of the bad behavior, it won’t be effective — and may even be detrimental to the relationship between it and the facilitator.
In other words, if you come home to trash strewn all over the house, it’s too late to go punishing the dog. Interesting, huh?
We had a nice lunch with a previous graduate of the program and got to meet her dog. She told us how much her dog has meant to her and helped her in her daily life.
During the afternoon, we got our first look at the dogs we’ll be spending the next two weeks with and learned the commands for sit, down, let’s go and release. While the first three are pretty self-explanatory, the last means the dog is done working and doesn’t need to await further commands from the facilitator.
We also learned what to do when the dog doesn’t follow orders and how to remain objective and not get emotional when issuing what is called a correction.
Of course, the day didn’t come without a surprise. When you have a special needs child, you never know when you’ll be heading to the hospital.
J.P. wasn’t digesting his feeds properly, and we figured it would be best to have him checked out before it turned into an issue that could take him out of training. His feeding tube had slipped out of its proper placement, so we spent the evening in radiology and had it fixed.
Our Cinco de Mayo dinner ended up at the hospital cafeteria.
All is better now.
There’s only one lecture on the agenda for Tuesday on canine motivators and much more time with the dogs. There are several that seem really good for J.P. Exciting times ahead.
Time for more studying.
Teaching this old dog new tricks
When I graduated from college, I told myself I was done with school, homework, studying, tests and anything like it.
I don’t think I ever really enjoyed school until attending DeLand High School and getting involved in TV production. I knew I had found my calling and have been involved in the media ever since.
I went to Daytona State College and the University of Central Florida part-time while I worked at WESH-TV full-time and became a TV news producer. It was in 2000 when I moved to the emerging side of online journalism and morphed my writing style from broadcast to what we call print.
The media has always been a big part of my life, but when J.P. was born, I believe my eyes opened and saw the need for services and top-notch health care for children with disabilities.
I joined the Board of Directors for the Conductive Education Center of Orlando, where children with motor disabilities can get their therapies and education in a group setting. Each child is paired with an assistant for one-on-one instruction. I was amazed to see what the kids could learn and the difference it made in their degree of independence.
After several years there, I moved to the Family Advisory Council at Florida Hospital for Children. The emphasis on family-centered care is impressive and the voice that hospital administrators have given to the council shows how vital we are to them. We’ve been added to key hospital committees to make sure no policy is enacted without our input.
I guess I’ve come a long way from never wanting to be in a classroom again to moving into a dormitory for two weeks of instruction at Canine Companions for Independence.
But getting married to a wonderful wife and being blessed with a very special son have changed my perspective, and I’ve heard so many people say these dogs really change the lives of those who receive them.
While we know our dog will be able to perform simple tasks for J.P., like opening doors, picking up objects and even taking off his socks, I’m more interested in the process of bonding the dog with J.P. even though he won’t be the person giving the commands.
I know — I’m actually really interested in going back to school and finding this stuff out. I’ve come a long way.
I also can’t wait to see how J.P. reacts to the dog. He really smiled and seemed to enjoy the dog he saw at orientation, and I’m looking forward to meeting the other families from across the Southeast who will join us for our classes.
I know we’ll all have things in common, and I’ve heard many of the families stay in touch even after they’ve completed the training.
When people talk about the things they would put on their bucket list, I believe this is one of them, and it’s something many will never get to experience.
I hope I remember that over the next two weeks and take the time to really soak it all in, enjoying the experience and treasuring the chance to watch J.P. meet his first furry companion.
Mornings with J.P.
Things are busy in the Cousins’ household in the morning.
If J.P. had a good night, he usually will sleep until well after the sun comes up, but upon awakening, things get a bit hectic.
We still keep a log of his diapers just in case there are questions from his pediatrician or endocrinologist, and there’s plenty of pharmaceutical duties to accomplish.
J.P. has six morning medications, and several of them come in tablet form and must be crushed and mixed with water before they can be given through his g-tube. His feeding tube must also be cleaned, and he gets a new pump set every day for his feeding pump.
Add to that the normal duties for any typical child, like washing his face, brushing his teeth, getting dressed, etc., and you have a busy day off the bat.
His morning seizure medicines usually result in a nap, so that means Paige and I have time to get ourselves ready before the daily appointments begin.
J.P. receives homebound instruction through our public school, so his teacher comes to the house for one-on-one instruction. That happens three days a week, and he also has physical and occupational therapy twice a week. He has speech therapy three times a week.
If you add a doctor’s appointment or two, you’re talking a full-time job. That’s why we say Paige is J.P.’s executive assistant.
The work can seem daunting at times, but J.P. is almost always in a good mood. He enjoys time with us and is usually really happy when you check on him in the morning. I don’t think he realizes we still have a baby monitor on in our room. He likes to give us that look that says, “How did you know I was awake?”
We’re so thankful he’s a happy boy and shows us love in many creative ways.
Even on those mornings when he’s awake much earlier than I would like, his smiles can instantly change a weary feeling to a thankful one.
I’m sure things will get even more interesting when we walk into what will soon be not only J.P.’s room but his four-legged-buddy’s room, as well.
The packing process is in high gear, and after a brief break for the Kentucky Derby this afternoon, the focus will move fully to getting out the door for two weeks of training.
We’ll be posting plenty of stuff here as the process moves forward.
Friday Fun: ‘Frozen’ fever hits hospital
My aim with this blog is to be transparent about the joys and struggles of raising a child with special needs. Sometimes the times when you’re really struggling all of a sudden turn into a memorable moment.
I’m going to try to share some items from the lighter side on Fridays. Here’s one of them…
One of the things that I really enjoy about Florida Hospital for Children is that the staff work to make sure there’s something special for the young patients every day.
Whether it’s a visit from pet therapy or a sports star, they give the children something to look forward to and remember for many years to come.
“Laughter and play is part of the healing process, and we take that seriously,” Florida Hospital for Children Director of Family Experience Traci Woods said. “We have a whole program to make sure every family and patient has a good experience here at Florida Hospital for Children.”
Recently, the hospital staff went around the hospital allowing both adults and children to sing their rendition of the award-winning song “Let it Go” from Disney’s “Frozen.”
The catchy tune served as a way to take patients’ minds off their medical issues so they could have some fun with one of their favorite movies.
The finished product is well worth watching.
#FrozenFever is Spreading at Florida Hospital for Children from Florida Hospital on Vimeo.
Make room for puppy
I spent my weekend in full-on prep mode for what will be a life-changing couple of weeks.
I really believe it’s almost like getting ready to bring home a baby. We know something is coming, but the specific details just aren’t available.
We spent the past two days purging, dusting, vacuuming and rearranging to make room for our newest four-legged family member to move into J.P.’s room. The staff at Canine Companions told us it will help the dog to bond with him.
In Canine Companions’ terminology, J.P. will be the recipient in a skilled companion team since he isn’t capable of giving orders to or taking care of the dog on his own. When the recipient is capable of doing those things, they’re given a service dog, which is given a bit more training.
There are also facility dogs provided to area hospitals. J.P. is quite familiar with Murray at Florida Hospital for Children.
We’ve been told that Canine Companions has at least a few dogs that they think could work for J.P. based on the paperwork and preliminary interviews. We asked for a dog that is not a barker because it tends to startle him.
The first few days will be spent working with different dogs while the trainers decide which dog will go “home” to our dormitory toward the end of the first week.
By the second week, we should be working pretty exclusively with one dog that we’ll most likely graduate with.
Readers should know we won’t be posting dog names in the blog at the request of Canine Companions. That will be posted for the first time when J.P. graduates.
We’ve got a lot of class time, quizzes, tests and even a few field trips before that happens, as well as a final week at WESH-TV as we finalize the coverage plan.
Please wish us luck that all of this comes together. Thanks a bundle.
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