Navigating Life's Detours
Finding the right path for a teen with special needs
Category: Canine Companions
Time for correction
Every once in a while, we all need to be corrected, right? As well behaved as Karina has been, the trainers at Canine Companions told us early on that she was food-driven. At the time, I thought to myself, “Well, aren’t we all? I… Continue Reading “Time for correction”
Friday Fun: Karina assists in therapy
Hi everyone, it’s Karina. My facilitator, Jeff, told me he’s been getting many questions about how things are going as I’ve settled into life with the Cousins family. I thought I would try to fill people in on how a Canine Companion goes about… Continue Reading “Friday Fun: Karina assists in therapy”
Karina gets clean
It was a big week for J.P. and Karina as we passed the one-month mark after graduating from Canine Companions for Independence. One month later meant Karina got her first bath, and we had to file our first report with CCI. The report asked… Continue Reading “Karina gets clean”
Enjoying the everyday
After more than a month of chaos, even doing household chores seems relaxing. It’s really nice to be settling into our new normal in the Cousins’ household. Over the past few days, there’s been an effort to get things cleaned up inside and outside… Continue Reading “Enjoying the everyday”
Training completed
We did it. On Monday and Tuesday, Paige, J.P., Karina and I returned to Canine Companions for Independence to complete the training that was put on hold while J.P. was hospitalized for a shunt revision and a gastrointestinal bug. We returned to CCI on… Continue Reading “Training completed”
Karina assists in therapy
Our skilled companion dog is being put to work. As things slowly return to normal in the Cousins’ household, Karina is getting involved in speech therapy. Our speech therapist, Amy Thomas, is creating a whole section of J.P.’s Dynavox to tell Karina’s story, and… Continue Reading “Karina assists in therapy”
Catching up
After working through the long holiday weekend, Tuesday was a day for catching up. It was supposed to be the day I would have officially joined the Patient Safety and Quality Committee at Florida Hospital for Children, but the meeting was canceled at the… Continue Reading “Catching up”
Dog days of summer arrive early
The dog days of summer have arrived a bit early in Central Florida with temperatures climbing into the mid-90s just in time for the Memorial Day holiday weekend. Paige managed to get Karina in J.P.’s bed with him after he awoke, and he was… Continue Reading “Dog days of summer arrive early”
Friday Fun: Start your engines
It’s the beginning of the Memorial Day holiday weekend, and from the looks of Interstate 4, many people are already heading out of town. For me, it will be three days of work after taking off so much time for Canine Companions for Independence… Continue Reading “Friday Fun: Start your engines”
Shaking off the cobwebs
I was thankful J.P. got a good night’s sleep. It was nice to wake up feeling refreshed Thursday, and I’ve noticed that since J.P. has been home from the hospital, Karina doesn’t whine in her crate before I’m ready to wake up. However, I… Continue Reading “Shaking off the cobwebs”
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Navigating Life's Detours 