Jan. 7, 2012 Meeting

 Yesterday, we had our first meeting as the combined North/Central group and it was a huge success!

Brian and Susan and their puppy Essie listening to AC Carolyn before we begin obedience.

We all gathered outside at the Edinborough Healthcare Center to first listen to our new AC Carolyn talk about what was going on with Pinellas Park Library.  The PPL recently denied access to Southeastern Guide Dog puppy raisers for a puppy raiser meeting.  Currently, there are talks between Southeastern Guide Dogs, the library and the Mayor's office about how troubling it is that the library would deny access to guide dogs and in the larger world view, visually impaired people and their guide dogs.  Our hope is that a resolution will be reached so that we can have our meeting in the library.  Generally, all it takes is proper education on the laws and a detailed calming of fears with facts and reasoning.

That being said, we are very thankful that the healthcare center was so welcoming, pleasant and accomodating.  As you may or may not know, elderly people have very delicate skin and when dealing with this population, you must be very careful to have your puppy be extremely calm during the greeting process.  One little nick of the tooth or a scratch can result in a very bad bleed for a elderly patient.  So compared to the Pinellas Park library, the Edinborough healthcare center was amazingly generous in their gracious invitation to us.

After the information session, Carolyn led us through some obedience and then through some distraction training, before we did a traffic walk to the front door of the facility.  Before going in we busied our dogs (just in case!!) and got a few takers. 8-)

Then we entered the center.

Essie is stretched out on the health care center's floor with her back legs out straight behind her, Brian on her right, Susan on her left.  Vince and Dianne and their pup Cherry are in front of them.  Essie and Cherry are black labs.

 A healthcare center is a fabulous experience because it provides a wealth of exposures all in one place: mechanized hospital beds, wheelchairs, walkers, loud noises, strange beeps, weird smells, and to be frank, some strange characters.

Cheryl and Justice beside a resident in a wheelchair.  Cheryl is kneeling and Justice is standing in the middle.

 One very sweet lady that we met was the lady in the wheelchair above.  She was stationed by the door and got to meet all the dogs as they came in.  She was very dog friendly.  This is one time where sitting to  be pet may not work as some residents can move their hands very far and if the dog sits, it throws their body too far away from the wheelchair.  The best bet is to stand the dog right next to the chair so they can pat the head.  Just knew right away that these people needed to be handled gently.  My little wiggler was very calm and gentle.  No wiggling.

Justice also did really well with one of the strange characters of the center.  This lady got up everyday happy.  She put on her sparkly clothes, combed out her frizzy hair and put on her tiara. Then she put on her red, red lipstick.  Not too well, but for the most part, she got it on her lips.  She added her long glittery beads.  Then she stepped out of her room, ready to greet the day.  And to everyone she met, she greeted them with laughter and joy, which is how she greeted Justice.  What Justice thought as she stared up and saw those red, red lips and was knocked in the muzzle with those glittery beads, I don't know, but she was happy right back to the lady.  A perfect pair of joyful sunshine they were.

A woman visiting her mother stops to greet Essie, who is sitting.  Brian is holding her leash.  Susan is in the background.

 Here is Essie with Brian as she greets one of the relatives of a resident.

Dianne is leading Cherry around the corner.

Cherry and Dianne worked the hallways looking for people to greet.

Our group is congregating in the hallway as we wait for an empty electronic hospital bed to be found: Sylvia, Cheryl, Michele, Keegan (pup Laurel), Nancy (pup Orchid) 

 After going up and down three hallways greeting residents, Carolyn arranged for us to go into a room two by two and see a mechanized bed go up and down.  None of our dogs were phased by this.

Keegan and pup Laurel. Laurel is in a down stay.

 By this time, most everyone is tired.

Nancy and her new puppy Orchid.  Orchid is a yellow goldadore.  Orchid is sitting on her left.

 Except Orchid, who is still in play mode!

Justice is lying down in the hallway.  She has a smile on her face and her tongue is hanging out a bit.  Her ears are perked up.

 Justice, the happiest dog in the world.

Fred and Jam.  Jam is sitting on Fred's left.

Fred and Jam went into rooms to say hello to residents and see if the bed bound wanted to pet a dog.  Jam was very calm and sweet.

All in all it was a fabulous exposure and a great experience for dogs and puppy raisers alike.