We're Official!

We officially passed our "Public Access Test" on Friday morning. It was as though she knew I was a tad nervous about the test and was on her best 'command obeying' behavior. Pumpkin had to sit, heel, down, come, weave in and out of clothing racks, allow strangers to come & pet her, people stepping over her, not be rattled by carts, strollers, yells of kids, or distracted by various odors. That was just a few of the things Pumpkin had to deal with during the test. At one point while we were "heeling", I had to drop her leash to make sure she would stay with me and not run off. Another time I had to put her in a down, walk away, and call her to come to me. We had to go in and out doors, walk through the parking lot, and load up in the van. Then we had to sit in the food court for at least 20 minutes while she remained in a down position. Pumpkin took it in stride, feel asleep, and entertained everyone around us with her snoring. She is awesome!

After the test, we returned to 4 Paws for Ability to sign the "adoption" papers. We are family!
Legally, we are a 3 unit team: service dog, William, & adult handler. Ashley enjoys walking with us, too!

The extra set of eyes, the super sensitive nose, and her 4 paws are just what we needed to help keep William safe. We are officially official!

Dear William

Hello!

My name is Pumpkin nut not like the Great Pumpkin or anything like that! I am a member of the Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream litter and there is one flavor called Pumpkin. My sister Kiwi and my brother Dublin are also in this class. How cool is that? I like to play ball, do you? Do you really live in Cincinnati? Does that mean we can visit 4 Paws? That is awesome! I will miss everyone here but I have been dreaming of you for a whole year. My own boy to play ball and Frisbee with! My birthday is 11-1-2010 [born 11-1-2009]and I am a Labrador Retriever. I can't wait for you to come here. I will be counting down the days!

xoxo Pumpkin

(PS. I hope you do not mind if I am a girl)

It's tail waggin' time!

Because of an extremely generous donation from an estate (Someone we don’t even know!) plus well over 100 donations in all sorts of amounts, and several successful fundraisers, William’s 4 Paws best friend will be home in time Christmas.

We are in the December class which will train & certify from 11/30 – 12/10. Please pray for mild weather since we will be out everyday practicing tracking. For those of you who William, realize how much we are anticipating having a service dog help us out.

Now we will be working on a video which 4 Paws staff will use to help select a dog that will be trained specifically for William. (Ok, 1st we have to borrow a video camera!) To answer some of the most common questions that we’re asked:

No, we don’t pick out the dog. The 4 Paws staff will choose the dog. We can make suggestions, but ultimately it will be up to their staff.

Just like our kids, the service dog will already come with a name.

The dog will go everywhere William goes (just like “Mary had a little lamb” except the lyrics will be: “William has a service dog”). A service dog is covered under the ADA (American Disabilities Act). Basically, anywhere a wheel chair can go, a service dog may go.

The service dogs 4 Paws places are usually between 11 months – 18 months of age.

Ed or I will be the actual certified trainer. The is one of the few service dog organizations that places service dogs with kids under the age of 10 and where a 3rd party can be the certified handler.

If you want to know more info, you can always visit the 4 paws web site at: http://www.4pawsforability.org.

Now we're on a countdown until we’ll have a “new” family member and William will have a best friend to help keep him safe while helping him feel secure!

Thank you to everyone who has support us with their love, prayers, and their wallets.

Fundraiser at Riverside Coffee Mill

Saturday's fundraiser at Riverside Coffee Mill was AWESOME! And yes, we are still doing Happy Dances!

First round of applause goes to Tiffany Brigner who got this whole fundraiser starter and helped out during the entire event (including publicity).

Second round of applause goes to Jamie & Mike, owners of Riverside for their open arms of hospitality.

Thank you to our fabulous volunteers during the event: Tiffany Brigner, Linda Diller, Wendy Auchenbach, Kathleen Pompa, Brittany Robertson, Debbie Jeschke, and Tyler Rose Auchenbach.

Silent Auctions Donations came from: Mark & Denise Strimple (Wine & Chocolate Basket), Lisa Fragassi (Creative Memories), Angel Reichard (Mary Kay & greeting cards), Laura Hoevener (Adventures Around Cincinnati), Sonnie Woodruff (Maccessorized), Justin & Emily Carabello (Carabello Coffees and Journals), Bill Gore (Magellan GPS & Dream Gear i.Sound), Linda Diller (Shaklee Weekend Warrior Therapy Basket), Mark Pfister (Bob Sumerel Free Oil & Filter Change), Gina Pfister ( lillie reed jewelry), Chris Russell (Lia Sophia Jewelry), and Kathleen Pompa and Wendy Auchenbach (beaded bookmarks).

Special guests included: Dash, 4 Paws Service Dog in Training, and Madison, Therapy Dog. Both got to smell the waffles (and drool) but didn't get to taste them.

A big round of applause goes to everyone who came out and support us Saturday morning enjoying delicious waffles after the Friday night storms.

Thanks everyone for making this a successful event of raising over $1,000 for 4 Paws for Ability in William's honor!

Giving thanks...

We've been given permission to share this message from Zachary's mom, Kristy. They are so excited to be part of the December training class at 4 Paws for Ability, Inc. in Xenia, Ohio. We celebrate with them!


Giving thanks...


Well, we leave for Ohio exactly one week from today! I can't even believe it. Where did the past 8 weeks go since we found out that we'd be part of the December training class?? It seems like we just sent out our letter to family and friends explaining Zachary's unique needs and asking for their support. This has been a humbling and emotional experience for Joe and I to say the very least. So many people have opened their hearts to us; the outpouring of support is still mind boggling. At the risk of sounding cliche, I have always liked giving more than receiving. Yes, it's always fun to get a surprise or open a gift that you've always wanted, but there's still nothing quite like feeling of knowing you did something to make someone happy...you made a difference in someone's life. With every donation made, kind word spoken and hug that was given, each and every person has made a tremendous difference in our day, but most importantly, Zachary's life. And, for that we will be forever grateful.

When you experience the triumphs and challenges of raising a child with special needs, you live in a world that is much different from the norm. You celebrate the little things in life that you would have otherwise taken for granted. You notice things in the world around you that you otherwise would have never seen or heard. You live a sometimes unpredictable life that would otherwise be mundane. You find an inner-strength and resolve that would have otherwise never risen from you. For as much heartache as we feel some days when we see Zachary struggle, he has given us a gift so precious and one that no other person could have ever given to us....perspective. When you experience the triumphs and challenges of raising a child with special needs, you have an entirely different perspective on life that you otherwise would have never had. Zachary has given us the gift of understanding the need to slow down and appreciate the truly important things in life like family, happiness and true love. God knows it's not always easy, but it really is a wonderful, simple way to live your life. And, for that we will be forever grateful to him.

Happy Thanksgiving! xoxo

~~Kristy
Mommy to Zachary (6 1/2) and his new best-girl, Aubrey.

http://zachsdog.blogspot.com