This is it! The official Christmas photo taken at the foster/adoptive parents Christmas party given by the Bethel United Methodist Church. William gave Santa a hug for everyday of the year. What a patient Santa! Santa even sat on the floor with William and Pumpkin. It was great to watch all the kids gather 'round Pumpkin, William, and Santa. Pumpkin got lots of hugs during the party, too.
It's amazing the difference Pumpkin has already made in our lives. The stress level is much less since there are an extra set of eyes and paws watching William. And, William does keep track of his girl. One of the many benefits of having a service dog with you is that people will stop and talk with you (Ok, now it takes twice as long to do anything when we go out!) giving William the opportunity to socialize more. Pumpkin is a wonderful ambassador for all service dogs since she is so gentle and kind to everyone especially little kids. We do have to tell people that she loves to give kisses. William truly now has a bff. Thank you 4 Paws!
We would appreciate everyone's prayer while we're at training. Families are traveling from all over the country, including Canada. All have a very special someone who may have difficulties with change. Please pray for safety, for bonding between the service dogs & their pawtners, unity among the class, & for whatever else you feel led to. Here's the class roster:
Flutter (Bloodhound Retriever) Pawtner: Sean [Autism Assistance Dog]
Champ (Golden Retriever) Pawtner: Tucker [Autism Assistance Dog]
Beuford (Hound Retriever) Pawtner: Riley [Autism Assistance Dog]
Sushi (Golden Retriever) Pawtner: Drake [Autism Assistance Dog]
Pumpkin (Labrador Retriever) Pawtner: William [Multi-purpose Assistance Dog]
Flash (Bloodhound Retriever) Pawtner: Matthew [Autism Assistance Dog]
Jack (Labrador Retriever Mix) Pawtners: Owen & Annabelle [Multi-purpose Assistance Dog]
Mercy (Golden Retriever) Pawtner: Chris [Autism Assistance Dog]
Dublin (Labrador Retriever) Pawtner: Jacey [Autism Assistance Dog]
Kiwi (Labrador Retriever) Pawtner: Noel [Autism Assistance Dog]
Nokia (Labrador Retriever) Pawtner: Griffin [Autism Assistance Dog]
Zoom (Bloodhound Retriever) Pawtner: Alexander [Autism Assistance Dog]
Only 58 days until we meet William's 4 Paws best friend. Each class names themselves. Our class has chosen "Santa's Little Yelpers"! Not quite sure if that applies to the dogs or to us humans.
So much to do to get ready for this new family member. We've been reading books and watching DVD's about service dog. Plus many of the families who have received their dogs have blogged and posted You Tube videos. It's amazing.
Currently, there are 7 families in our class from various parts of the country. All of them will be traveling with a family member with special needs and spending 11 days in intensive training. We could all use your prayers.
Ok, before I can't contain myself any longer, I'll stop for now..... Thanks for reading!
This is it! The official Christmas photo taken at the foster/adoptive parents Christmas party given by the Bethel United Methodist Church. William gave Santa a hug for everyday of the year. What a patient Santa! Santa even sat on the floor with William and Pumpkin. It was great to watch all the kids gather 'round Pumpkin, William, and Santa. Pumpkin got lots of hugs during the party, too.
