Star~71~Star is still being handled by WPR Heather, but on a limited basis only and her hand is wired together and she is in a sling. Heather takes Star out on Friday, does all of her handling and indoor work and then brings her to me on Saturday morning, does drop-in obedience class with her, then leaves her with me for the rest of the day. I work her several times during the day, she has free play with Draco, then she goes back to Mark on Saturday night. Currently, Star's challenge is working in a group of other dogs, she has difficulty focusing on her handler. She is better with saying hello and not rubbing her GL or "snuggling" with people. She still whines when she sees me, but Mark says that she doesn't whine for anyone else.
As soon as I place the little homeless Chihuahua girl that I have in the house we will have Star overnight. WPR Dawn has also offered to help with Star, and has taken her out for a day already. THANK YOU DAWN for going above and beyond to help out! Star is playing well with Dawn's dog Jake and with Draco so I have asked for another interview at Happy Tails Doggy Daycare. Cathy has graciously offered a full day of daycare each month for each dog at no charge to NEADS. This is critical for their development, so THANK YOU CATHY!
General~69~General is doing well, still going through "puberty" stage and sometimes forgets or has difficulty focusing on his handler. He is working with Mike and with the other handlers every day. Mike still says he is having trouble with the cape and getting General to work with it on, but WPR Lisa doesn't have the same issues so I tend to think it's handler specific.
Jewel~50~We worked with new props in class on Saturday, one was an IV pole. She was wary of it at first but seemed to do fine by the end of class. Dawn got a skateboard to keep in the house for Jewel to get accustomed to, as she was scared of the kids on them when we were in Norwood last weekend. Her tendency when she is faced with a new "bogeyman" is to flee, so we are trying to strengthen the bond between handler and dog through obedience and games, and will try to expose her to as many new situations as possible. Jewel is now wearing her gentle leader most of the day.
Roger~38~Roger has a difficult time working outdoors. Is still eating EVERYTHING he can get his mouth on. Both Rene and Michele are working hard to get him to leave things alone when walking outdoors. Roger went to work with Michele on Friday and did well but appears to have an upset stomach (gas) alot.
I am working on getting a different food to put all of them on to possibly alleviate Roger's upset stomach, Star's intermittent loose stools, and General's warts and bad coat condition. Jewel is currently on Canidae and is doing fine.
