Updates

Yarrow has been away a week.  So what is going on in Yarrow’s world?  Well she is working on confidence building.  She is in the middle of a fear stage and so she is working on getting through that.  After a lot of talk with her trainer (who I trust 1000%, yes the extra zero is on purpose) Yarrow will be staying an extra month for more training.  That is a long time for us to be apart, hard for me particularly, but she needs this if I want her to be able to work and I do.  So here we are.

 

So what is going on here while Yarrow is gone?  Well I decided (got talked into…) puppy raise for the program my trainer runs.  Today we drove out to pick up the puppy who will be staying with us.

Meet Lemon (I call her Moppet).  She is a “Berner-Doodle” or mix of Standard Poodle and Bernese Mountain Dog.  She was donated to the program by a wonderful breeder because she has such an excellent temperament.  She actually is the runt of her litter but temperament is the most important.  She is 18weeks old, already vaccinated, and ready for socialization and basic training.

 

We started out with a bath and intro to grooming (the things you have to learn as a doodle).  She took it all like a champ, with lots of treats.  Now she is sleeping comfortably under the rocker.  Hoping for a quiet night but I’m not counting on it.

Stay tuned for updates on Yarrow, and our foster girl here.

Boot Camp

This morning we drove this girl to “doggy boot camp” also known as Board and Train with my friend’s Service Dog Program.  She will be staying for a full month of confidence building, PA skills, and some task work.  Stay tuned for updates and some big news on happening here.

Mardi Gras

What better way to celebrate, and get some training in, than at a local Mardi Gras parade and carnival?  Terror’s Roller Derby Team participated in the parade again this year.  I was definitely not able to skate or walk the parade but Yarrow and helped out at the booth handing out flyers and talking about Derby.

 

Yarrow mostly laid on her mat like a good girl while we watched the booth.  We had a couple of snaffoos.  There was a gentleman who would not take “no” for a answer when asking about petting (the public really needs to learn about service dog etiquette) and she had some puppy moments with a team mates dog who looks a lot like Freyja, but hey, she is still a puppy.  It was a very active and stimulating environment for her so there was a lot to take in.  Walking around, or should I say rolling around, was a little intense for her.  A little boy rushed us with his light saber and glow sticks and that was a little much for both of us (nearly made me jump out of the chair).  She decided blocking the chair so I couldn’t go was the best move LOL.  But we got a lot of compliments on her behavior.  A Police Officer stopped me to tell me what a wonderful dog she is, he just couldn’t stop saying how great of a partner I have.  Made me really happy.  We watched Tim in a Crawfish eating contest.  Yarrow was a little put out he didn’t share with her (and he totally could have, he didn’t even win… poor puppy).  I got to eat a crawfish stuffed baked potato which was excellent.  I also experienced how people treat you in a wheelchair.  It is different, very much like you are a child.  Still we had a great time.  I don’t know what the future holds, either for me, or for Yarrow.  But I am hopeful.

Celiac Plexus Block

Being a Spoonie my life is pretty full of medical appointments and procedures.  Last year I was diagnosed with MALS (Median Arcuate Ligament Syndrome or Celiac Ligament Syndrome).  The recommended treatment for this is a rather invasive abdominal surgery (6inch incision from my rib cage to my belly button).  I do have a rather complicated medical history and my cardiologist is loathe to recommend surgery.  As a final test I was sent for a Celiac Plexus Block, to see if my pain abated at all.

 

It is a relatively simple outpatient procedure, performed in a surgical center under general anesthesia (Zebras don’t react well to numbing agents).  During my procedure I also had Sacroilliac injections as my SI joints are loose and deteriorated.  The goal there was similar, pain relief.  My block was performed on February 14th, Valentines Day.

 

If the block worked I should have been able to eat pain free for at least a day, maybe even a few weeks.  The block did not work in my case, I had the same gastric pain as I’ve always had.  Further confirmation that surgery is not a good choice for me.  Good news and bad news I suppose.  Unfortunately the SI injections caused a nerve reaction in my hips and I have had an increase in pain since the procedure.  I have been working with my PT in an attempt to resolve the damage and regain mobility.  Lesson learned.  In the meantime I have been spending a good deal more time in the wheelchair.

1 year

I’m late posting this but Roo-dog is officially 1year old!!  Birthdays are exhausting.

51weeks

51weeks almost there