Poetry, Covered Bridges, Battles and Moose– All In One Day!!

Posted by Barbara Techel

I loved the creativity of the name of this place for breakfast where we ate this morning.  And for those of you still trying to guess where we are in Vermont, I’ll spill the beans…we are in Manchester, VT.

Today we ventured off to Shaftsbury, VT to visit Poet Robert Frost’s home, then off to Bennington, VT to visit the Covered Bridge Museum, the Battle Monument, and hugged a moose along the way. You can see the photo of the moose hugging and Battle Monument on my Facebook page.

As someone who is fascinated by other writer’s it was quite fun to stand in the dining room of Robert Frost’s home where he wrote one of the poems in a collection that won him the Pulitzer Prize, “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening”.  He wrote this poem in the heat of summer and it is said that he felt as if it was an hallucination as the poem came to him so easily.

Next we visited the Covered Bridge Museum and that was very enjoyable.  So why did they build covered bridges you wonder?  To keep out the snow?  Oh no, not correct we learned.  In fact they would bring snow into the bridges so they were easier to pass through in the winter season.  They were covered to protect the wood from rotting.  The gift shop and the 1,000 piece puzzles depicting winter and one of fall in Vermont just had to go home with me.

Next 300 ft. up into the air to see the spectacular fall view from the Battle monument which was breath taking.

Thought it has rained much of the day it was a warm rain.  When we returned back to our cozy cottage I ventured off by myself with my bright yellow umbrella and walked downtown to the local bookstore, where my favorite author Jon Katz had just been the Friday before.

Tomorrow’s agenda calls for a trip to West Brattelboro for an art festival and a visit to Tasha Tudor Museum, who wrote and illustrated close to 100 children’s books.

A Dog Named Boo: How One Dog and One Woman Rescued Each Other — and the Lives They Transformed Along the Way

Posted by Barbara Techel

I am honored to have been asked to review a copy of Professional Dog Trainer, Lisa J. Edwards new book, A Dog Named a Boo, and to be asked to be a part of her blog tour. There are so many things similar in our stories that I just couldn’t resist. I’m so glad for the opportunity because reading Lisa’s book brought me laughter, understanding, and yet a deeper compassion for what animals can do for our lives.  While Lisa thought for sure she was rescuing Boo, as it usually turns out, Boo was the right dog for her at the right  time in her life. It’s a love story on so many levels.

I had the opportunity to interview Lisa by phone as part of her blog tour. I share her interview with you now.

Did you always want to be a certified, full-time dog trainer?  What sparked your interest?

Lisa:  I actually wanted to be a writer, but I gave up that idea.  Dog training was not really on my radar, but my dog Dante who was a therapy dog prompted me to give dog training a try.  My heart wanted to be with dogs so I decided to give professional dog training a try and become a trainer.

What makes a good therapy dog—can every dog be one?

Lisa:  I put this on a scale system.  Some are born to do it, while others need massaging to be a good therapy dog.  Aptitude for work is important and the dog has to want to do this work- it is not something that can be forced.  You have to think about such things as, does your dog enjoy being pet and being pet alot.  They also require skills such as sit, stay, down, etc.  Boo had a harder time with some of the skills.

On a side note:  Without giving away the story in the book, you will come to find out that Boo may not have been able to do all the required skills, but with a bit of tweaking and adjusting, what he lacked, he made up in other big ways.

Do therapy dogs need special training and why?

Lisa:  Yes, they need special training.  Some will work out and some won’t.  I compare it to the helmet analogy- training dogs under owner’s verbal control is important so they are able to control their dog in many different situations.  It’s for the safety of everyone.  Training the handler is also important so they know what their dog can and can’t do.  Also important to be able to read the dogs body stress signals, so to know when they’ve had enough when out visiting as a therapy dog.  You want to know simple solutions of how to get your dog out of a stressful situation.  Also, dogs are not designed to work five days a week, so it’s important that as a person who wants to have your dog as a therapy dog that you recognize this.

What’s the feeling your experience while watching Boo help others?

Lisa:  It’s a bouquet of feelings.  Boo tries hard to do all the right things. He enjoys others so much.  Now that he is almost blind I have a whole new joy, contentment and pride in watching him do his work.

I like that, a “bouquet of feelings.” I can understand that having done therapy dog with my dog, Frankie.  How do you train dogs to handle different situations such as nursing homes, hospice, etc.?

Lisa:  We teach dogs “go everywhere” skills.  They are taught to walk against the wall, wait at doors and wait to the side of elevators, just to name a few.  While I am not a hospice professional, what is important in hospice work is that the trainer is given the tools to be aware of their dogs signals.  Dealing with end of life situations can be very stressful on a dog.  It’s important to understand when they’ve had enough.  It’s also important to do a post visit exhuberant activity with your pet since they will be dealing with death.

Boo has helped so many people as a therapy dog. Did you ever imagine Boo would have such an impact on your life?

Lisa:  No.  In hindsight and looking back and the progression Boo has made has made him in a sense a miracle worker- he moves people to places they never thought they would or could go. One lesson he has taught me is acceptance—that we all get where we are going at our own pace.  And we get there when it is right for us.  I had big plans for Boo and we were struggling to meet those goals I had planned. My vet helped me see what Boo could do and what he couldn’t. I then focused on what he could do and worked from there.

This is a question I have which intrigues me.  In your book you talk about how some dogs don’t forgive.  Can you elaborate on that?

Lisa:  At a shelter where I do consulting there are two dogs there I point to in regards of this situation.  A Cocker and AussieX were both hung for corrections. The cocker was stomped at, growled at, and generally tormented. He trusts no one and will bit at the slightest “provocation.” The AussieX in addition to being hung, was the first (and I hope only) dog in all the years I have been teaching dog training classes, where I had to stop the class and ask his handlers to stop hitting him. He has a long and varied bite record and while there are a couple of us now- it used to be just me- that he trusts, he does not yet trust completely and this has been two years.  They will likely spend the rest of their lives in the shelter because of their early mistreatment and their inability to trust.

What advice do you have for others in forming the best possible relationship with their pet?

Lisa:  Patience. No matter what the issue or challenge, patience is so important.  Also don’t push your pet to places he/she may not be able to go or do.  When you have patience this will lead you to where your pet is most comfortable.  When frustrated or angry, take a moment to really think about what your pet is trying to tell you.

Thank you again, Lisa for allowing me the honor to review your book, A Dog Named Boo and to interview you for your blog tour.  I hope all my readers will run right out and buy your book.  And I also hope it encourages others to consider do therapy dog work with their dogs.

Lisa J. Edwards is a full-time professional dog trainer and behavioral consultant. She has been a registered Delta Society Pet Partner with three of her dogs and has made more than 400 visits with her pets to hospitals, schools, nursing homes and residential care facilities. In 2008 Boo was honored as one of five finalists for the Delta Society’s national Beyond Limits Award for his therapy work with Lisa. Visit Lisa and her family of dogs at Three Dogs Training.

Our Visit to Eddie’s Wheels– Doggie Wheelchair Headquarters

Posted by Barbara Techel

Our visit to Eddie’s Wheels yesterday was most enjoyable!  Willa and Webster, the darling mascots welcomed attention from John as I talked with Leslie.  Both are chihuahua- dachshund mix siblings born without front legs.  As you can see, Willa gets around in a front wheel drive wheelchair. Now that was something to see!  In fact, as John bent down to pet Webster, Willa was over by Leslie and I.  She then proceeded to back up all the way over to John, right in between John’s legs and she couldn’t get close enough.  She is quite the snuggle bug.  To see her in action whizzing around in her wheelchair brought me so much joy!  And then my eyes filled with tears as Leslie placed Willa in my arms.  I’ve so missed cuddling with Frankie, so to hold Willa made me feel complete once again, if only for a few brief moments.  Willa was then ready for her wheels again and Leslie said, “Just put her down and she will hop into her chair.” Sure enough!  She hopped on over, placed her front in the saddle and Leslie buckled her in and away she went again.  Everyone needs to witness first hand a dog in a wheelchair!  It is truly one of the most beautiful and inspiring things.

Leslie, me and Willa.  I could have held her forever…. and even smuggle her home… but I have a feeling Leslie would have noticed.  🙂

So now for a tour of Eddie’s Wheels in pictures below.  Before I do, I just want to say a big thank you to Leslie, Carole (massage therapist and sales/marketing) and Eddie for the wonderful welcome and tour of their heart and passion.  They truly take pride in what they do and it showed.  I also got to witness Leslie in action as she was working on fitting a wheelchair for two senior dachshunds.  I will never forget the day Frankie learned to walk in her wheelchair and I imagine for Leslie this never gets old seeing dogs come to life after not being able to walk, and now rolling in their wheelchairs.  They are by no means getting rich from helping these special dogs, but they do it because they want to make a difference… they want to help the animals…. and making a difference they are.  In a world that wants cheap and fast, that is not always the answer.  And while I’ve always believed in Eddie’s Wheels and providing custom wheels for our beloved pets, that belief has only been made stronger after touring their facility.

These two gals are the sewing department.

The main floor of production.  No fast piece work here as every wheelchair is custom made.

Recycled wheelchair from people who have donated their pets wheelchair back.  They are sometimes used to temporarily give freedom to dogs whose wheelchairs are in the process of being made.

Large dogs recovering from surgeries can be quite the challenge so Eddie invented this quad wheelchair to help therapy facilities.  Vet tech’s or therapists often times will use slings to carry recovering dogs which can be quite challenging as you can imagine.  T his chair helps make things much easier.

Another wonderful invention of Eddie’s is this device to aid in helping dogs walk on their own again.  We often times hear of using hydrotherapy in helping dogs with IVDD, etc.  But some dogs don’t like water, so what to do?  Well this is a great alternative.  Eddie’s Wheels has partnered with the maker of the treadmill to have this option available for therapy facilities.

The memorial garden where many beloved pets of Eddie’s Wheels have been laid to rest.

Sweet pea a pit bull mascot of Eddie’s wheels.  RIP.

Daisy, dachshund Eddie’s Wheels mascot.  RIP.

After our tour, Leslie took us to lunch in Shelburne Falls and a tour of their quaint village.  This view of the falls was stunning!!