Meet Zachary's best-friend Twinkie!! (He asked me a couple of days ago if Twinkie could be his best friend which was so sweet!) Twinkie is a full-bred Golden Retriever; her mom Melody and dad Romeo are part of 4 Paws' breeding program. Twinkie is part of the Snack Cake Litter born on June 3, 2011. Isn't she the prettiest little thing??!! :) Several of her brothers and sisters are part of our class as well. It's always fun to see pups from the same litter being trained and placed for service with other extraordinary kids!
Zachary has been very bouncy and a little emotional today. He's trying really hard to keep his body and mind "organized" today, but he's got a lot to process and hasn't been all that successful at times. It's been trying for us at times today. He's still concerned that Elfie won't be here when we get back because she has to go live with God in Heaven since he's getting another new dog. When he lost Aubrey last January, we told him that Elfie was his "new dog" because Aubrey had to go live with God in Heaven. The most difficult part for me about hearing Zachary ask me this type of question is that he does not know that Elfie has the same kidney disease as Aubrey and will indeed go to Heaven and live with God sooner than later. Such big worries for such a little person....my poor little guy. The beauty of it all, though, is that the ups and downs that Zachary has experienced throughout the day today are the very reason he needs a best-friend like Twinkie.
On the flip-side of his sadness and anxiety, he's super-excited to meet Twinkie and wanted to leave for Ohio 10 minutes ago...you sort of live in the here and now when you have ADHD. LOL We're excited to meet Twinkie, too, as we've already seen the positive impact a service dog has had on Zachary's day to day life. He's already in love with her and talks about the things they'll do and the places they'll go together. For as many challenges as Zachary may face, he has a keen sense of self-awareness and knows in his heart that Twinkie WILL be his best-friend and help him out on days like today. What more could we ask for, right??
