Make You Feel My "Love"

"Love" is the word of the day.  It should really be the word of the day EVERY day, don't ya think?   Our world would certainly be a happier place.  Amour (French), Liefde (Dutch), Dragoste (Romanian), Amore (Italian), Liebe (German), Amor (Spanish), Karlek (Swedish).  It's just one little word, but no matter how you say it, love is still love.  There's no feeling quite as powerful as love.  There aren't any material things that I can think of that can truly equate to love because love is something that you feel in the depths of your heart; it's not something you can buy.  I tell my husband and children every single day that I love them because I truly do.  I've never experienced anything quite like the feelings of love I have for them.   I tell Zachary and Allison that love is something you feel inside that makes your heart happy and puts a smile on your face.  Simple but true in their little world of innocence.   

Me and my two little loves!  

When I watch Zachary interact with Twinkie, I'm seeing nothing short of LOVE evolving in the purest sense of the word.   Twinkie makes Zachary's heart happy and puts a smile on his face.  Simple but true.  He loves her, and she loves him...unconditionally.  Zachary looks for her, and Twinkie looks for him.  When Twinkie can't find him, she paces and isn't relieved until we show her where he is.  It doesn't matter if he's upstairs playing in his room or in the living room reading; she just needs to know where he is.  She loves him. The other night, Zachary fell asleep on the living room couch and was buried under his blanket.  There's a surprise, huh??!!  :) Twinkie began walking around the house and pacing.  When I brought her over to where Zachary was asleep, she jumped on the couch, nuzzled him then laid right on top of him.  Thankfully, Zach sleeps like death!  Although I kept saying "off", Twinkie would not leave her boy until I came back with a piece of Pupperoni.  Even then, she left him to sleep on the couch but did so reluctantly.  If we're out and Zachary starts to move away from where Twinkie is, she starts to pull towards him.  When Zachary is outside catching fire flies and Twinkie is inside, she runs from window to window following him around the yard barking and whining the entire time.   She constantly seeks him out with her toys so they can play together.  (It's really funny to hear Zachary tell Twinkie that he can't play because he's busy.)   They love each other like best friends, and it's been absolutely amazing to watch this happen....and so quickly.

A new behavior disruption command that we introduced to Twinkie after we got home last week was "LOVE".   Everyone should experience the happy, calming feelings that love can create, so I thought calling this command "LOVE" was most appropriate when I considered what a special love they have for each other.  When we give Twinkie the "love" command, we want her to lay down and cuddle up next to Zachary so he can either pat her or lay on her/with her.  Just like with any other command, Twinkie is expected to move into this position no matter where Zachary is sitting...the couch, floor, bed, backyard, wherever.  "Love" will be used as a form of behavior disruption when Zachary is struggling with something emotionally.   It will frequently be used, though, when Zachary is already calm and relaxed so he can associate these same feelings  of calm and relaxation with Twinkie .  Trying to explain to Zachary that Twinkie will make him feel better when he's already stressed and trying to process negative emotions is more than he can manage.  Less is more at that moment.  However, if we can give Twinkie the "love" command and she's just there for Zachary without us needing to say anything else, he can lean on her as he needs to both literally and figuratively.  

We started introducing this command with lots of yummy cheddar star treats and guiding Twinkie's body to the position we wanted her to be in each time.  It took a little bit of time and lots of practice for Twinkie to understand exactly what we were asking her to do, but she did it!!  Twinkie is 100% on board with her newly learned command and happily follows through with our request each time.   Zachary is so happy, calm and content to feel the "love"....Twinkie is just as happy, calm and content.  :)  What's really neat is that Twinkie will sometimes lay next to Zachary and show him the "love" without our prompting. 


This morning (Monday) while I was in the kitchen I didn't hear either one of them which likely meant that they were doing something they shouldn't have been.  :)  But, when I peeked around the corner and looked into the living room, this is what I found...

"LOVE"...

and more "LOVE"

Zachary gave Twinkie the "love" command so she'd get on the couch with him.  He calmly and quietly laid on the couch with her for about 15 minutes.  He didn't even ask me to stop taking pictures which he usually does.  

He was in that happy place we call LOVE. 

Make You Feel My Love (Adele)  (click here)  After I took these pictures, this song was playing on my iPad in the background.  This is when "love" makes you cry.    

Karma

So, as of tonight (Wednesday), we have been home now for 4 days.  In all honesty, it seems like 4 weeks!  Having a 12 month old Golden in the house is comparable to having a toddler again.  I haven't had a puppy since, well, NEVER.  Twinkie has settled in nicely....a little too nicely!  LOL  She hasn't stopped moving so neither have I.  She loves to play and seeks Zachary when she wants to play.  Twinkie is just adorable.  She knows it, and we love her for it!   We wouldn't have it any other way.  Zachary still loves her to pieces, and she loves him.  :)  But, good Lord is she exhausting!!  Thankfully her tags jingle when she walks so I sort of know where she is, or at least know she's getting into some type of mischief when I DON'T hear the jingle.  


Twinkie is into everything just as a verrrrrrrryyyyy young dog should be.  Well, at least that's what people are saying to me.  Maybe it's really not true but they feel badly for me.   At any rate, she's taken a strong liking to Legos in particular.  I can't even tell you how many Legos I've fished out of her mouth since Sunday morning.  Today alone she practically ate a small space buggy.  Unfortunately for Zachary's Alien Conquest Space Ship, Twinkie has actually eaten some Lego pieces so the space ship may be a little off kilter.  It's a small price to pay for such a stellar service dog though.   I've become quite adept at prying her mouth open and retrieving whatever it is she's got in her mouth.  Although, I have to say,  it's not an easy task because she'll go from chewing on something to "hiding" it in her mouth.  I have no idea how she does it, but she does.  She's like a prisoner stashing pills in their mouth.  Cute dog.  


Needless to say, Twinkie made herself right at home very quickly; the transition to her new home was smooth and happy.  The transition for Elfie on the other hand....not so much.  KARMA.


Karma is a word that comes from Buddhist and Hindu traditions.  (click here!)

Karma: Totally innocent victims are rare  

If we had to pick a word to describe Elfie's reaction to Twinkie  becoming part of our family, that word would be despondent.  (See above picture).  Our typically happy, bouncy, dancing and SMILING dog was absolutely floored...and still is at times.  Saturday night after we got home and all day Sunday she just stood there with her head hanging down.  Elfie was not smiling, she was not dancing around, and she was NOT happy with me.  And, boy, did she let me know it.  After we came inside from the backyard introduction on Saturday night, she barely looked at me, and, when she did it was in utter disbelief.  She wouldn't even curl up next to me on the couch.  Joe and I discussed this and decided we needed to put Elfie on a 24 hour, supervised watch!  LOL  Elfie was now looking at Twinkie's arrival to NJ through Aubrey's eyes.  KARMA.


"Maybe KARMA wouldn't be so nasty if we stopped calling her a bitch."  -Unknown


Stay tuned, friends!  :)

DAY TWELEVE (Saturday): A bittersweet good-bye.

Today we left Xenia, Ohio and made the 540 minute trip back home to New Jersey.  It's always bittersweet to leave 4 Paws.  After a total of five weeks of training and three dogs since December 2009, this time around was especially bittersweet and emotional for me.  As much as I love the staff at 4 Paws, I do hope, though, that the next time I'm in the area it will be for social reasons only.  :)  We wound up leaving the training center last.  The only people left were the trainers.  We decided to give Twinkie a bath before we left and thought we should wait til most everybody was gone. We didn't want a wet dog running around the room and shaking the water off it's fur.  In retrospect, maybe this was our way of taking our time to say good-bye to the trainers for what will be the last time.  I hugged each and everyone of them like I was saying good-bye to an old friend and managed to hold back the tears until we got into the truck.  And, boy, there sure were a lot of tears for a lot of reasons, I'm sure.  


4 Paws sees the ups and downs of your life.  They see your child when they're a shining star.  They see your child when they have horns coming out of their head.  They see you laugh.  They see you cry.  They see you happy.  They see you frustrated.  They see it ALL because they have to.  There are very few people you allow to look through this window of your life, and it's usually the people you're closest to because you know they won't judge you or your children.  In kind, 4 Paws is one of the few places you'll ever visit where you'll feel this same level of comfort and understanding because no one there would ever judge you either.  Spending two weeks with the staff at 4 Paws is very much like being with the people you're closest to because by time you leave, they very much feel like family.  

4 Paws REASON #1 (Aubrey)

4 Paws has given Zachary so much more than you could ever imagine.  Although he's had to contend with a type of loss that most people would never truly understand when he lost Aubrey and will experience again when he loses Elfie, the gift of love he's been given from each of them is like no other.  Dogs love you unconditionally; it doesn't matter what you do or say.  Dogs bring you feelings of comfort and happiness that a human simply cannot because if you love a dog they'll always love you back no matter what.  Dogs just love you.  Plain and simple.  No ifs, ands or buts.   Aubrey and Elfie have done just that, and I am absolutely, positively sure that Twinkie will do the very same thing.  We've already seen it, and it's been beautiful to witness once again. 

4 Paws REASON #2 (Elfie)

The saying goes that "Everything happens for a reason."  I don't know about that to be perfectly honest with you.  I don't believe there should ever be a reason for people to face adversity, feel pain or experience a loss.  The word "everything" isn't synonymous to "positive experiences only".  Maybe I'm just not spiritual enough and don't have enough faith to actually believe it.  Having said that, the very reason Zachary has felt the unconditional love and companionship of these furry, four-legged miracles is because of the amazing people at 4 Paws.  I guess everything is relative. Plain and simple. 

4 Paws REASON #3  (Twinkie)

Thank you 4 Paws for Ability.  You all will always hold a very special place in our hearts.  No ifs, ands or buts about it!!  

DAY ELEVEN (Friday): Oh, The Places You'll Go!

Oh, The Places You'll Go!

by Dr. Seuss

CONGRATULATIONS, ZACHARY!
TODAY IS YOUR DAY!
YOU'RE OFF TO GREAT PLACES!

YOU'RE OFF AND AWAY!

You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes
You can steer yourself
any direction you choose.

You're on your own.  And you know what you know.

And YOU are the guy who'll decide where to go.

You'll look up and down streets. 

Look 'em over with care.
About some you will say, "I don't choose to go there."
With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet,
you're too smart to go down any not-so-good street.

And you may not find any

you'll want to go down.
In that case, of course,
you'll head straight out of town.

It's opener there
in the wide open air.

Out there things can happen
and frequently do
to people as brainy
and footsy as you.

And when things start to happen,
don't worry. Don't stew.
Just go right along.
You'll start happening too.

...OH, THE PLACES YOU'LL GO!

I LOVE YOU, ZACHARY!!  

Love, Mommy  XOXO