Almost Final Update!

Phew. We finally did it! We raised enough money to bring Oreo home and complete the training here!

A big thank you to everyone who made this possible. All my readers, friends, family, my daughter's school, my son's school, my daughter's gymnastics place... So many people made this possible!

The final post will happen this weekend when Oreo gets here and meets his new best friend, Teo.

I'll snap a few pictures. If you'd like to follow along after that, go ahead and "like" our Facebook page (on the side bar). It will be too hard to keep this blog up-to-date.

Thank you and stay tuned for pictures!!!

Happy Birthday, Teo! (And an Update)

***You can read about Teo here***

We have an update! If you've been following along, you probably heard Lark didn't work out in our family. But we've been matched with another dog!

Oreo (named by Teo) is coming in the fall! Oreo is a black lab and being trained more for Teo's mannerisms and we're hoping for a good fit!

Also...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, TEO!!! Today is Teo's 8th birthday so it's a great time to give to his cause!


We're still about $500 short of our goal so keep buying those books! Link is on the right hand side.

When Things Don't Go As Planned...

My cousin, Amy, and I fell in love with Lark quickly. She's a sweet, smart dog, very beautiful, but unfortunately not the right fit for us.

These things happen, especially with service dogs, and especially with complicated kids like Teo. Lark would make an adult family very happy, but was not suitable for intense and active children, or for service in the general public.

But don't worry, we've been re-matched already and I'll share more details soon. Teo was upset Lark had to go at first, but when he heard about the next dog, and that he would get to name it, he was happy again.

I'll have more information about our next match soon. Sometimes it takes 2 or 3 dogs before we find the right fit, so this is a minor setback, that's all. What we do know from the experience is that Teo's self-esteem and confidence soared in just these last two days. He was calmer and the dog helped distract him from things that would've bothered him before. So we do believe we're on the right track!

Thanks for the continued support! Here's a few pictures of Lark and Teo for you to enjoy.

Lark is Here!!!

My cousin Amy and I flew to Kentucky early early this morning to pick up Teo's dog, Lark. We got to the training center at noon, spoke with the owner for a bit, got some background on the breed and Lark's history, then he left to get the dog and her trainer.

She is just the friendliest thing. Came right over to us, let us pat her, gave us kisses.

The trainer taught us how he works with Lark and what she can do. It was pretty impressive. She's a smart dog, very obedient and well-trained. Very focused and happy and wanting to please you. So he let me and Amy work with her a bit while he watched and helped out. Lark was a little confused at first but picked it up fast. She bonded to us right away, especially when we brought out the treats. Lol.

She's a very affectionate dog. She loves to give kisses and cuddles. She was perfect in the car. We took her to a dog park. She didn't seem to know quite what to do. It's obvious she's been trained to work, not really to play and stuff. But she seems happy just walking along, being patted, getting attention. She didn't bark once. We even took her to Walmart and she was very chill.

What's great about Lark is that she's a sturdy, tough dog. My son can pat her roughly and she'll love it. She likes to lie on top of people and huddle in close to them so he'll love the comfort she provides. I think the match is perfect. We just have to work out some specific skills and we'll be all set!

And for the fundraising update...

We're at $6,500!!! So we're almost there! The last little bit will help pay for Lark's specific training here in CT with a qualified trainer and my son.

Thank you so much to everyone who made this dream possible for us. All the donors, fans of Leia Shaw, co-workers of Dave (my husband), my fellow CTRWA people, my daughter's school Oak Grove Montessori, and generous friends and family members! I can't wait to update again about how Teo does with Lark.

April 11th Update!

It's been a while for news from us, but we've been busy with our projects to raise money. We have the book, Superdogs for Super Kids, the t-shirts, and the tote bags.

The t-shirt campaign ends on April 16th - that's next week so get yours now!

The tote campaign ends April 19th - so hurry for that too!

The book will continue to be available, and it's on AMAZON NOW!!!

I'm so pleased to announce we're at $6,000 for fundraising!!!!!

We are so close to our goal, I can practically smell the dog already! Lmao. But really, Lark is coming in just TWO WEEKS!!!

The remainder of the money we need to raise is for her continued training here with us. Thank you to everyone who's helped and shared and bought and donated! You guys rock!

Major shout out to my daughter's school for $315 in bake sale goods <3

Superdogs for Super Kids!

My new children's book, Superdogs for Super Kids, is now available!!!

It's in print on Createspace but will be on Amazon in a couple of weeks as well. Buying it on Createspace is preferable because we get higher royalties.

I think you'll love this book -- if you have kids or a kid to gift it to, you can buy it here.

 Dogs have a special place in kid's hearts. They make us laugh, give us comfort, and some even provide therapeutic services. Learn more about how dogs impact special people's lives in this beautiful photo book the whole family will love.

***All proceeds of this book go to help a little boy with brain damage buy and train a therapeutic service dog***

Update, April 1st

***Read Teo's story here***

I have a few bits of good news to share.

1. Teo is out of the hospital and doing well! We saw the Lego movie over the weekend, which he loved. He's been obsessed with Lark's pictures and using them as a distraction when he's upset. He also bought her a dog bed for his room. I'm excited that he's excited. He talks about how Lark will help him calm down, and that he can't wait to walk her around the block. He mentioned tying her to his bike but we talked through why that wasn't such a great idea. Lol.

2. We're getting closer to our fundraising goal. We've stalled a little bit but I'm hoping the book sales move us ahead again. We still need 40 more shirts to reach our goal, and 6 more totes. If you haven't bought either yet, the buy links are on the right column. I'm also in the process of trying to do an event at the local bookstore, educating about therapy dogs and selling books. We're also toying around with the idea of a dog wash to raise money. We have to wait till it gets a little warmer though so hurry up spring!

3. We have a date set to pick up Lark! May 1st, I'll be flying out to KY to train a little with her then bring her home. Fingers crossed this goes well!

I'll update again soon when the books are ready for purchase! Until then, be well, and thanks for all the support!