Drew is team 2175 in the READ Program - Finally!

Our sweet, LAZY boy Drew is finally a Reading Education Assistance Dog. His tag came in the mail on Friday. We are still working at getting into the local library 2 miles from our house for their special reading program.

We have one more shadow visit left where Drew will be the listener and then he'll be able to go out on his own to find children challenged with reading aloud to classmates. I sat in on the first shadow visit where I just observed. It's very uplifting to see the children read while keeping a hand on the dog for reassurance. After the session, the trainer relayed to me that one of the readers (who is 10 and reads at a 1st grade level) had improved tremendously. He couldn't sit for even 2 minutes in the first session, but was now sitting and reading for 15 minutes, and hoping to get more time to read a little longer!

Drew is a knucklehead at times - forever foraging to eat something that might kill him. He is just like a little child, always pushing the boundaries and needing reminding of what the rules are. I think that trait will make him a great reading partner. He's not perfect; their reading skills won't be perfect, so there will be an instant bond between child and dog!

Go Drew Go

Jon and I have been a little worried about our Drew lately. He's developed 'the limp'. We visited the vet on Tuesday (Drew's 2nd Gotcha Day) for a check up and some X-rays. Dr. Lugar wasn't able to get a shot of his hips since initially he was only lame in his right front leg/shoulder. So from what she was able to shoot, he is developing arthritis in his right front shoulder. His rear knee and lower leg looked fine. She suggested Adequan for his arthritis since it is in the early stages.

She also indicated his thyroid was a little low, but wanted to retest to be sure since he isn't displaying any of the typical symptoms.

As you can see from this video, he doesn't appear to be lame. Problem is that he 'loses his head' when it comes to playtime, and even if he is hurt, he forgets! This was 2 weeks ago when we returned from the inaugural National Lure Coursing Club meet in Cartersville. We'd hoped to let him chase the lure once since he loves to run and chase, but it appears this isn't in Drew's future. We'll stick to the READing Paws therapy goal for now.

Dog Days of Summer

Oh When Oh When is our summer coming again? Rumor has it that General Beauregard Lee, PhD, Georgia's very own special groundhog, is forecasting an early spring! Sounds like he's about the only February 2nd Weather Prognosticator that is! Drew says that suits him just fine. He and Handy are ready to do a little running in the back yard. Drew our Keep Away Monster and Handy our Prissy Princess spending a little quality time in the backyard last Labor Day weekend...