Chief's First Day at Work

When Chief woke this morning, I don't think he had any idea of the fun that was just around the corner. He wandered outside to do his "business", ate his breakfast, and was just settling in to a good "chewie" when I grabbed his leash. Ears perked and attention fully on me, he followed me to the car and jumped into the backseat. Soon, we were on our way to our first adventure.

Our first stop, KidzTherapeze. We arrived about 15 minutes prior to my first patient, just enough time for Chief to gather his bearings, meet the staff, and discover the new stuffed toys waiting for him. Although I had intended to wait a few days to introduce Chief to kids, my planned had a few holes in it. My boss, who was to dog sit while I was in session, hadn't shown up yet, so I had to take Chief into the treatment room with me. Much to my excitement (and yes, surprise), both Chief and the child became instant good friends. Michael (seen here) usually has difficulty with direction following and attention to task, but he was able to maintain focus on the task with the dog for 15 min without redirection--a HUGE accomplishment for Michael. It was a very cute session. Chief looked on as Michael sat on the floor and practiced his mazes and scissor skills. There was mutual interest and respect from both of the "boys". It was a very nice start to his day.

After Michael, we also visited with another young boy who has not been officially diagnosed with Autism, but meets much of the criteria. Together, we sat on the floor with Chief, and I went through Misha's routine of brushing his body with the Wilbarger technique, followed by joint compressions. Misha then proceeded to attempt to brush Chief in much the same manner as I had just done him. I have a song that I sing when I brush Misha ("brush, brush, brush your leg...brush it up and down...brush it here...brush it there, brush it all around"--to Row Row Row Your Boat). Usually, Misha tries to sing the song but his words are intelligible. Today, after I was done brushing him, he took the brush from my hand and began to brush Chief, singing (and I kid you not) "brush brush brush the dog, brush it up and down". It was VERY cute!!

After we were done treating kids, Chief and I did a few training sessions. We practiced retrieving/dropping toys on cue, scooting, and spins. Chief is a quick learner and is showing very quick ability to retain learning from previous sessions. It's very exciting to work with a dog who is a quick learner and will move (yes, I found a way to get past the automatic sit!!)

Next post will talk about Chief at the nursing home.

Tammy