Ross' Discharge Party

5/15/09

When the kids at work finish their treatment and move on, we hold a discharge party for them, to celebrate the hard work they have done, their accomplishments and growth, and their future. When it came time for Ross to complete his puppy training and duties as a "therapy" dog, as he prepared to enter the next phase in his life - formal guide work training - I thought, what better way to help the kids understand his departure than to have a discharge party for him?

In true discharge party fashion, I ordered a cake from our kitchen, and invited everyone from Ross' "treatment team" to attend. Literally, I invited the entire campus - kids and adults alike. 

At the end of Ross' last day at work, we gathered in the cafeteria to celebrate his transition to "puppy college." The kids who knew Ross well excitedly educated the newer kids about Ross' work as a guide dog, and his upcoming adventures at "puppy college." Ross laid on the floor as kids huddled around him, petting, hugging, and kissing him. A little boy who tends to be loud and aggressive quietly apologized for almost accidently stepping on Ross' tail. As the party ended, one of his long time fans pouted because Ross had not given her any kisses. As she sat down to say one last good-bye to him, he gently put his paws on her lap, stood up, and smothered her face in kisses.

As I loaded Ross into the car that night, tears came to my eyes as the finality of it all hit me. In one year, Ross incredibly changed the lives of many children, brightened the days of stressed staff, and singlehandedly changed the culture of a large mental health agency - all with his big brown eyes and sloppy tongue. Residential treatment will never be the same.

In Good Times and In Bad

Tonight I had the crisis pager, and, as usual, decided to take my trusty side kick with me. As I entered the building, Ross sat down with the first girl I checked in with. He then laid down, gazing at her as she gently stroked him. He was the ultimate of calm, allowing the girl to remain calm while she talked to me. We then walked through the state hospital unit, on the way to check-in with another child outside. As we entered the unit, the generally quiet, highly anxious, and sometimes aggressive, girl was so happy to see Ross. She chatted with me excitedly as she petted him. She noticed that he balked when she approached his face directly, and worried that she had scared him. She listened attentively as I explained how he doesn't like people approaching the front or top of his head directly, then she started petting his back, gradually approaching his face from the side.

As we walked outside, we were greeted individually by a group of kids playing ball. Ross remained focused, only interacting when the children approached him, and completely ignoring the ball. We headed to the lower part of the yard, where the boy I was going to check-in with was calming. We had never met this boy before. He watched with curiosity as a woman and a dog approached him. As I introduced us, the boy instantly took interest, placing his hand through the fence for Ross to lick. He asked me questions about Ross, and I asked him questions about his unsafe behavior. He didn't seem worried about having to talk to a stranger about his negative behavior, it just came out as he interacted with Ross.

While in the yard, a little boy came to visit Ross. He was so excited to see Ross, exclaiming his name, wrapping him in hugs, and stroking his coat as Ross covered his face in kisses. 

We then went back inside to check-in with more kids. As we walked back through the state hospital unit, Ross was greeted by more of his fans. Initially, just a child or two came to see him. They sat on the floor with him, giggling as he licked the food spills off their clothes and hands and covered their faces with kisses. As the other children realized Ross was there, they too joined us, and soon more children came in from outside, excited to find Ross inside. Before I knew it, a group of approximately 10 children, the most mentally ill children in the state, were sitting in a circle on the floor, side by side, loving Ross, who laid in the middle and loved them back. The girl who suffers from extreme psychosis spoke to him in a comprehensible manner. The other children reminded her to pet him nicely when she began to pull on his collar and poke his ears. They spoke to her in a calm and supportive manner, showing her how to pet him. Children who don't get along sat next to each other, closer than they would otherwise be allowed, due to their aggressive tendencies. They shared, they laughed together, and they helped each other out. It was a moment that I will never forget: the epitome of the difference Ross has made with these children - children who are there because humans have not been able to help them enough in the past.

As we walked onto the little kids' unit, we were greeted by a young boy who was flipping furniture. This boy suffers from Tourette's - he has frequent facial tics and swears uncontrollably. When we had entered the building earlier, I could hear his explicit ranting from the hallway. But, as soon as he saw us, he dropped the large chair he was flipping, and came over to greet Ross. I asked him if he wanted to visit with Ross, and suggested we move to another space. He wanted to show us how he could flip the chairs, but I let him know that he could only visit with Ross if he was being safe, and flipping chairs wasn't safe for Ross. The boy calmly suggested we move to another area away from the chairs. He then sat down on the floor with Ross, and stroked him gently. He was calm and polite, followed directions, and only swore once. 

Ross then took turns visiting with the other young children on the unit. One of the girls had his stunt double in her room, and brought it out to visit with him. Ross was SO excited to see his friend! He licked his nose, nuzzled his ears, and nudged him gently, encouraging him to play. He hadn't forgotten his life-sized stuffed friend!

Ross and I then went back outside to check on a child in a restraint. As we entered the yard, staff saw Ross and released the boy. He instantly walked away from the staff he had been targeting with aggression, and approached Ross. I reminded him that he needed to be calm and safe to visit with Ross. The boy instantly agreed to be safe, and sat down on the patio to prove it. He visited with Ross briefly, then became agitated again about staff and acted as if he didn't care about Ross. As soon as Ross and I left, he began hitting staff again.

As we were getting ready to leave, the young boy in the yard was out in the hallway, blocking the door and seconds from being restrained due to his aggressive behavior. He had also been asking for Ross. As I approached the door, I peeked through the window and reminded staff that I needed him to be safe for Ross to come visit. The boy instantly started to calm, moved away from the door, and followed staff directions. Ross sat in front of him and instantly smothered his face with kisses. The boy laughed and rolled around, encouraging Ross to lick him more. Ross began licking his head, and the boy laughed about his saliva being hair gel. Soon, all of his worries were gone, and the boy said goodnight to Ross and rejoined the group on the unit.

Ross and I headed back to the office, where he ate dinner and sacked out for his evening nap, a hard year's work done.

Work: A Vacation from Vacation

In mid-April, we took Ross on vacation with us, touring National Parks. He joined us on many hikes, some of which are quite strenuous. Ross was a great traveler and demonstrated footwork demonstrative of a confident guide! But, he thought vacation was way too much work, and he needed to go back to his lazy days at work to get a vacation from his vacation!
  

Upon returning to work, Ross got right back into the swing of things, not missing a beat transitioning back to "therapy dog." Over the past few weeks, Ross has spent his days visiting children on the units, where he gets smothered in hugs while he smothers the kids in kisses, as well as taking "office calls." Since I'm not always available to take him to the kids, the kids have started coming to him. They (usually) politely ask to visit with him, then sit on the floor and laugh as they stroke him and he prances around them, his ears back and his body wiggling, or sitting on them, attempting to be a 65 lb lap dog. Of course, big sloppy kisses are a regular bonus.

Soulful Eyes

Words of Wisdom

4/7/09

As Ross and I headed out towards the parking lot, leaving work for our Guide Dog meeting, we were bombarded by a group of children on bicycles. As soon as the kids saw Ross, they began to shout his name excitedly and pedal quickly towards us. The kids jumped off their bikes to pet and hug Ross as we briefly stopped. One child asked about when Ross will go to formal training, and she was relieved to hear that it was over a month away. They were excited about the thought of a new young puppy, though caveated by the girl's words of wisdom: "No puppy will be just like Ross."

Back to Work!

3/31/09

As we crossed the parking lot and headed up the main path towards my office, Ross and I heard the screams of a child. As we approached, we saw a child standing on the path with a staff member, screaming at the staff. Ross' ears perked and he made a bee-line for the child. 

When we approached the girl, I asked, "What's going on? Ross heard you and he's worried about you." Ross stood, gently sniffing the child. As she reached down to pet Ross, she instantly began to calm, stopped screaming, and quietly answered my questions. Ross continued at attention, and the girl continued to calmly pet him. Within minutes, she was able to identify her concern, identify other's concerns about her behavior, and problem solve the next steps to turn her morning around and make amends. The girl then calmly returned to school with the staff member she had been screaming at just minutes earlier.

Running late for our meeting, I decided to take Ross directly with me, instead of dropping him off at my office first. As I headed into the residential building, I was greeted by the girl who rarely speaks. She immediately leaned down and began to pet Ross. She then attempted to pick him up and clumsily dropped him in her lap as she sat down. Ross remained unfazed and curled up next to her, resting his head in her lap. She sat quietly, gently stroking his head and, at one point, leaning over and nearly falling asleep as she cuddled with him.

That day, I secured a new job at the agency, and Ross has been able to continue his work uninterrupted, the kids unaware of the previous possibility that Ross may not have been there to help them with their mornings.

When the Going Gets Tough

Today I received notice that my, and many of my colleagues', positions were cut. Hard economic times require employee restructuring. 

As I sat in my office, worried of what the future may hold, Ross approached me with big eyes. He sat back on his haunches and gently placed his front paws on my lap. He looked at me with a knowing, caring, gaze that required no words. As I gazed back at him, telling him I knew, he climbed up into my lap, laid his upper body against mine, and gently licked my face.

When a colleague of mine, in the same situation, arrived, and sat down on the floor with Ross, Ross climbed into his lap, standing on his legs and leaning his body against my friend's chest, wiggling and refusing to move. As my friend chuckled at Ross' antics, Ross slumped into his lap, curling up and cuddling on my friend's legs, refusing to move. As my friend attempted to wiggle out from underneath Ross, Ross remained in his position, remaining loyal and present.

Just What You Need

3/23/09

I continue to be amazed by Ross' change in demeanor for each child he interacts with.

One very quiet, but aggressive, girl has visits with Ross on her list of coping skills to utilize when she feels herself start to become upset. When she senses it, or staff notice it, they call or page me to see if I am available to bring Ross for a visit. Ross is much more sedate with this girl than with any other child. She startles easily and reacts severely, and he must sense her need for calmness. He simply sits with her. Sometimes he will give her a kiss, but it is rare. Mostly, he just sits.

On Monday, he sat with her while we chatted. For the most part, he sat next to her, or laid on the floor nearby as we talked about his eat tattoos, lack of armpit hair, dew claws, and foot pads. She found it all very interesting, though Ross was not impressed, as he's heard it all before. At one point, Ross scooted onto her lap, sitting like a person in a chair on her kneeling legs. After a while, he slumped to the floor, and eventually laid next to her, snoring as he rested his head on her leg. 

When one of the boys came to say "hi" to him, he rolled over on his back, and licked the boy wildly - instantly changing his demeanor when the boy arrived. The boy laughed and Ross continued licking him playfully. 

When the boy left, Ross returned to his post next to the girl. Sitting, calmly, one single small kiss offered as a goodbye.

On Tuesday, we went to visit the girl again. This time, a number of other clients wanted to visit with Ross as well. Again, Ross sat quietly next to the girl, his tongue securely in his mouth. A new girl timidly approached, having never met Ross before. Ross sniffed her and sat, gazing at her calmly, offering himself if she chose. 

When the boys arrived, he rolled on his back, lavishing the belly rubs and covering their faces in kisses. When they left, he returned to the first girl, sitting quietly.

As we left the kids for the evening, Ross walked calmly past the group, in true Guide Dog fashion, ignoring every distraction present. As we neared the door, the girl who rarely speaks ran up and began stroking Ross' coat heavily. Ross is a sensitive dog, and doesn't like people approaching his head. But, when I expected him to duck and avoid her prey-like hand motions, he stood calmly, holding his head high for her. He remained motionless as she tried to pick him up and continued to pet him forcefully. When asked what she thinks of Ross, she replied, "Cute!"

Update: Project Replicate Ross

With the help of many kind and generous people, I now have a very sufficient collection of Ross replicas, of various sizes, to distribute to the kids. The distribution process has already started, with stuffed Rosses being given to kids as discharge gifts, coping skills, rewards, and napping partners. With the great variety of Rosses, staff and therapists have picked out just the right dog for each child.

Thank you everyone for your support! Every stuffed dog is making a difference in the life of a child in need of a smile :)

Ross Likes Me

When responding to a page today, I checked in with a very forlorn boy. He was calm by the time I arrived, but appeared heartbreakingly sad. The boy told me about how he thinks no one likes him, and he feels lonely. He stated that he runs, hits, and kicks when he feels lonely. As we talked about his feelings and what he can do when he feels lonely, I asked him, "Who does like you?" His first response: Ross. He was able to identify why Ross likes him: he pets him, gives him kisses, and speaks nicely to him. And, he stated that I like him because he treats Ross well :) When it seemed that the whole world hates him, he knew there was at least one exception: Ross. And he was right, without a doubt. Ross licks and kisses him, cleaning him from head to toe and making him smile and laugh.

He reported that he uses his Ross replica to help him feel better at home, and that talking to Ross makes him feel better, but Ross can't talk back. His idea: write notes to Ross when he's feeling down, and have Ross write back (with my help, of course), and sign the note with his paw stamped in ink :)