Rudi is a Graduate!

 Rudi passed her test with flying colors! A little distracted by my mom, but she did it! So proud of her. Our presentation  is May 18th, 2011 and I can't wait!

Graduation Day

Graduation day is here! More videos to come after rudi graduates.

UMD it is!

It's Official. I decided Saturday night at four in the morning that I will be attending The University of Maryland. I'm a terp! If I tell the way I made my decision no one would believe me, but here it goes. I was at a work party Saturday night and two of my coworkers are from Ohio and I absolutely love them. They are the nicest kids and they were talking about Ohio and all the sudden I just thought, "What the heck is in Ohio?(Sorry Coach Love) I'm going to UMD" and that was it. I announced my decision this morning at Sunday family breakfast. I am so relieved and excited I can't wait. Rudi graduates in two days and I've made my college decision and I couldn't be happier. Rudi is very happy for me as well!

Decisions!

I am probably the most stressed i've been in a while and Coach Love can attest to this. I am completely torn with college decisions. I truly can't make one. I have made pro and con lists, researched, talked to current students and alumni of both schools and I can't decide between UMD and MiamiO. I truly don't sleep at night it's ridiculous. I gave myself till this weekend to make a decision since I only have about two weeks till the official deadline. As Rudi goes, we've been practicing all week for her graduation. I don't even need to use treats with her anymore it is amazing. I am overly satisfied with the training at PetSmart, I'd recommend it to everyone. My mom is going to come to Rudi's graduation next week which I'm happy about. I hope she doesn't distract Rudi because she is obsessed with my mom. Decisions and Graduation to come.

One more to go

Rudi's fifth training class was a great success. It wasn't too long, but we basically went over everything we've learned over the past six weeks. Rudi only gets treats half the time she does something correct and she still did the command every time with or without the reward. My instructor informed me about a tricks class that PetSmart offers that I think would be great for Rudi in the future. She is definitely slacking on her tricks and I think this summer when Rudi gets in the swing of things with her visits we should take that class. Rudi is ready to graduate, only one more week and she'll be finished!=)

Graduation around the corner (for Rudi of course)

University of Maryland was the absolute best weekend. I fell in love with the school! I met the nicest kids who go there and will be going there next year and I just had the best time. My mom and I were so impressed with the facilities and the Business School. Everything was just perfect. I still have not made up my mind about which school I will attend next fall though. I have a lot to think about with my parents so we'll see. Rudi and I have been training ever since I got home for her fifth class. She is so ready to graduate; I am so proud. I'm not too sure what we will be going over in class tomorrow, but I'm sure it won't be too much since graduation is next week.

UMD here I come

Tomorrow I am leaving for Maryland for four days. I am beyond excited. My mom is coming with me because we have to go to an admitted students day on Friday. I am staying with my friend Casey Rosen who is a freshman at UMD and my mom is staying with our family friends who live about thirty minutes away. This trip is truly the deciding factor between my two top choices, Miami of Ohio or University of Maryland. I again am not going to be able to practice with Rudi and either will my mom this weekend, but I have faith she'll remember everything we learned this past week. The thing I really want to work on with her is the paw trick. If I got to visit children's hospitals with her kids would love that. When I get back we only have one more class then graduation! It's crazy. My little Rudi will be all done training, I can't wait.

2/3 the way there

We just got back from Rudi's fourth training class. She did awesome. The trainer brought her own dog Murphy to class and he was so cute. He is such a well trained dog it's unbelievable. I hope one day Rudi can be as well behaved. Rudi learned how to properly greet dogs. Her and the other trainee didn't greet each other too nicely, but when Rudi did it with Murphy she did great. The other dog in the class is a puppy and very rambunctious so that is probably why. We have totally gotten rid of the clicker now so that is an accomplishment for sure.

Home Stretch

So I'm finally back from my UF weekend and I have mixed feelings. I have to say I didn't love it. It wasn't anything special for me. We went out two nights, I stayed in Ashley's sorority house, and I even sat in on one of her classes, but I couldn't see myself there. It may have been the person I stayed with or just that weekend, but I for sure now know that UF is not the school for me. My dad has been trying to bribe me with a new car and money in the bank when I graduate, but it's just not there. I am going to visit University of Maryland this weekend (I know I'm always gone) which I am extremely excited about. Tomorrow is Rudi's fourth training class so I am reviewing everything with her tonight. She is a little rusty because we didn't have class last week but she picks it back up fast. I feel a little empty not having to do noodletools anymore, but it is nice to have one less thing to do!

UF!

Tomorrow I am leaving for UF for four days. I am staying with my friend Ashley Ginsberg who's a sophomore there so it should be interesting. I have grown up hating the Gators so I must admit I am definitely biassed. I also have always wanted to go out of state so thats another reason not to like it, but I am going into it with an open mind and we'll see how it goes. I am obviously not going to be able to train with Rudi this weekend, but I have heard my mom trying to do some of the tricks with her and using the clicker whenever she is going to give  her a treat, so she is definitely in good hands. I will miss her. We have gotten so close since I've started this project it is very nice. I can't wait to get her into hospitals and nursing homes, that is what I'm looking most forward to.

Rudi's New Haircut

This Tuesday was supposed to be Rudi's fourth training class, but it got cancelled. It actually worked out very well because it was one of my busiest days and I was beyond exhausted. This will push Rudi's graduation back one week, but I'm not too worried. It will give Rudi and I more time to practice her skills and build upon them. I've been trying to ween her off the clicker and trying to use less and less treats. She still has time before they are completely gone so she's definitely in good shape. I've been thinking a lot about my final presentation lately and I am a bit nervous about it. I know it will all come together, but I just need to really get started working on it.

Cutie Rudi

Now that my cousins are all gone I wish I could say I could only focus on school, but midterms are this week and I am going to visit UF from Thursday to Sunday. My dad insists I visit and stay with a friend before I make any decisions. I am going to try to squeeze in all my blogs before I go, but that will probably not happen. I have been practicing with Rudi a lot lately and she is really getting the hang of it. I show all her skills off to everyone that enters my house. My entire family and most of my friends all know about my project so everyone always asks me how she's doing. It's definitely a working progress.

California Cousins

My two cousins from california came down Thursday to visit for their spring break. One is 23 and the other is 20 and we are all so close. I am so happy they are down, but that just means I probably will not get anything done until late sunday night. School is becoming so hard to keep up with now considering all the distractions of college decisions, visitors, work, and just not enough hours in the day. Work is going great, it's a lot but I like it. Rudi is doing great with her training. I am really proud of her. I am working on finishing my preview tonight so that will be a weight lifted off my shoulders. I want to enjoy my last two months of high school, but I also just want it to be over. Next week is Rudi's fourth training class. She only has two more after that, it' crazy! Another busy week ahead, but at lest it's midterms so it will be a short week. =)

Marathon Tuesday

Tuesdays are going to be my longest and busiest days ever! I have school from 7:30am to 10:45am. Then I go straight to work from 11:00am to 4:00pm. After work I rush home, change, grab Rudi and all of our training gear and drive to Sawgrass for obedient training from 5:00pm to 6:00pm. Once I'm done I rush home again to drop off Rudi and drive to the Weston Library for my Broward College class from 6:30pm to 9:15pm. I am tired just talking about it. It is a crazy day. I survived my first Tuesday and it was exhausting. I am going to just have to get used to it. The frustrating, but good thing in the end was that my Broward College class was cancelled this past Tuesday. I didn't find out till I arrived, but I was definitely relieved in the end. Rudi did great in her third training class. We learned the commands drop it, take it, leave it, and down. Rudi did great in all of them, but she struggled in down. I am really going to have to practice that with her at home.

Jobs and Dogs

This week I will start my first day at Jimmy John's. I just finished training and I am very excited to be working again. I wanted to get a job before summer because trying to get one once summer comes around is impossible. I am working Monday through Friday, 11-4. I've never worked that much in my entire life. I am going to be extremely busy I hope I can handle it. I am working on my WISE preview, but it is coming along slowly. Tuesday I have Rudi's training class again so I am looking forward to that. Rudi is still doing great and progressing with her tricks and newly learned behaviors. I have been showing her off to everyone. Spring break was absolutely amazing and I am so sad it is over. The only good part is that it's the last stretch till graduation. Two more months. I am getting nervous because that means my WISE Presentation is that much closer!

Spring Break!

Spring Break 2011 is finally here and it is going to be amazing. Me and a couple of friends got a hotel on Fort Lauderdale beach and are staying for two nights. I plan on being at the beach everyday. Although it is spring break, I still have to practice with Rudi the tricks we learned in training. I try to do it once a day so she dose not forget. I have to miss our next training class because I will be away, but my instructor said it is no big deal and I can just make up the class the following week. Everyone at PetSmart is so nice and I am really glad i chose them. Rudi is already enjoying her spring break!

Rudi's First Training Class

Rudi's first training class went awesome! She is truly a natural. We learned the commands sit, loading the clicker which is what we are using to train her, and watch me. We use a clicker right before she gets a treat to condition her to know when she hears the click she will be getting a treat. In the class, there is one other family with a puppy so it is nice and intimate. My best friend Sam came with me so I wasn't alone. 

Rudi pre-training

Rudi Starts Training tomorrow so I wanted to document her progress. As of now Rudi is 8 years old and has had no previous training. She is a great dogs and follows commands like stay, no, stop, but that is it. This is Rudi the day before she starts her training class. As you'll see we have a lot of work to do. 

Training, FINALLY

Today right after school I drove straight to PetSmart in Plantation. I walked in and to the left back corner was a huge sign for TRAINING. I picked up a bunch of forms and a calendar and went to the check out line so an employee could explain everything to me. I found out that there was a beginners class starting tomorrow, Tuesday March 8th at 5:00 PM. If i choose this class it will be once a week every Tuesday at five o'clock for the next six weeks. Suzanne Hurley will be the training Instructor. Tuesday's are perfect for me so I filled out all the paperwork and paid, and now Rudi is officially enrolled in a training class. We start tomorrow and I am so excited. I have to bring her vaccination records, a 4' to 6' leather or nylon leah (I think I need to purchase a new one), a buckle collar, and a variety of small bite treats. Let the journey begin!

All Ready To GO!

Rudi was taken to get updated on all her shots today. Her appointment was when I was in school so my mom had to take her. I feel bad Rudi has to go through all these things, but it's all for a good cause. It ended up costing $120, but she needed them anyway. She has to go on March 16th for one more thing, but I can get started with training now. The vet was really excited Rudi was going to become a therapy dog. All there personal dogs are Therapy Dogs and they think Rudi will be great because of her sweet nature. I am going to the Expendables Concert tonight at Culture Room in Fort Lauderdale. It was really last minute that we decided to go, but spontaneous things are the best. Spring break is only in a week and a half I cannot wait. I have to start working on my third quarter exam. We had a team meeting yesterday and Coach Love explained it all. I am definitely going to have fun with it!

Interview Part Two

I had previously blogged about my contact with Dennis Kalodish, a Therapy Dog International Team Evaluator. For my second Interview I chose him. He basically told me the same things he informed me about the other times I've talked to him. He mailed me a lot of information about Therapy Dog Training and I received it in the mail today. It included a pamphlet on rules for testing, directions to the site, and Rudi MUST have a flat buckle collar. It was very nice of him to send me all this great information. The Evauation test is April 9th, 2011. I hope Rudi is ready by then.

Shots =(

My trip to Ohio happened to be the most amazing and unexpected trip. I went up just because my dad wanted me to see the school, but I ended up falling in LOVE with Miami of Ohio. I walked on the campus and just felt it. University of Maryland has always been my top choice, but since I visited Miami everything has changed! While I was in the airport I made a call to Rudi's vet, All Friends Animal Clinic. I needed them to mail be Rudi's vaccination records and all her papers concerning her shots. They said they'd send them right away, so hopefully they arrive soon so I can take them into PetSmart. I also asked if Rudi needed to be updated on any of her shots. She needed about three shots, so I made an appointment for her to get them (poor Rudi). Next week she will get her shots and then she'll be all ready to go!

History

This week is going to be mainly research because I am leaving Thursday morning for Ohio. Since the homework activity is a historic article I decided to research a few to get the most accurate history of this amazing practice. It turns out that animal companionship dates back to prehistoric times. When cave drawings demonstrate people sitting with wolves around a campfire. A 12,000 year old tomb was discovered in Israel with a human skeleton clutching to the remains of a puppy. The relationship with men and animal was truly strong. The first known use of therapy animals was in the 9th century in Gheel, Belgium. These animals were not the main focus of the program, but they were used to help the disabled learn to take care of animals for their daily living. In 1792, therapeutic animals were used in England to help treat insane people. This practice has been around since the beginning and animals are truly natural therapists. They provide a sense of feeling needed, love, they react to ones emotions, and even feel as if they are family. It is amazing what an animal can do for a human!

A Weeks Worth in 2 Days

So this upcoming week is going to be a bit hectic! I am leaving thursday morning for Ohio to visit Ohio State and MIami of Ohio and then over the weekend I will be in Chicago. So since we didn't have school Monday I only will be here Tuesday and Wednesday. This means I will need to do my noodletools, blogs, newsletter activity, and homework activity all by Wednesday. Wow, that is a lot! I also was planning on going into PetSmart tomorrow, but my mom just informed me that Rudi may have to be updated on her shots. If this is true than we definitely have to do that soon because we need to get moving. Also there is this doggy walk in March that is going on in Fort Lauderdale and I think that will be a fun thing to participate in. I keep hearing about it on 99.9 Kiss Country so I will definitely need to look more into it! I hope I can get everything done before I depart to snowy Ohio!

Therapy Dog Soldiers

So this week I found my most interesting and rewarding research yet. Just this month two therapy dogs were sent to Iraq for therapy purposes for our American Soldiers. This is what I did my government article on and I am so amazed by. These dogs were sent for the soldiers that aren't good with expresses their emotions to a therapist and the dogs can just sit and listen. I got chills when I watched the video that followed the article because I couldn't believe how fast this is growing. I am also so excited to be apart of something that truly can help in any area of society. If you go to this link you can watch the video and read the article, it is truly touching!  http://www.king5.com/video/featured-videos/Therapy-dogs-trained-for-duty-in-Iraq-115962394.html#

PetSmart

I finally made my first move towards getting Rudi in a training class. I called PetsMart today and talked to Stephanie, a training specialist. She basically told me that Rudi would need to be put into a beginners class. It is $109 for six weeks. I do have to put money into it, but i definitely believe it is worth it. The classes are guaranteed and I can always go back and refresh for no cost. I will need to show prof that Rudi is caught up on all her shots and rabies papers. If I wanted to do private lessons it would be $79 an hour, but we don't need that. Stephanie also told me that they have a special program for Therapy Dogs and that they put them on a faster track to do the beginner, intermediate, and advanced training in a shorter time. I don't know if I will need all that training, but it's great they provide that. She also mentioned almost all the trainers personal dogs are Therapy Dogs so they could tell me a lot about it. I am going to go in tomorrow to sign Rudi up and get a few more questions answered. I am really excited for this!

Senioritis

Senioritis is kicking in and it's not a good thing. I am getting behind on my blogs and homework/newsletter activities and I really need to step up my game! I found out I was accepted to The University of Florida last Friday, my last and final school I was waiting to hear from. So there's a lot of exciting things going on, but I really need to get a system down where I can keep on track with everything. Tomorrow I will have my mentor meeting; again on a Friday. Last week we had to meet Friday and when I went in on Tuesday(our normal meeting days) we didn't have too much to talk about, so we decided to meet on Friday again this week. Tomorrow I have made a deal with myself and my mentor that I have to find a class to enroll Rudi in. I talked to Holly from PetsMart already, but now I just need to sign her up. I need to get her in a good class that is about five weeks long which will be perfect for her to have an evaluation in mid April! I promise I will be more on top of things from now on, or at least I will try!

Contacts!

I heard back from my first contact this week, Dennis Kalodish, the Davie advisor for Therapy Dogs International. It was a great email. He basically told me all the specifics I needed for Rudi to be ready to get evaluated and certified. "Therapy dogs have to have a very social temperament. They must love to be around children, senior citizens, other dogs and all people in general.They are not skittish around hospital equipment and load noises." These are great things I need to keep in mind for Rudi. He also informed me that the next evaluation was in April and If i wanted I could shadow him. Tomorrow I am going to schedule my obedient school training because Dennis did mention I needed basic training in a group style environment. I have not heard back from the Humane Society contact yet, so hopefully by the upcoming week I will. My mentor meeting on Friday went great. We had to reschedule it to Friday because I couldn't make it Tuesday, but it was no biggie. Hopefully more exciting news tomorrow!

Training

Today has been an extremely successful day. I did research for about two hours and I was able to email two different dog therapy organizations. The first organization I emailed was Therapy Dogs International. Dennis Kalodish is the director in Davie. I emailed him asking how to get started and to explain the process to me. Nancy Rovin referred him to me and she raved about her experience with TDI so I am interested to see what he writes back to me. I researched more and found that the Humane Society has their own Dog Therapy Program as well. I emailed the organization in Davie asking the same type of questions. Ms. Yuman also has a contact for me so I'm happy I have options and I can see which one best fits Rudi and me. While I've been reading over all these organizations, I don't think obedient school is apart of the dog therapy training. If I have to get Rudi trained with a different organization, PetSmart does training. Rudi has never previously been trained so we would need to be in the beginner education class; a six week course. When I hear back from the emails I think I will have a better idea of exactly what I need to do. Lets hope they respond fast!

Ideas! Ideas! Ideas!

Since Rudi is my entire families dog, everyone is super excited about her training. It could definitely become an entire family event in the future. I was visiting my Mentor today and we were talking about how she could possibly get one of her dogs trained as well. It would be so great if we were able to do it together! Even though I know this will not happen, but just incase, if Rudi gets kicked out of therapy dog training I have come up with a few ideas. Since my best friend and neighbor Sam Rovin's dog is trained as a therapy dog, I could definitely take her dog to hospitals to get the full experience that I will be working towards with Rudi. My cousin's two Labs are also trained so I have plenty of options. I have total faith in Rudi, but I am just preparing for the worst and hoping for the best. Yes, I watch a lot of The Weather Channel during hurricane season. I was also thinking of ideas to get community involvement with Therapy Dog International and maybe National Honor Society could get involved with it. Just brainstorming away!

Superdog Sunday

I love doing the research for my project! I definitely picked thd right topic. I could read stories all day about patients who have had dogs visit them and owners of therapy dogs. Every story I read is just amazing. So many people rave about the affects these dogs have on patients, especially the children. I learned from my research that there are so many fields of dog therapy I could go into. There's hospice, hospitals, children's hospitals, nursing homes, home visits, and even schools. It's really exciting to know that I have so many options to choose from and to explore. I just recently got hired as a hostess at El Mariachi so I am a bit concerned it will cut into my time with Rudi. I am definitely going to have to create a schedule so I can fit everything in. Hopefully I will get Rudi enrolled in this class about three times a week. I am going to try to do a video journal for next week so look forward to that! Now back to the super bowl, GO PACKERS!

Interview!!

This week has been a bit crazy! I found out I got accepted to my dream school, University of Maryland!:) Even though I've been super busy with my personal life, I managed to get my interview in and play with Rudi. I took Rudi to the dog park on Wednesday to try to teach her some tricks. She still doesn't know how to sit or roll over, but that is why I am going to enroll her in obedient school because it is required anyway. My interview this week went great! I learned so many important things that I'll need for my project! I was so excited. I think I know where I am going to bring Rudi for Dog Therapy Training so that is a relief as well. I am a bit nervous because Rudi is already eight years old so it is a bit late to try to get her trained. I truly hope it works out because it would mean so much to me! More to come in my next blogs!

Up and Coming

So everything is starting to come a lot now with figuring out due dates and navigating this website. I did some research (even though I know we don't have to start till next week) because I am so excited about my topic. I set up an interview with my neighbor Nancy for next week which I am looking very forward to. I'm still a little confused about noodle tools, but I'll just ask Coach Love about it tomorrow. I am curious to see what the team meetings are all about. Mine is scheduled for Tuesday so I will let you know! I think once I start my research I will definitely have a lot more to talk about. We will just have to wait and see!

Mentor Craze

Wednesday Ms. Yuman and I had our first official mentor meeting. I am so happy I picked her as my mentor because she is so resourceful and super easy to talk to. We picked Tuesdays during lunch as our weekly meeting day which worked out perfectly for both of us. Ms. Yuman loves dogs so she is really excited for my project. She even said she might be able to train Rudi on the basics of sitting and ect... This week was a bit crazy trying to figure out when everything was due and if we had to do research this week, but I think I am on the right path. Next week is my plan of action week. I am going to try to sign Rudi up in a training program and get her in the swing of things. My neighbor's dog Barney is trained as a therapy dog so she is a great person I can go to for help and questions. I think she'll be a great first interview for me as well! Rudi is just as excited as I am and we can't wait to start the physical process.

Hello W.I.S.E.

Today was my first official day of W.I.S.E. I have to admit it was a bit overwhelming, but I feel I will get the hang of it once I'm proactive with my project. Coach Love explained everything we need to know and need to do for the semester. I was thinking extremely hard about my project and I am 100% sure I am going to get my eight year old dog Rudi trained as a therapy dog. I love helping out others, especially children, and I thought this would be a great and unique way to do so. I still need to do a ton of research on the entire process, but I am hoping by the end of W.I.S.E I will be able to bring Rudi into children's hospitals to visit patients. Rudi doesn't even know how to sit on demand so I have a long way to go. I can't wait to start my journey and see where it takes me. =)