Zido Goes to Preschool!

   There are many many blessings and perks of having a service dog. I mean, aside from the fact that he has kept me conscious for 580 days, he also provides constant support, never-ending laughter, wake-up kisses, safety, happiness, peace, love, cuddles, smiles, and goodnight tail wags, just to name a few. Of course, there are always trade-offs so along with these blessings come many frustrations.

   For example, just yesterday I had to take my friend, Sam, to a testing center. She's from California but will be living with us this summer as she scopes out jobs in Washington DC. She hasn't bought a car here yet and I had no issues with bringing her to the test, waiting two hours, and bringing her back. I was looking forward to the quiet time with my cross-stitch and my Zido.

   Unfortunately, while I was waiting, we ran into an issue. The guy that worked there acted as if he had never seen a service dog and said he couldn't "believe the building would allow pets." I patiently told him "Oh he's not a pet, he's a service dog." He then went back to his desk (mind you, I'm sitting RIGHT next to him and can hear him mumbling to himself...) when about 15 minutes later he received a call. No one had walked by us, so you can imagine my surprise when I heard him say "I guess it's a service dog...they got here about 10...I don't know I guess she has nothing better to do." Again, I'm RIGHT freaking next to him (behind this whiteboard that was sitting in front of his desk) and I'm furious. First of all, was someone watching me on a camera? If so, I hope they were enjoying my dog laying utterly silent at my feet while analyzing the details of my peacock cross-stitch...and second of all, seriously dude? I'm RIGHT HERE!

   After taking a few breaths and reminding myself that this man is just ignorant when it comes to service dogs, I approached his desk and said "Excuse me, who were you just speaking to?" He whipped around and said, "The CEO" to which I replied "Okay, well I can hear everything you just said and I don't appreciate being talked about, so if he has anymore questions I'm happy to talk to him." With a nice little deer-in-the-headlights look, he said "Oh okay no he just didn't know you were allowed to have a pet in here." I took yet another deep breath and said, "Again, he's not a 'pet', he's a service dog and is working for me. And by the way, it's very rude to say that I have nothing better to do. I'm here with my friend who's taking a test and I'm waiting until she's done. So again, if your CEO has any further questions, tell him I'm happy to speak to him." And walked away.

   The sad reality is that as a partner with a service dog, these situations are not all that uncommon. Through them, we learn different ways to combat the difficulties. Aside from speaking to the individual in the moment that the event occurs, I also take advantage of the fact that my mom is a preschool teacher at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church and School. I believe that the BEST time to start learning anything is while a child is still young, so once a year I go into her classroom and give a service dog presentation for the 4-year-olds.

   Now, let me tell you, there is NOTHING funnier than a bunch of 4-year-olds not only guessing how old I am (I'm 22...they guess either 12 or 48...) but also hearing what they think his harness is for. We like to start the presentation with those kind of questions just to see what they think! My favorite answer? Last year when we asked what they thought his harness was for, this little boy raised his hand and in a VERY matter-of-fact way said, "It's his jetpack."

   The presentation serves three basic purposes for the kids. Primarily, I make sure they understand that it doesn't matter if it's a service dog or not! They should NEVER walk up to a dog and start petting it. Secondly, I want to teach them how they should act when they are around someone with a service dog. We tell them that they just have to act like the dog isn't even there and always talk to the person, not the dog. This is something I run into almost everyday where people only see the dog next to me and forget that there is a human being connected to it. Hopefully, this plants the seed of respect in their young minds and then they can bring it to any of their circles of influence to teach others! Finally, we like to do little demonstrations of what Zido does for me. Here are some pictures of this April's group of students and the skills Zido showed them:

We love meeting our new friends and showing them how well Zido can lay there quietly

Showing them how he can sit, lay down, and stand helps remind them of their own dogs at home

This is when we show how well he stays while I walk away. Even when they're making noises, he's able to focus on me

And then of course he gets a treat when he comes to me

Yeah...Zido loves his treats...

This wasn't a real alert, but I like to have him sit on me so they can see what an alert looks like!

The kids LOVE this one: he's helping me take off my socks so I don't have to bend over

They love seeing how gentle he is with my toes

This one is their favorite: he's jumping up to close the door for me! Such a gentleman :)

This is called a go-pay. I don't use it too much, but it's always important to keep his skills up!

We like to end with his LEAST favorite...carrying a plastic baggie

The children like to see him walk next to me while he carries it across the room

As any gentleman would...

   It's so humbling and absolutely amazing to see how their eyes are opened to the world of dogs. They probably won't remember my name or even Zido's name by the time they're older, but at least the seed is planted. It sounds cheesy, but these kids really are the future of our society and if we can teach them how to handle interactions with people who are a little "different" than they are, then hopefully society will learn the same.

   Up next on Zee and Me: Video Update!

Love and blessings,
Zee and Me

Big Things Are Happening...

   So it's been a bit since the last time I wrote for you all! I want to thank Miss Michelle for sharing her story of sweet little Keona and I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did. It's always nice to hear another person's journey and be able to witness the amazing addition dogs make to this world.

   The main reason why I wasn't able to write on here was my end-of-the-semester final exam schedule! As you all can imagine, it's not exactly the most relaxing time in a student's life. Basically, my life consisted of wake up, shower, get dressed, study, school, take care of Zido, try to eat, get home, sleep, repeat. Also, mix in with that the job applications and interviews and you have yourself a certifiably exhausted Courtney. But in other news.......

ZIDO AND I GRADUATED FROM COLLEGE!

   That's right! Zee and I are officially graduates of George Mason University! After four years at the school that changed my life, I had the privilege of crossing the stage with the dog that changed my life. There's nothing quite like waiting in the tunnel at the Eagle Bank Arena (formerly and forever in my heart known as the Patriot Center), hearing the voices of the classmates you've been with for four long years cheer and chant as we prepare for the gate to slide open. Soaking in the cheering of our loved ones on the other side and finally filing into the arena was the most surreal feeling I've ever had.

   After what seemed like forever and a split-second all at the same time, the speeches were done and it was time to head up to the stage. Before coming in, we were given a card to write our names on and had to include the phonetic spelling for the announcers. At the urging of my neighboring graduates, I snagged a second card and wrote "Zido Simmons -- Z-EYE-DOE (sounds like Fido)." When I was next in line, I handed Dr. Muir my cards and whispered, "The top one is me. The bottom is my dog." He winked and said "You got it."

   What followed was the most emotional moment of my entire night:

To hear both of our names called along with the response from the crowd was so overwhelmingly amazing that I had to take a moment after getting back to my seat to catch my breath and fully comprehend the support in that building. It's been a week since that night and I still get goosebumps thinking about it.

   To prepare for the night, I made sure Zido was just as decked out as I was! I decorated both of our caps and was blessed to borrow a green dog graduation cap and gown from Danielle and Rollo in Georgia. I had a tough time deciding what to say on the caps, but settled on a FRIENDS reference for mine (since I've watched the entire series 2 times...no shame...) and an incredibly true statement for Zido's:

Can you guess whose is whose?

   I was so blessed to have my sister fly in from Georgia and Miss Michelle fly in from Arizona for the big day! I seriously could not have imagined graduating without the two of them in the audience. Since I had Zido, the coordinators of the graduation had me go a little bit away from the rest of the crowd so I could get to an outside seat. It worked PERFECTLY because my family just so happened to choose a section right next to the floor, so when I walked back from the stage, I was able to pass by and give them hugs and kisses.

   I also want to give a huge thank you to one of my best friends, Ally, my small group co-leader, Amanda, and her husband/Director of Student Ministry at New Hope Church/one of my dearest friends, Tommy, for coming to the graduation to cheer Zido and me on! And of course to my parents, my brother, and Zack for supporting me throughout these four years and for coming to every award ceremony and graduation! I couldn't do it without any of them.

   The entire night seemed to pass by in the blink of an eye, but before I knew it, the dean was announcing us as the "Class of 2016!" School is OFFICIALLY out of session! I'm so thankful for the love and support my friends and family have given me throughout my time at school. Because of them, and the protection Zido gives me on a daily basis, I was able to graduate summa cum laude with a 3.99 GPA (dang COMM 300: "Rhetorical Analysis" from my spring semester of sophomore year with that stupid A-.....)  While my journey at Mason is over, my life is really just beginning. I will now be heading into the world with a Bachelor of Arts in communication with a concentration in media production and criticism and a minor in criminology. What I'll do with that...we shall see!

   I'm so thankful for my time at Mason and for the friends I made. It hasn't hit yet that I'm done with school (until my master's of course), but I trust that with Christ, all things are possible!

   Here's a few more pictures from the big day! Up next on Zee and Me: "Zido Goes to Preschool"

All decked out and ready to go...but first...let me get some kisses...

Can't forget George!

And of course this handsome man :)

My friend, Lori, and I right after we filed in!

Love and blessings,
Zee and Me

Michelle's Guest Post: Raising a Therapy Dog

   Wow, writing a guest blog post is not something I ever thought I would be doing – I am beyond honored that Courtney has asked me to contribute, and hope to do my best to continue the conversation on the power of dogs in our lives!

   I have loved dogs my entire life, and my family always joked that I liked dogs more than people (which was mostly true at certain points in time).  In high school, I had the best little dog who was a mixture of poodle and dachshund.  He was so ugly he was cute, but he was smarter than any dog I’d ever seen and he loved me through some particularly trying times.  That little dog taught me a lot of lessons, including how much comfort can be had just from staring into the eyes of a dog that loves you unconditionally…

   Fast forward many (many!) years later, and I found myself searching for a meaningful way to give back to people.  After an encounter with a therapy dog team at a homeless outreach event, I felt like this could be the answer I’d been seeking – and it would allow me to comfort people with dogs the same way I’d found comfort during some very dark times.  I immediately started researching and exploring therapy dogs and the vast numbers of ways they were being utilized across the world.  I was captivated by the stories of therapy dog teams working in hospitals, care facilities, courtrooms, and reading programs.   I was also fortunate enough to meet a woman at my church that is an experienced therapy dog handler, who had recently begun a ministry that matched therapy dog teams with elderly members of the church who would benefit from visits.  She was instrumental in helping me learn what it takes to be an effective therapy dog handler, and she helped me get my miniature poodle Reese certified as a therapy dog with one of the largest credentialing organizations.   Reese & I quickly began volunteering with a hospice organization, as well as the church ministry team.  The joy of seeing a patient with advanced stage dementia absolutely come alive the minute the dog walked into the room is something that is beyond words –

   Unfortunately, after about a year of volunteering with Reese, I realized that my sweet little dog was not quite as passionate about visiting strangers as I was, so I made the decision to allow her certification to lapse and ended our visits.  That was a tough decision, but the most important rule in therapy dog work is listening to your dog and understanding their body language so that the dog is not put under stress by the work.  I was determined to one day get another dog that would be better suited to therapy dog work.  In the meantime, I also made the decision to return to college and get a degree that would allow me to work in a professional therapeutic setting with dogs.

   In 2015, I was beyond blessed to meet a woman who raises Labrador Retrievers – one of the most well-known breeds for therapy dog work – and our family soon welcomed the most beautiful Chocolate Labrador puppy thanks to her! Our sweet little girl, Keona Leia, which is Hawaiian for "God's gracious gift, child of heaven" came home to us in June and it has been a wild ride every single day since then –

Keona at 8 weeks old

 

Keona at 1 year old – hanging out with Mom at work and entertaining the office staff

   Although Keona doesn’t have a very important job like Zido quite yet, hopefully one day she can follow in her distant relative’s pawprints and make a difference like he does.  Until then, she has to be content with entertaining her family with her antics!

   Even before Keona came into my life, I have been learning and developing my passion for animals in therapy for quite some time now and I am deeply convinced that dogs can make the difference in people’s lives across an enormous spectrum – from the soldier who can finally venture outside again thanks to his service dog; the autistic child who first learns how to socialize by making eye contact with a dog; the child who can only testify in court against her abuser because of the trained comfort dog that sits at her feet in the witness box; or the person who has experienced an unbelievable tragedy but can find a small glimpse of normalcy when a trained therapy dog comes on the scene.  Each of these scenarios is being played out across the country, and across the world, every single day and I am thrilled to have even a small part in making a difference for people this way.  

Thanks everyone!

Michelle