When I first brought them home, they spent a long time running around from room to room sniffing and checking it out.  They really enjoyed the backyard.  I’m going to have to gain some confidence in trusting the fence.  They went out and marked their territory right away.

We took a break from packing to participate in the Stanislaus County Library’s “Read to the Reindeer” program.  This was a special holiday edition of their regular Read to the Dog program which Charlie and I started a year ago.  Children sign up for a 20 minute session to read to the dog.  It builds confidence in reading and develops social skills and animal appreciation.

Charlie wore his elf hat in and out, but I didn’t keep it on his head during the sessions.  He really didn’t like the hat, but he was a good sport.

When we got home, he crashed in the middle of the dining room floor and didn’t move for the rest of the night.  He was exhausted.  He wasn’t even particularly interested in eating dinner… but he did manage to muster enough energy to eat and climb the stairs to his bed where he slept soundly all night long.

Today was the final session of the grief support group that Charlie and I have been working with through Optimal Hospice.  The children planned a memorial service for today’s meeting and invited family and friends to participate.  One of the things they wanted to do was a balloon release.  Participants tied a note to their loved on to a balloon.  We went to an open area, read a poem, listened to the song “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” and then the balloons were released.  We were able to watch them for quite a while before they disappeared.
It was truly a privilege to work with this program and to hear the stories of the loved ones that these children have lost.  They are certainly gone, but not forgotten.  I leave this having a sense that I know these people who have passed along.  Through the stories and emotions that have been shared, they have become familiar to me even though we have never met.  That truly is the measure of someone’s character.  When you have such a profound impact on those you love that your life continues to go on through them… you have really left your mark.

Not long after we were in there, Charlie did the unthinkable.  He urinated right there in the office on her carpet.  I was dumbfounded!  I screamed when I realized what he was doing.  How embarrassing!  The Coordinator immediately jumped up to begin cleaning up and trying to calm me down by saying that it was OK and that accidents happen.  I was in shock.  I began apologizing as I drug him out the door to finish what he had started.  This was not acceptable behavior.  The first requirement for a visiting therapy dog is that they are at least HOUSEBROKEN!  How could he do this?  I was so upset.  When I took Charlie outside and told him to go potty, he finished in an appropriate place.  By the time I got back inside, the Coordinator had his mess cleaned up.  I offered my apologies again and she reassured me that accidents will happen and that I’ll be prepared in case it happens on a visit.  She was very nice and tried to console me, but I really felt like he flunked his first job interview.

Poor Charlie has been sick all weekend long.  He started throwing up Sunday morning and hasn’t stopped.  I’ve kept him out in the kennel (he doesn’t know how to barf in the toilet yet) and he thinks he’s in trouble.  I fed him a little bit this morning and he had thrown it up by the time Steel got home from school.  A quick call to the vet and we decided to try giving him another small meal in the afternoon.  He kept that down along with some water so we’ll see how he does for the rest of the night.