Trip to Silver Dollar City
A busy weekend but a fun filled one. We left home Friday night for Branson, MO with a truck loaded with homeschool goodies. Yes, this was our 10th annual Homeschool Weekend at Silver Dollar City.
Suzy doesn’t like the truck as well because of the bigger jump to get into. We are planning to get a ramp that will help her into the truck and into the back of the Cruiser. She curled up into a ball between the two kids and went fast to sleep. Even the stop for supper at the drive through at McDonald’s didn’t wake her up.
She did a lot better in the motel room this time and she never barked. She is so easy going and doesn’t bother anyone. People enjoy watching her and Milton together.
Saturday morning we were up bright and early because we had to beat the crowd and get to SDC by 7:00 – 7:30 to set things up. She did great during the set up and helped keep Milton calmer during all the confusion. Due to our helpers not being able to make it, Michael and the kids helped out at the bag and name tag booth. It was fun to watch people ask about the dog and pet her while they were sitting.
Milton took a hard tumble down one of the step roads and busted his back of his head open. The EMT was great with him and afterwards Suzy kept him calm and happy.
We had the awesome opportunity to tell other parents with autistic children about this great dog and what she is doing for us! Even people that didn’t have handicap children stopped to ask about her and commented on how good she was with him.
Let me point out that Suzy is a GREAT helper and is very sensitive to Milton. BUT it does take a lot of work with her to train her and make her truly useful. It isn’t just a few minutes a day but working with her back and forth ALL day long. BUT the reward is having her in our own so that she bonds with us and Milton instead of to a trainer and then trying to get him to bond with us. So the saving of the cost of a “cookie cutter” dog is worth having her bond with us and having us train her with our trainer.
On the way home, for the first time by ourselves as a family, we took her into KFC and ate. She did wonderful lying down beside us while we ate. Then back into the truck and off towards home again. One thing we have had to learn is that she will quit working if she really needs to go to the bathroom. Then we have to take off her vest so she will go, as long as the vest is on she will not go.
It was a long day for all of us and she was so worn out that after we got home she ate her supper, ran around outside a few minutes and came in and went to sleep for the night.
More working on sitting, lying, staying, come, beep-beep (move), handshaking, praying, heel, restaurant eating, leave, wait, down, up, kissing, pick up. Whew, I’m tired just thinking about it all!!
Off to more doggie fun.
October 3, 2010 Sunday at 10:26 am
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