2nd Rehab Update

Again I only have a few minutes to update but these three pictures are worth a million and five words!!

the secret garden that only zeth and those whom he deems worthy may encounter...



on the bridge leading to the dog park they've been taking him too!



and last but not least...



his glamor shot!!

gotta run!

first update from rehab (very short)

wow, have things ever been a crazy whirl wind these past two days!
the mjaority of everything has been spectacular!!
I CANT BELIEVE HOW FREAKING AWESOME THE PHILA PETS DOT COME CREW HAS BEEN. more on that later though!! ee!
winnie has been very well behaved minus his random "i should bark at that person" times. okay- to the guts of the entry!

okay so my nurse put me on the bed pan and was instructed to come back in one minute to take me off.
well, she forgot.
when i reached for the call button she had left it on the desk!
normally i would have had win get it but she also left the rails up and he cant get to me with them.
i thought about it and i called winston over to see if he could just pick it up and mouth it enough to get it to push...well the rails are solid plastic so kids dont get stuck under them? so winston couldnt even do a direct retrieve because he oculdnt see my hands or what i was pointing too.
at that point my leg started to really hurt and he definitely sensed it because he on his own got his favorite toys are started bringing them to me by jumpnig all the way onto my bed
when that didntt help and i said to him 'winnie wheres the nurse?" (oh the door is VERY not sd friendly)
he jumped off RAN to the door - pawed at it and then started barking
two nurses came vey quickly.

i doubt they'll do that again.

moral of the story

barking labrador retrievers remind the nurses they're being idiots.

ill write more tomorrow!

oh and zeth got a GREAT shot of winston on the bridge!!

Off to CHOP!

Winston's dressed and ready! We'll try to update from the hospital!

Wish us luck!

The Implications of Service Animals in Healthcare Facilities

In prep for rehab I did a little new research as to the laws regarding SD's in health care facilities. Man, I hit gold! The Implications of Service Animals in Healthcare Facilities written by The Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. can be downloaded in full by going here.

It contains the following catagories-

*THE DEFINITION OF SERVICE ANIMALS AND THEIR IMPLICATIONS FOR CIVIL RIGHTS

*APPLICATIONS OF SERVICE ANIMALS FOR PERSONS WHO HAVE DISABILITIES

*HOW SERVICE ANIMALS DIFFER FROM THERAPY ANIMALS

*SERVICE ANIMAL TERMINOLOGY AND SUPPLY

*HOW HEALTH CARE FACILITIES ARE AFFECTED BY LAWS THAT APPLY TO SERVICE ANIMALS

*IDENTIFICATION OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES AND SERVICE ANIMALS: CERTIFICATION AND OTHER MYTHS

*IMPLICATIONS OF SERVICE ANIMALS FOR INFECTION CONTROL AND RISK MANAGEMENT

*HANDWASHING FOR EMPLOYEES, CLIENTS, HANDLERS, AND VISITORS

*HANDLER AND CLIENT EDUCATION

*STAFF EDUCATION

*SERVICE ANIMALS IN SPECIFIC CLINICAL AREAS

*HIGH-RISK CLIENT POPULATIONS

*ZOONOTIC RISKS

*SERVICE ANIMAL HEALTH

*AREA CLEANUP

*ALLERGIES

*ROOMMATE ISSUES

*STEWARDSHIP OF THE SERVICE ANIMAL: ITS CARE AND BEHAVIOR MANAGEMENT IN THE HEALTH CARE FACILITY

*INCIDENTS INVOLVING SERVICE ANIMALS AND FIRST AID

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This is from the first time Winston and I went to NYC. He had never been there and his reaction when we checked into the hotel was proof that the experience wore him out! I thought the picture was the cutest thing ever so I thought i'd share!

First Time Working w/ SD Since Surgery (4months)

Winston is such a great dog. I tried out my new (very old) hoyer lift today. After forty-five minutes of wrestling with it I was finally in my chair. The moment I got situated, Winston was at my full attention. We did a "Heel Back" right away and it was like he hadn't ever stopped working! We also practiced "Foot Plate" (an "Up" onto my footplates) and "Back" and some simple "Heels". If you could have seen the look in his big brown eyes when I got the brush out to groom him...it was priceless. The second we were outside he was up on the bench waiting for me to start! He is such a great dog...I can't even express how true that is. When we came back inside he did a PERFECT "Go On Through" and followed me into my bedroom, where he laid on his bed (a pink bean bag chair he claimed as his own) and watched my nurse intently.

SD + Ortho Rehab Clinic

I've posted for input on the handful on Service Dog message boards I am a member of, but i'm pretty sure I know what i'm going to do. Whether or not Winston will provide assistance to me while I am in rehab is not the question. Rather, whether or not I can provide HIS care is what is being contemplated. I think for the first few days I should just focus on my own needs and getting into a routine there. Once I am confident that I can potty him and what not, I will have someone bring him up for me! I know I am very very lucky for having someone I trust to watch Winston for me. The only other concern I have with Winston being in the hospital with me is this: I will be having water therapy and during that time I have to figure out what to do with him. Any ideas? Okay well, that's all for now!


Original post - 4/1/05

although im a little over whelmed right now i want to jot down some thoughts.

it looks as though i will be admitting myself into the childrens hosp of phila's ortho rehab clinic for a few weeks.

whether or not i take winston.

this will consume my thoughts for the next few weeks.

general comments are very much appreciated.

thanks guys.