Saturday, January 30, 2010
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Getting back to the hospital with Storm
Storm and I went to the hospital last night to do some training for our Therapy visits. We walked around with another team and got to see all of the different areas of the hospital we are authorized to visit. Storm was a little nervous and excited... She wouldn't stand still. But, it was amazing from the very beginning!
As soon as we walked in from the parking deck, we were stopped by several people in the main area of the hospital. So many people were just shocked to even see a dog in the hospital! It was great! Kids were running towards her, and all you kept hearing was "Awww! Look at that dog!" Being a Great Dane, she was pretty popular immediately, and so many people were just amazed at her size (I know she's big in other peoples' eyes, but she's actually small for a Dane!) She loved meeting all the people and getting petted by everyone. She wouldn't stay still though. People would want to talk to her and pet her, and she would let them for maybe a few seconds and would start fidgeting.
So, we ended up finally walking around the hallways in the sections of the hospital we were allowed, and she made so many friends with all the nurses and staff at the hospital. When we'd get near the nurses' station, they would just swarm around us!
One of the last places we went to was the ICU waiting room. You know these people were in the hospital for their friends & family members with most likely some serious situations... but you couldn't tell when they saw our dogs! They were the most excited and happy people I've seen! There were a few kids in there, and they went nuts when they saw the dogs. It was a great evening!
Next week, we're going again with a team to practice the actual visits in patient rooms! So, I'll post again with updates after next week's visit!
Storm was definitely pooped after all the excitement for the night... I let her rest on her favorite spot in the house - on the couch next to me! :)
As soon as we walked in from the parking deck, we were stopped by several people in the main area of the hospital. So many people were just shocked to even see a dog in the hospital! It was great! Kids were running towards her, and all you kept hearing was "Awww! Look at that dog!" Being a Great Dane, she was pretty popular immediately, and so many people were just amazed at her size (I know she's big in other peoples' eyes, but she's actually small for a Dane!) She loved meeting all the people and getting petted by everyone. She wouldn't stay still though. People would want to talk to her and pet her, and she would let them for maybe a few seconds and would start fidgeting.
So, we ended up finally walking around the hallways in the sections of the hospital we were allowed, and she made so many friends with all the nurses and staff at the hospital. When we'd get near the nurses' station, they would just swarm around us!
One of the last places we went to was the ICU waiting room. You know these people were in the hospital for their friends & family members with most likely some serious situations... but you couldn't tell when they saw our dogs! They were the most excited and happy people I've seen! There were a few kids in there, and they went nuts when they saw the dogs. It was a great evening!
Next week, we're going again with a team to practice the actual visits in patient rooms! So, I'll post again with updates after next week's visit!
Storm was definitely pooped after all the excitement for the night... I let her rest on her favorite spot in the house - on the couch next to me! :)
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Does faucet water taste better?
My dogs have a strange fascination with watching me while in the shower... Well, not just me, anyone really... Normally Rogue will be the main culprit... You will be just minding your own business taking a nice warm shower, when all of a sudden you feel a cold breeze! And yep, Rogue's peeking her head into the shower again! I think it started when she realized there was water in there and started licking the walls. She definitely won't go into the shower, but doesn't mind getting her head wet as long as she can lick the water.
Today, Storm decided that she wanted to see what all the fuss was about. Luckily, she couldn't figure out how to get her head into the shower. She just got her head in between the decorative shower curtain and the inner liner. So, lucky for me, no cold breeze!
But, besides the shower peeping... both dogs have an absolute fixation with drinking water directly from the faucet - namely the bathtub faucet. Storm started this early on in her life, and will always put 2.5 of her feet into the tub and wait for me to turn the faucet on. Yep, I said 2.5 feet - which means her two front feet, and then one of her back legs is partially in - resting on the edge of the tub. :) Rogue always waits near the side of the tub and drinks alongside with Storm. I don't get it - why?? Does the water from the faucet taste any different than what I put in their water bowls? Even when their bowls are completely filled, they still go crazy when someone is near the bathtub and will stand there waiting for you to turn on the faucet...
I think the nice benefit to this fixation of theirs is that it helps me know when the water bowls are empty. Whenever this has occurred, and Storm is thirsty, she will go into the bathroom on her own & jump in the tub and wait. So, if you are somewhere else in the house & you hear nails clicking on the tub... you know Storm is thirsty & her bowl is empty! :)
Today, Storm decided that she wanted to see what all the fuss was about. Luckily, she couldn't figure out how to get her head into the shower. She just got her head in between the decorative shower curtain and the inner liner. So, lucky for me, no cold breeze!
But, besides the shower peeping... both dogs have an absolute fixation with drinking water directly from the faucet - namely the bathtub faucet. Storm started this early on in her life, and will always put 2.5 of her feet into the tub and wait for me to turn the faucet on. Yep, I said 2.5 feet - which means her two front feet, and then one of her back legs is partially in - resting on the edge of the tub. :) Rogue always waits near the side of the tub and drinks alongside with Storm. I don't get it - why?? Does the water from the faucet taste any different than what I put in their water bowls? Even when their bowls are completely filled, they still go crazy when someone is near the bathtub and will stand there waiting for you to turn on the faucet...
I think the nice benefit to this fixation of theirs is that it helps me know when the water bowls are empty. Whenever this has occurred, and Storm is thirsty, she will go into the bathroom on her own & jump in the tub and wait. So, if you are somewhere else in the house & you hear nails clicking on the tub... you know Storm is thirsty & her bowl is empty! :)
Monday, January 4, 2010
A spool of thread? Seriously?
So for some crazy reason, my great dane (Storm) has a fascination with spools of thread. I came home this evening (first day back at work since before Christmas) and was just wondering how well the dogs had behaved since my hubby had left for work...
So I get in from the garage into the breezeway, closed off from the rest of the house, and I hear the whining start... Storm, of course. I get into the house and she's just bonkers - and Rogue is too. So far no different... So, as every other walk into the house... I start to peer into the living room to see how they've been. It's dark, so I can't quite tell what I'm looking at... but there's definitely somethings strewn all over the floor . Turn the light on, yep, it's the thread again.
What the heck is her fascination with spools of thread? I've caught her at least 4 times now - usually they're just barely chewed and have dents poked throughout the spool. Not this time - she went to town on it... Shreds and shreds of black thread all over and tons of little shards of plastic... Yuck....
Wish I'd gotten a picture of it - I was just too worried about her eating more, I just cleaned it up ASAP. Now that I'm keeping this blog... we'll definitely start documenting these for show. :)
Friday, January 1, 2010
Storm's Front Page Debut!
Storm is a certified Therapy Dog at our local hospital. On Christmas Day, we spent the morning visiting patients to spread some Christmas cheer! The next morning, her photo graced the front page of our local paper! Check it out!
Storm's "official" Therapy Dog photo is above. Click on the link to see her news photo.
Happy New Year!
Spent New Years Eve at home with the hubby & dogs. We watched a bunch of episodes of The Office while all snuggling on the couch. It was an awesome way to end the old year and start the new one!
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