January Update

I was just reading my email and saw that the new class at 4Paws is finding out who their dog is today. That brings back so many exciting memories. I can't believe what a journey we've had since I first discovered 4Paws for Ability in February of 2008! So much has happened in such a short time.

Buddy and Jonathan are doing well. We had a bit of an issue at school and church for a short time with Buddy acting more like a puppy and less like a well-trained service dog. We realized that he was getting so much attention that he started looking for people to pet him instead of focusing on working for Jonathan so we've had to put a stop to people petting him. At first, we let people because we were told it could create opportunities for social interactions with Jonathan...but it wasn't working. First of all, Buddy is so darn cute that people pretty much ignore Jonathan and just want to pet the dog! Second, Buddy is so smart that he realized people wanted to pet him and he didn't need to work...wrong answer! Things have gotten much better lately.

Jonathan will start using a new communication device soon on a trial basis to see if we want to purchase it. Basically it is a computer that is programmed with pictures that will speak for him. We are very hopeful that this will be a great help to him. What a world this would open up for him if he could communicate his wants and needs!

Eating is still an issue for him. His cognitive skills have improve enough that he now is able to understand that he has to sit at the table to eat (new in the last couple of months), but his variety of food remains extremely limited. Sometimes, we are able to all eat together as a family. That is a new and wonderful experience for us!

That is about all the "new" things to report. Thanks for continuing to pray for our family and especially for Jonathan. God is a very real and present part of our daily lives. We could not do this without His amazing strength.

Heather