We apologize for the long pause between updates. Due to my MEB, posting took a bit of a back seat for a while.
Kelsy is doing outstanding, and has really started a trend on Fort Hood. My counselor and I are currently working on a proposal to start a Therapy Dog Training Program on Fort Hood for the Soldiers as well as the animals of the Fort Hood Stray Facility. If you notice the widget on the right hand side, "Pooches for Troops", please visit the Facebook Fan page for the program. Help us help the troops!
This update is short but very sweet. Kelsy is grateful for all who are following her progress and I am thankful for all the outpouring of support we've been getting since this all started. We're far from complete but I hope that by the time I am officially retired from the military, that this program will be standing tall on Fort Hood for the Wounded Warriors who need a four legged friend :)
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Kelsy's training paused....
Kelsy's training will be paused for the next 15 days as I have to go home to Michigan on emergency leave. Once I return and can continue with her training, I will ensure you are updated on her progress. Thank you for reading.
Friday, July 16, 2010
Kelsy's background
I thought I'd give you some background on Kelsy so you can see how far she has come.
Here's a photo history of Kelsy since I adopted her in July of last year. Kelsy
I found Kelsy at my mom's animal shelter, Elk Country Animal Shelter in Atlanta, MI last July during my visit. The first time I laid eyes on her I was in love. She would lay on the pathetic "i need your attention" act when I would walk by her kennel. She'll come up to the gate and bury her face into her paws and roll over wanting me to pet her. It was an immediate connection lol.
The background I was able to get from my mom was that she came in very scared. She wouldn't come to the front of the kennel for anyone. It took them quite sometime to get her to realize she was in a good place. She wouldn't take a brush. She wasn't very cooperative with the vet when it came to getting her shots. They were unable to microchip her because of this.
I brought her back to Texas with me in July last year and have spent the last year working with her fears. She loves to be brushed now, although she has issues with folks touching her tail. But I'm working on this on a daily basis so that she's no longer worried about that. She was already pretty well trained with basic commands so it was fairly easy to teach her some special commands. She responds to hand signals, so if I ever encounter someone while doing this mission that is deaf, they will be able to give her commands without speaking. She's gotten much better on the leash, she used to pull but now I can walk with a loose leash. She doesn't jump on people anymore. She used to get so excited she'ld greet them with a big dog hug lol. She's much better about that now.
Kelsy doesn't take baths well. But that's my next major area of focus. Yesterday I treated her to a visit to Belton Lake after her visit with the troops. I really wish I'd changed out of my uniform before taking her out there lol, I ended up with sopping wet boots! But she LOVED the water, that's what matters. I plan to buy a pool for the backyard....she'll just get her baths in that. She'll like the pool, I already know that much lol.
I just wanted to share with you a lil of Kelsy's background so you can see how far she has come since her arrival at my mom's animal shelter. Once I work on all her necessary areas that are tested by the TDI, I will be arranging for her to be tested and certified as a therapy dog so that I can take her to facilities on a regular basis. To help Soldiers out. I find this to be a very rewarding mission and look forward to doing this for quite a while.
Thank for reading....
WOOF! WOOF! Says Kelsy :)
Old Sarge and Kelsy out!
Here's a photo history of Kelsy since I adopted her in July of last year. Kelsy
I found Kelsy at my mom's animal shelter, Elk Country Animal Shelter in Atlanta, MI last July during my visit. The first time I laid eyes on her I was in love. She would lay on the pathetic "i need your attention" act when I would walk by her kennel. She'll come up to the gate and bury her face into her paws and roll over wanting me to pet her. It was an immediate connection lol.
The background I was able to get from my mom was that she came in very scared. She wouldn't come to the front of the kennel for anyone. It took them quite sometime to get her to realize she was in a good place. She wouldn't take a brush. She wasn't very cooperative with the vet when it came to getting her shots. They were unable to microchip her because of this.
I brought her back to Texas with me in July last year and have spent the last year working with her fears. She loves to be brushed now, although she has issues with folks touching her tail. But I'm working on this on a daily basis so that she's no longer worried about that. She was already pretty well trained with basic commands so it was fairly easy to teach her some special commands. She responds to hand signals, so if I ever encounter someone while doing this mission that is deaf, they will be able to give her commands without speaking. She's gotten much better on the leash, she used to pull but now I can walk with a loose leash. She doesn't jump on people anymore. She used to get so excited she'ld greet them with a big dog hug lol. She's much better about that now.
I just wanted to share with you a lil of Kelsy's background so you can see how far she has come since her arrival at my mom's animal shelter. Once I work on all her necessary areas that are tested by the TDI, I will be arranging for her to be tested and certified as a therapy dog so that I can take her to facilities on a regular basis. To help Soldiers out. I find this to be a very rewarding mission and look forward to doing this for quite a while.
Thank for reading....
WOOF! WOOF! Says Kelsy :)
Old Sarge and Kelsy out!
July 15th, 2010........
After visiting the R&R Center on the 14th, I was quite excited about bringing Kelsy back to continue to share her great personality with the folks there. Yesterday was a great time. Kelsy met alot of folks. I spent the entire hour talking about the TBI (Therapy Dog International) test that I am preparing Kelsy for.
Kelsy did very well, did not get overly excited, and waited patiently to be petted. She didn't force herself into anyone's space without invite. Which is great. She's definitely going to do well with this mission. She either sat down in front of me or laid down until someone approached to say hello. She's not very photogenic because she's camara shy so don't be surprised if some of her pictures look like she's not happy lol. She just does not like camara's at all lol.
Kelsy has given me so much support of the last year that I wanted to share her with the Soldiers at the R&R Center. The touch of a gentle, well mannered dog can calm alot of folks nerves. And ease depression. We have been asked to visit the Triage Center, which if you've ever been there, it's the armpit of the R&R Center. Very small waiting area and usually very full. So, Kelsy and I may end up visiting the Triage center today depending on how things go. I will be meeting with the head of Triage this morning to discuss it. I look forward to being able to share my four legged therapist with the Soldiers of Fort Hood.
Speaking of getting approval to have Kelsy in different places, I was granted permission to bring her to the WTU with me so that I can share her with the Soldiers there. This is great because she needs to get lots of human interaction in order to effectively complete her training.
Thank you for reading. I decided to create a blog for Kelsy and her work so that it doesn't cloud the Dulce Bellum Inexpertis blog mission.
Old Sarge and Kelsy out :)
Kelsy did very well, did not get overly excited, and waited patiently to be petted. She didn't force herself into anyone's space without invite. Which is great. She's definitely going to do well with this mission. She either sat down in front of me or laid down until someone approached to say hello. She's not very photogenic because she's camara shy so don't be surprised if some of her pictures look like she's not happy lol. She just does not like camara's at all lol.
Kelsy has given me so much support of the last year that I wanted to share her with the Soldiers at the R&R Center. The touch of a gentle, well mannered dog can calm alot of folks nerves. And ease depression. We have been asked to visit the Triage Center, which if you've ever been there, it's the armpit of the R&R Center. Very small waiting area and usually very full. So, Kelsy and I may end up visiting the Triage center today depending on how things go. I will be meeting with the head of Triage this morning to discuss it. I look forward to being able to share my four legged therapist with the Soldiers of Fort Hood.
Speaking of getting approval to have Kelsy in different places, I was granted permission to bring her to the WTU with me so that I can share her with the Soldiers there. This is great because she needs to get lots of human interaction in order to effectively complete her training.
Thank you for reading. I decided to create a blog for Kelsy and her work so that it doesn't cloud the Dulce Bellum Inexpertis blog mission.
Old Sarge and Kelsy out :)
July 14th, 2010.........Kelsy's first day
Early this morning I was given the approval to work at the Fort Hood Resilience and Restoration Center (R&R Center) with Kelsy by my side. The purpose of this is three fold:
1. Continue with Kelsy’s training as a Therapy Dog by placing her in an environment where she is around a vast number of people so that she can get accustomed to it.
2. Offer therapeutic aid to Soldiers waiting to be seen at the R&R Clinic. I.e. Allow the Soldiers to pet her, engage in activities with her, helping the Soldiers to ease their anxiety, stress and depression just by having her there for companionship
3. Given that I have taken on this task of training Kelsy to be a therapy dog, it forces me to engage in conversation with people I do not know. Given my condition, PTSD, I have a tendency to isolate myself. This forces me out of that shell and back into society.
Once I was given the go ahead to bring Kelsy into the R&R with me today, I came home and let her out to go to the bathroom. While she was outside, I pulled her harness out of the drawer and got her vest ready. She was standing at the door, waiting for me to let her in. She knew something amazing was about to happen, or perhaps she just thought she was getting another car ride. I pick up the harness and she lets me put it on her without any struggles. She sees the vest and stands perfectly still waiting for me to put it on her. And then she immediately goes to the front door and sits and waits for me. She knew something good was about to go down.
At 1330 Kelsy and I reported to the R&R Center waiting area. Today really wasn’t supposed to be her first day, it was more of an orientation with my counselor. Giving her a chance to get to know Kelsy as we finalized the paperwork required to allow me to be there.
However, in the end, today really did start Kelsy’s first day at the R&R Center. She drew in three separate individuals simply by being herself. I spent about 30 minutes speaking with one young Soldier about what I was doing with Kelsy and I was able to assist her with information on how to go about doing it herself. Another young Soldier simply wanted to hug Kelsy. It was enough to bring a smile to her face. And that’s really what this is all about. Being able to affect someone in a positive manner even if it’s just for a second means we really are making a difference.
I knew that doing this would require me to be more social, but I never really realized just how quickly I was able to open up when someone started asking me about Kelsy. I ended up helping a young man while standing outside the R&R, informing him of what I knew about the whole MEB process and the benefits available to him. All this time I have said that Kelsy has been helping me. But, I didn’t realize how much she’ld be helping me by being at the R&R Center even if I’m not there for an appointment myself. She’s forcing me out of my shell and to be quite honest, given the mission I have sought out, I am quite happy doing this. I have never been so happy to just sit with Kelsy and watch people hug her or answer questions they might have about her. Perhaps a change in careers is what lies ahead for me, but only time will tell. Kelsy and I start our new mission officially tomorrow afternoon. And we will be there everyday in one of the many locations that fall under the R&R Center thanks to some wonderful individuals who are supporting me in this mission. A mission that not only benefits the Soldiers of Fort Hood, but Kelsy and I as well.
I am grateful that I have been granted this mission. And I find now that I have something to look forward to each and every day, something worthwhile. As does Kelsy.
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