We’re Back!!!!!
The most sincerest of apologies from The Magical Pack on the lack of updates. It’s been a busy couple of months, but all is well.
Back in May Gunny made a return trip to The Gunny School. He handed out the Perseverance Awards to the students in two assemblies. Once again, he was unaffected by the hundreds on children and adults in the audiences, and the cheers and applause didn’t bother him one bit. He posed for pictures, both group shots and individual shots, and got his fair share of love and attention. He also stopped by to visit his friends who teach in the self contained classrooms for children with Autism. Gunny was the center of the Speech Therapy and Occupational Therapy groups running that morning, and the kids responded very well to seeing their furry friend again. My favorite moment was when we adults helped a little girl to produce more language by making requests centering around Gunny. Our intent was for her to tell us what she wanted, and for us to help make it happen. Instead, she got down on Gunny’s level and worked very hard to say “I…want…a kiss….please” and no sooner had the words come out of her mouth when Gunny planted a sloppy one right on her cheek. It was priceless, and so frustrating that we didn’t have it on video. Talk about evidence for the importance of animal assisted therapy! The little girl was very excited about being able to ask for something and getting such a big response that she repeated her request to Gunny several times. He obliged every time.
New this year was an invitation for Gunny to celebrate with some kids who had put in many extra hours preparing for the end of grade exams. These kids work hard to overcome their learning disabilities, and are supported by an incredible special education who is always looking for new and fun ways to teach and support. Since Gunny is such a favorite, he invited us to be special guests at an ice cream party to show the kids a little fun before the exams began the following week. These kids were 4th and 5th graders, and the small group time with Gunny provided us with an opportunity to talk about dog fighting and animal abuse and how to treat other living things. Many of them hugged or high-fived Gunny for good luck on their exams. I really believe that memories of Gunny will stay with some of these kids into adulthood.
Oscar celebrated his 6th birthday on June 1st. He has been enjoying the kiddie pool in the back yard and some trips to Lake Norman for some wave chasing and swimming. There are some very funny videos of Oscar’s water-related antics at the following link.
http://www.facebook.com/video/?id=244721692108
Hope had a few medical hurdles to get over so far this summer, but nothing life-threatening. Just more crosses for this sweet girl to bear. She continues to be happy and playful and keeps everyone on his toes around here.
Tobbles the cat celebrated her 17th birthday on May 16th and is going strong. Millie the cat is 12 years old as of June 19th. Linc continues to live his life as a dog trapped in a cat’s body.