WHO'S ALL WET?

On the afternoon of 5/22/13 Casey, Sally, and I, are at our  usual job at Lake Avenue Elementary School in Saratoga Springs.  It was cloudy outside, but neither Sally nor I had worn jackets or brought umbrellas.  Everything went fine until we left.
Unfortunately, all the "good" spots were taken when Sally went to park her car and she had to park at some distance from the front entrance.  You can probably guess what happened.  It was raining outside like crazy.  I don't mean sprinkling.  It was pouring.
With the car being far away, having to get Casey in the car(someone had parked close to Sally's car so we couldn't put Casey's ramp down until Sally moved her car), and it pouring outside, we were soaking wet.  Of course the two of us are now seated in the front seat, dripping water.  As we were waiting to pull away from the curb, I laughed, looked at Sally, and said "Here's the two of us, in our 60's, soaking wet, and doing a job for nothing."

WINDING DOWN

Typically, the summer is our "slow season."  At this point, it appears that this summer will be no different(schools are not in session).  A couple of weeks ago, I had sent an Email to Bethany at the Maple Avenue Middle School, asking her to let us know if we were "on" for the coming Friday, as Kirsten and I disagreed on  the schedule.  I got a response back from Bethany and she advised that the students were fully occupied with field trips and outings until the end of the school year.  I sent her a return Email, thanking her, and expressing the hope that she would use our services in the coming school year,

A GOOD IDEA TAKES A LOAD OFF MY MIND

On Friday, 5/10, Kirsten, Casey, and I, were at  the Maple Avenue Middle School.  We went to Mrs. Douglas's room, where we met our usual group of special education students.  The children are usually arrayed in a circle and Casey will spend some time with each child.  However, on this occasion several students started to pay attention to Casey at once, so she laid down.  Then, she was unable to get up.  Several of us tried to lift her, with no success.  Unfortunately, for whatever reason, there is not a rug or carpet anywhere in the school.
Since Casey was unable to get on her feet, the students took turns, in groups of 4 or 5, being with Casey.  This actually worked out quite well, but we still had the problem of getting Casey up.  The school supplied an athletic mat from the gym, however, Casey was still unable to get up.  It was then that Kirsten came up with a pretty innovative idea.  She suggested getting Casey's ramp from her car and since it has carpet on it, Casey may be able to get up
The ramp is something I had purchased for Casey about a year and a half ago.  The decreasing strength in Casey's legs had made it impossible for her to get into cars, especially the "higher" models such as SUV's and vans.  Additionally, to further improve Casey's traction, I had cut and glued some carpetting to the ramp.  While I continued to work with the students and Casey, Kirsten went out to her car and got the ramp.  When we put the ramp on the floor, Casey was immediately able to get up.  It was about time to leave and we did so, rather than risk another" incident."

THE WONDER OF CASEY

Initially, you may think that this blog deals exclusively with Casey's impact  on those that she serves.  However, there is more than that involved and this is not  the irrational ravings of a dog owner about "his" dog.  Perhaps if I relate some conclusions that I have drawn based on Casey's most recent experiences, you'll understand where I'm "coming from."
Casey and I are working a reduced schedule now.  Whereas, we're still at Saratoga Bridges on a weekly basis, we are working in 2 Saratoga Springs schools and at ACT, every other week.  It is at these three locations where Casey's impact is  evident.
As you know from an earlier post, it has been necessary to make use of volunteers to satisfy our transportation needs, as I no longer drive.  I contacted a philanthropic organization, Carelinks, to see if they could provide voluntary transportation.  Carelinks assigned Kevin to transport us.  On the first occasion, Kevin asked if he could "come inside" with us at ACT.  Since then, he has become a valued co-worker.  My good friend, Sally, knew of the work we were doing and asked if she could work with us.  Sally now works with us at Lake Avenue Elementary School   Kirsten heard of the work we were doing and asked if she could work with us. On alternating Fridays, Kirsten works with us at Maple Avenue Middle School . 

CASEY SAID "WHAT, ME RETIRE, YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING?!"

Well, Casey is "back in the saddle."  However, recognizing her advanced age(and mine too), I've cut back our schedule somewhat.  Instead of weekly, most of our jobs are biweekly.  For instance, we visit Lake Avenue Elementary School and Maple Avenue Middle School on a biweekly basis.  The same can be said of our visits to ACT.  Casey and I are still visiting Saratoga Bridges in Clifton Park every Monday.

Unfortunately, it has been necessary to eliminate our visits to Maplewood Manor and Wesley Nursing Home.  I was not happy making this decision, but I saw no alternative.  Several of the nursing home patients have grown quite close to Casey and look forward to her visits.  There is a common thread that our remaining jobs have, that is missing at the nursing homes.  That is, at the schools, the ARC, the TBI unit(ACT),  I'm pretty much able to sit in one location.  At the nursing homes we go to each room.  The requirement of being constantly on my feet and going from room to room, is just too much for me.  I have to deal with not only the fatigue factor, but also the pain in my legs.  If any of you have a possible solution, I welcome it.

RETIREMENT?----SHORTLIVED!

Right on schedule, Casey ceased working on 12/31/12 and began her retirement on 1/1/13.  However, something happened.  My computer is located in the backroom at my house.   I found, over the initial three weeks of Casey's retirement, when I was working at the computer, or when I was seated on the couch in the living room, reading or watching TV, Casey would come over, unprompted, and give me what I call "The Nudge."  Briefly, "The Nudge" is where Casey will come over, stick her muzzle under your elbow, and lift up quickly(if your trying to write or type, it's a real pain in the butt).

Basically, "The Nudge" is dogspeak for "Hey, pay attention to me."  Casey likes to be touched, petted, brushed, talked to, and generally fussed over.  Turns out, her needs are exactly the ideal charateristics of a therapy dog.  I was unable to meet her needs by myself, but her needs could be met if she worked as a therapy dog.  Casey's retirement lasted a grand total of three weeks.

A DIFFICULT DECISION

Due to Casey's advanced age(she would turn 14 on March 12), the reality of retirement for her was staring me in the face.  I had been using a ramp, for over a year, to transport her to and from jobs.  The weakened condition of her hindquarters made it difficult or even impossiblefor her to get in or out of vehicles(particularly the higher ones, ie. SUVs, pick-up trucks, and vans).  Her slip and falls at Lake Avenue and Maple Avenue, coupled with her inability to get up, confirmed that Casey would have to retire.  I announced to our various volunteer drivers and to the facilities that Casey serviced, that December 31st would be the end of Casey's working life.

DEJA VU?

After Casey's legs had gone out from under her, I assumed it was only going to be a one time experience.  Her weakened hind quarters, coupled with a highly waxed floor, are the requirements for a slip and fall, so when we were at the Lake Avenue Elementary School two weeks later, a slip and fall was unexpected.  The floors in Lake Avenue are not as highly waxed as Maple Avenue and some of thr rooms have rugs or carpeting.  Anyway, we finished work at Lake Avenue and headed to the front door to leave.  When we got about 3/4s of the way there, Casey went down.  Fortunately, one of the custodial staff, Joe, was present, and immediately got a flat-bed cart for Casey.  We put her on the cart and Joe wheeled her out of the school.  Casey was really enjoying herself, and although I think she could have gotten up anytime, she got Joe to wheel her all the way out to the street.  I accused her of really milking this opportunity

A NARROW ESCAPE

In the fall of 2012, two jobs that Casey and I had were at Maple Avenue Middle School in Saratoga Springs and Lake Avenue Elementary School in Saratoga Springs.  We usually worked at Maple Avenue from 9am.-10am. on Mondays.  The floors at Maple Avenue, both in the hallways and in the classrooms, are highly polished.  Therein lies the basis of this post. 
Casey and I always split our time at Maple Avenue between two classrooms.  On this day in mid-November, we finished work in one classroom and got up to go to the 2nd classroom.  As soon as we reached the hallway, all four of Casey's feet went out from under her and she was laying spreadeagled on the floor. 
Now comes the scary part.  Casey was unable to get up.  We honestly didn't know what to do.  Fortunately, one of the teachers got a flatbed cart.  Another teacher donated her coat.  Several people got together, put the coat under Casey, and lifted her onto the cart.  She was then wheeled into the 2nd classroom and did her work as usual.  She got the"royal treatment," as when she was done in te 2nd classroom, she was placed on the cart and wheeled out to the waiing taxi.

NEW JOBS

In my last post I had advised that the reading specialist at Lake Avenue Elementary School had contacted  me about Casey working at her school in the 2012-2013 school year.  We started working at Lake Avenue, on a weekly basis, in the fall.  Our transportation needs were supplied by generous volunteers; particularly the Malta Sunrise Rotary Club.
Also, during the fall, we started working at the Maple Avenue Middle School on a weekly basis.  In this case, our transportation needs were met by A&H Taxi and the teachers at the school.  A&H transported us for 1/2 fare and the teachers paid that fare.  Incidentally, Casey and I had previously worked with some of the students when they were in elementary school at Division Street Elementary School.