Dog Days of Summer

All of our summer days have been Dog Days. But in the best way!

Quilter has been in our home for just over 7 weeks now. It has been fun, exciting, frustrating, scary, stressful and wonderful all at the same time.

Our family has spent the summer focusing on Eli's relationship with his dog and how she fits into the family, how they will work together and building on the loving bond they started out with. We're tired. And we are covered in slobber and dog hair. And we wouldn't have it any other way.

At the beginning of the summer, we went through two weeks of  bonding time when the family could not pay any attention to Quilter at all.  It was difficult for us but we made it through. Quilter had a few rough days because of our cat Pippin who likes dogs, but doesn't like it when they are afraid of him... I guess! He certainly has no fear of a 77 pound dog, and she seems to not know what to make of a little fluffy cat bully. So, we've had some harrowing moments.

The cat/dog relationships are going much more slowly than we had hoped, but we are making progress on most days.

Quilter seems now to really be settled in as one of us. She has a much happier, relaxed air about her and is adjusting to life with these crazy people (and crazy cats) well. She is happy to see us all and most happy with her boy. She has really started to respond to his leadership around the house, while she is learning the things he would like her to help with. (ever tried to open the fridge with one hand while holding a big jar? Enter Quilter in her super-hero cape!).

Quilter has become a loved member of Corona Baptist Church (though I think she would just swim around the baptistry!) and attends weekly with Eli. The hardest part is not allowing these loving people to pet her. They all have supported us and gave generously toward getting the dog. So, that is so hard, but everyone understands!

We have been working with the Power Paws trainers and going on outings in the community and Quilter has shown herself to be a sweet, happy, polite young lady and is beginning to respond to Eli and realize that he needs her help. It is a learning process, not because she isn't trained - her training is obvious - but because it is such a new relationship. And Quilter hasn't read the news that she is suddenly a service dog. She is just being a dog with a big loving heart and a ton of skills. She needs to continue to learn about her new "job" and how much her boy loves and appreciates her. We see the bond and working relationship growing, as well as our knowledge and understanding.

Hannah, Naomi and Eli have been attending another week of Dog Camp - Eli for a refresher, Hannah so she can gain understanding of Quilter and dog training in general (and so she can clicker train that cat to leave Quilter alone!!) and Naomi to gain more in depth knowledge of how this all works. We've had great fun and Hannah is totally in love with Victoria, a beautiful soft Golden who is about 9 months old.

We are all a bit nervous as High School looms on the horizon. (well, it's really about to just run over us! One week!) We worry about the new environment overwhelming Eli and how the dog will fit in to it all. We are going to take it slow, but work toward having the dog with him daily. He desperately wants her with him every day, so that is our goal.

Thank you so much for your continued interest and support! Enjoy some pictures!

Sweet Quilter. Love that FACE!! 

Quilter and Eli in the Youth Room at Corona Baptist Church.

Quilter says, "They never let me play wii!"

Red Robin was so kind and welcoming to her! We will frequent their restaurant!!

Quilter says, "YES! Cool tile to lay on. I'll be right here if you need me.You three go ahead and eat."

Dog Days Need Dog Pools!

Quilter says, "What is that? a crab? or an octopus??"

Ready for the Mall!

Quilter says, "Don't laugh at my boots! YOU don't walk barefoot in the Mall parking lot in the summer DO YOU??"

Quilter and Eli at IKEA. Another great dog-friendly place!

Quilter says, "Why are there 3 beautiful dogs??"

The King and His Subject.

I mean, Eli and Quilter settling in for a little TV....
Quilter says, "I never get the remote."

Thanks for reading, for loving and supporting, for cheering and for accepting!

Stay tuned for news of HIGH SCHOOL!  Go MPHS Class of '15!!!

The Goldstick Family

I know... all you want is more pictures....

So here you go....

It's a Girl!!!

Eli and the Power Paws folks came to the same conclusion yesterday! Quilter is the girl for Eli. We will bring her home this afternoon for a trial weekend. We are all nervous and excited! The Kong is ready...

Yesterday afternoon, after picking Eli up from camp, we all seemed to know that Quilter was the one. My heart was troubled all night, worrying about which dog would be picked for him, knowing that Quilter was the best choice somewhere deep in my soul, and listening to Eli tell me how much he felt for her. Power Paws noticed it, too, and we are so excited and at peace with the thought of her becoming part of our lives.

There are many challenges ahead. Cats, strange environment, the fact that we as a family can have no contact with the dog while she and Eli are bonding. No touch, no talk, no eye contact. Quilter will have to look to Eli for everything and he needs to be her whole world. I've spent a few hours with these dogs and I tell you that it will be the hardest part of this whole process - to ignore a sweet and loving dog in your presence. Goes against human nature! But we will follow all the rules because they only get to bond once. We only get one shot at this.

This rule will apply for the first two weeks while they are bonding. It will be so good for Eli. And watching the way she has been looking at him and connecting with him the last few days, I feel in my heart that it will be good for Quilter too! You won't see Eli around for a while, as he has to stay home with her for the first week (with the exception of going to dog camp next week) so our schedules will be different.  I liken it to having a newborn in the house. Life just stops. :-)

Please pray for Quilter, as one of God's creation, that she be healthy and that she adjust quickly and happily to her boy.

And pray for her boy. He has learned so much, but will be learning more each day, with each challenge. He will have to grow up a lot in the coming months.

Today as we were driving to dog camp, we were listening to the song "Firework" in the car. And all I could see in my mind was Eli and his dog (and yes, I envisioned Quilter, even before I knew it would be her). It's just a silly pop song, but today, the words made me cry....

Do you ever feel like a plastic bag
Drifting throught the wind
Wanting to start again

Do you ever feel, feel so paper thin
Like a house of cards
One blow from caving in

Do you ever feel already buried deep
Six feet under scream
But no one seems to hear a thing

Do you know that there's still a chance for you
Cause there's a spark in you

You just gotta ignite the light
And let it shine
Just own the night
Like the Fourth of July

Cause baby you're a firework
Come on show 'em what you're worth
Make 'em go "Oh, oh, oh!"
As you shoot across the sky-y-y

Baby you're a firework
Come on let your colors burst
Make 'em go "Oh, oh, oh!"
You're gunna leave 'em fallin' down-own-own

You don't have to feel like a waste of space
You're original, cannot be replaced
If you only knew what the future holds
After a hurricane comes a rainbow

Maybe you're reason why all the doors are closed
So you could open one that leads you to the perfect road
Like a lightning bolt, your heart will glow
And when it's time, you'll know

You just gotta ignite the light
And let it shine
Just own the night
Like the Fourth of July

Cause baby you're a firework
Come on show 'em what you're worth
Make 'em go "Oh, oh, oh!"
As you shoot across the sky-y-y

Baby you're a firework
Come on let your colors burst
Make 'em go "Oh, oh, oh!"
You're gonna leave 'em all in awe-awe-awe"

Boom, boom, boom
Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon
It's always been inside of you, you, you
And now it's time to let it through

Cause baby you're a firework
Come on show 'em what your worth
Make 'em go "Oh, oh, oh!"
As you shoot across the sky-y-y

Baby you're a firework
Come on slet your colors burst
Make 'em go "Oh, oh, oh!"
You're gonna leave 'em all in awe-awe-awe


What more can I say? Baby, you're a firework! And you and Quilter are gonna shoot across the sky!

We want to thank all of you who have given money, prayed, cheered, cried and hoped with us during this process! Here we are!

But it's not the end - what's ahead? Eli will go through more training throughout the summer as Power Paws wants to keep working with him. They will evaluate them as a team every few months. In 6 months, they will officially graduate, complete with ceremony! In 2 years, if all is well, Quilter will be officially and permanently his!

Please keep in touch and follow Eli on this journey. You want to be there when they shoot across the sky!

Eli gets a kiss from Quilter

Eli and Quilter

Beautiful, Beautiful Quilter. We already love you, girl!

Q-Dog for the E-Dawg!

Marc and Naomi

Dog Camp Day 1

Eli attended Power Paws Unleashed! today as his first day of boot camp. He is getting to join an existing summer camp that Power Paws has every summer and through that camp, he is getting his training. They hope to place the dog with him this week, and he will start bringing him/her home with him soon for overnights/weekend stays!

They told him today that the dog they are thinking of for him is Quigley (you can see him in older posts) and we are happy to hear that news, as we had been thinking the same thing. But, you never know, so we will see as time goes on how they work together.

Today, he re-inforced the commands he already knows and learned some new ones, got a lot of time handling the dogs and even got filmed by a local news organization! We are not sure which channel or time, so I can't let you know! If I find it, I will try and post it!

Here are some pictures from the last few minutes of the day. Eli had switched to work with Quilter for a little while before I got there. She was a good dog and at one point when asked to "Lap" looked him right in the eyes. So sweet!!!

Quilter, Lap!

Quilter and Eli

Quilter, Come!

Qupid and Quilter Resting after a long day

Quigley (Eli's hopeful)  and Quake ready for tomorrow!



Eli was so excited and can't wait until tomorrow. Stay tuned!

Marc and Naomi

Eli's Story

 

This is the video we showed at his Benefit Concert.

How Can We Say Thank You Enough??

Eli's Benefit Dinner and Concert was a success! What a wonderful night! We started with dinner and magic and Handbell music.Then we moved to an incredible, moving concert. It was a full night, in many many ways. How can we ever say thank you enough?

Where to start? First, we have to say THANK YOU!!!! to all the amazing people who sang, played, directed, set up, tore down and WASHED DISHES at Eli's Benefit Dinner and Concert.Julie Hackmann, Linda Bennett, Adam Jacky, Donna Daniel, Vicki Harmon, Kaylee Cumpston, Brandee Pepper, David Medawar, Todd Langston, Nery Alonso, Paul Torgeson, Debi Blau, Jing Zeng, Ron Reid, KMS Choir and Handbells, Jayme Joint and Katie Grant, Marcos De Niza and Corona High School performers - Julie Song, Aston Corey,Tyler Higginbotham, Emilie Doering, Noah Brown, Cecilia Iole. It wouldn't have been a concert with out you, It wouldn't have been a dinner without you. It wouldn't have been anything. So THANK YOU from the bottom of our hearts! You are all fabulous and we owe you more than we could ever pay, more thanks than we could ever say.

Next, we want to say THANK YOU to each and every one of you who donated, came, supported, clapped, cheered, and cried with us. We each hope that our children go through this world loved and cared for. It is humbling and amazing to see that hope be fulfilled in such an immediate way.

Thank you so much to those who donated items for the Raffle - and what a fun raffle it was!! Elena Cuevas, Ann-Marie Knapp, Jason Knapp, Shelby Langston, Linda Dickson, Vandi Olson with Gold Rush at Home, Chick-fil-a, TOTT's Asian Diner, Boston Market, Kyrene Lanes. We couldn't have done it without you!!! Please, patronize these businesses! They are wonderful!

A special thanks to Lindsay Hallam Photography for the beautiful pictures of Eli and the Power Paws dogs!! Also to Whitten Printers, for donating printing for our event.

To Corona Baptist Church, we must say a humble thank you for allowing us to use the beautiful sanctuary for this event.

We brought in over $3,100 last night, which exceeded our goal to pay for the dog and training. We are humbled, grateful and excited for the next chapter of Eli's life to start!!

We love you, we need you, and we are here for you, too. Thank you so much,
The Goldstick Family

An Update and a Trip to the Mall!

Although our chip-in widget only says $705 we have actually raised $2,185 to date! Thank you so much for your generosity and caring! We are so excited and so blessed to have people around us who love our boy so much.

Don't forget our fundraiser event on Monday, May 16th at Corona Baptist Church. We need almost $3,000 more to pay for the dog and boot camp (plus a custom made harness like the ones you see in the pictures below). We are so excited to be so much closer to our goal! Thanks again!

Eli went to the Chandler Fashion Mall today with the Power Paws crew. He got to work extensively with Quigley. It was a new experience, being in public, working with the harness, and smelling all the yummy food in the food court! And Quigley had to get used to it too! :-)

They learned how to get on and off an elevator -- very important and one of the most dangerous places for the two of them. They did a lot of walking and command practice as well. Quigley and Eli got a lot of attention as they walked through the mall. They looked pretty good together!

Eli's Occupational Therapist was with us as well, so she could observe and help us with ideas how to use the dog in even more ways to improve Eli's life.

Quigley and Eli learn how to give and take treats gently. Quig says, "I'm not gonna bite you! But I sure do get excited about those treats!"

Quigley is trying to untie Eli's shoe. Get it! That's it! Tug!

Taking a rest at Brookstone.

Which way do we go now? (I like how all three of them are looking in a different direction...)

Eli is so excited and so ready for a new friend. We don't know which dog he will get, but he can't believe it's just a month away!

In early June, Eli will be participating in the Power Paws - Unleashed! Summer Camp and this will be his "boot camp" experience. He will be at this camp with other kids his age, both typical and with disabilities, and they will learn how to handle the dogs together. If all goes well, he'll come home with his dog at the end of this two week camp. So much to learn! Such an exciting new chapter in both the boy's life and the dog's life. We feel like we are adopting a new baby! And we really are. A new yellow (or brown, or black) 2 year old furbaby! A furbaby who is going to give our son independence, love and companionship. So exciting!

We hope to see you on May 16th! (see post below...)

Thank you so much,

Marc and Naomi