Dogs in our Home!

Yesterday, we had a visit from Power Paws and two dogs. They were beautiful yellow labs named Quail and Ilanya (I think I'm spelling it correctly). The dogs got pretty excited to see our cat and so were distracted by that for a while. Pippin was, of course, happy to see them.

The ladies from Power Paws had Eli take the dogs through several commands, inside and outside the home, getting him used to what it feels like, having to talk to the dogs in a particular way, even the best way to give a treat. He worked on having the dogs pick up their leashes and hand it to him, sit, down, stay, come, and also "go in" which is going under a table where he is seated and laying down underneath.

He has a lot of learning to do, but he seems to take to it well, and just lights up with a dog at his side. It was a good exercise and one step closer to our goal.

We are looking into a different high school than we originally thought, so we have to contact them and see how open they are to having a dog at school and begin that conversation.

Please stay tuned for news about our upcoming fundraisers!

Thanks so much for joining us on this journey!

The Goldstick Family

Learning to "Drive"

Eli got his first lessons in learning to "drive" a dog yesterday. It was really neat. He got to work with three dogs, all with very different personalities. Sweet, loveable Phil (Philadelphia) who was a quiet, big boy. Adorable little Quail who was excited and happy and interested in Eli. And, of course, our friend Bella who came to our house for the first interview. She's still a silly puppy but after a while, settled down and listend to Eli. (of course, it was probably the treats he had....).

We talked about what Eli wants and needs from his dog and the Power Paws people got to see Eli's personality with the dogs. We will go back in 6-8 weeks for another sesson.

Meanwhile, we need to raise funds. Check back with us to see what fundraisers are going on.

We are so excited to see what this will mean in Eli's life!

Marc and Naomi

First Interview!

This afternoon, a representative from Power Paws Assistance Dogs, Inc. came to the house to meet us and to conduct our initial interview. She had with her a beautiful 6 month old black lab in training.

She hopes to have a dog ready for Eli in the next 6 months, which is much sooner than we originally thought. This is exciting but it means we will need to raise funds much more quickly than we had planned.

Once a dog is chosen for him, they will bring him or her to our house for visits prior to the actual placement. This will help them get to know each other a little bit.

Then, once everything is in place, Eli will go through boot camp where he will learn how to give his dog commands and the dog will learn "that the sun rises and sets with Eli". This is done through umbilical training, where no one but Eli can talk to, pet, feed, or even have eye contact with the dog. This will be the most difficult part for the rest of us!!!!

It was a good meeting and Eli and Hannah got a real kick out of meeting little (big) Bella. Even Pippin (one of our cats) approved of Bella, though he was the first cat she had ever seen. Bella was a little nervous and growly at the sight of the big fuzzy kitty walking right up to her, but after a bit they touched noses and were very friendly. Perhaps Pippin will be the happiest of all of us to have a dog in the house again. He sure is a weird cat....

Tyler (Hannah's cat) was not as happy, but sat, interested, in the doorway to the living room cautiously watching.

We will need now to raise funding for Eli's dog. It is $4,000 for the dog and $1,000 for boot camp. If you are interested in contributing, please let us know. It will be an investment in a new life for Eli.

Thanks for reading,

Marc and Naomi

The Journey Begins

Eli is a wonderful 13-year-old young man with an interesting and remarkable story. He has been on a miraculous journey his whole life and this is the beginning of the next chapter.

Eli began having seizures when he was 17 months old and these quickly progressed to become life-threatening. After much testing and trying several medications, it was determined that the best thing for Eli was brain surgery to try and stop them. On May 17,1999, Eli underwent a modified hemispherectomy, the removal of most of the left side of his brain. This surgery left him seizure free, but paralyzed on the right side of his body and without speech. He has, over the last 11 years regained his speech, his ability to walk and much use of his right hand, in what we feel is a remarkable recovery.

But this world is a two-handed world and in our desire to allow him to be as independent as possible, we recently applied for a service dog for him. We hope that this dog will not only assist him in carrying things, opening doors for him when his hand is full and helping him keep his balance when he is walking in his beloved mountains, we also hope that the dog will be a bridge to the rest of the world for him, helping him connect with others. We also know that the special bond he will have with the dog will only benefit him in ways we can't imagine right now.

Join us as we move forward through his journey to his dog, and the rest of his life.

Marc and Naomi