Back to square one

Well today didn't go exactly as we had hoped. When we got to Brigadoon today Denise told us that Gypsy has gone to another little boy with autism. We are a little disappointed, but happy for the boy who is getting a wonderful dog. So where does that put us? Back to the beginning!! Denise only has three dogs that would be a possibility for me. Two of them I have met in the past--Nugget and Bond. So today started out by meeting them again. Bond came in first and I wasn't interested in interacting with him at all. I wouldn't feed him treats or anything. Denise eventually took him out and brought Nugget in. The same thing happened with Nugget--I touched her long enough for mom to snap a picture. We decided to go outside with Nugget to see if that would make a difference--nope. Nugget was more than happy to run everywhere outside and play ball with anyone, but didn't show any special interest in me. Since we were outside Denise decided to bring Bond back out to see what he would do. And what we discovered was that a collie is the breed of dog I need. Bond was attentive just like Gypsy was. He was always checking me out even though Mom, Dad and Denise were there. He even made quite the effort to get me to play ball with him. It was incredible to see the difference between Nugget and Bond. Being outside makes a big difference because I enjoy being outside so there isn't a "forced" (not in a bad way) interaction, and Denise can see how the dog is going to interact and protect me in a more natural environment. As it stands now, we go back up the next two Wednesdays so we'll see what happens at those visits. I'll keep you posted as we know more. For now enjoy the pictures from today :)
Love,
Aaron

Posing for a picture with Nugget

Dad, Me and Bond (see how close Bond is walking to me)

Strike a pose with Bond

Just laying around with Bond

Catching some rays

Bond trying to go through the tire with me with Denise watching

Upcoming Crop

Mom just got this e-mail today and is passing it along to you all about the crop:

"I don't know if Kim told you, but I'm going to be a vendor at Aaron's crop. I just wanted to let you know (so you can forward information if you want) that I am donating 20% of all my sales that day to Brigadoon. Also, if anyone who can't come to the crop (due to prior plans or living too far away) wants to order, I will donate from orders placed on my website, as well. They just need to go to www.mycmsite.com/darrcie to place an order. I'm not sure if there is a place for special instructions, but they can e-mail me to make sure I give credit to the fundraiser. I hope this is this fundraiser is just what Aaron needs to put you guys over your goal. Good luck!"

So there you have it! Have a great weekend and I'll keep you posted! :) Oh--I almost forgot--Mom and I are going up to Brigadoon on Tuesday so I'll let you know how it goes!

Aaron

Another fundraiser

Here is the next fundraiser that is coming up. If you live in Washington and would like to go contact the email address above and Kim will hook you up. I'll keep you posted!

Scrapbooking fundraiser

Mom got an email today from Liz Hicks who headed up a fundraiser for me at a scrapbooking faire this weekend. The vendors from the faire contributed to a gift basket that was raffled off with the proceeds going toward my dog. It brought in a total of $595, and the winner of the raffle was the store owner who organized the faire, so she has decided to donate the basket back and have it re-raffled at her store (thank you Sophia). If you would like to buy a raffle ticket contact Strictly Scrapbooking they'll hook you up. I'll keep you posted with the results!

Wanted posters

One of the places we went on our vacation was to Astoria, OR where we stayed in a KOA. Knowing my tendency to wander off, mom made a little poster "just in case". When she checked into the KOA she gave a copy of it to the staff (she called the campground and local police department ahead of time to let them know I was coming). They asked for permission to give it to their staff and if they could put it up. Within a half hour there were dozens of my "wanted posters" all over the campground. It was quite funny. It was nice to know they were keeping an eye out for me, although most people thought I was already lost. :)

On vacation

Sorry I haven't posted anything for a while. We took a vacation to the Oregon coast with another family and had a fun time. I LOVED the ocean, and even though it was freezing I played in it until I was pink. Then Mom and Dad decided to drive to Montana to visit my aunt, uncle and cousins. I am out of my element and having a little bit of a hard time, but considering the circumstances I'm doing ok. I have 15 mosquito bites on my legs (that's what I get for running outside with no clothes on) right now so I'm a little crabby, but I think I'll be better as soon as the benadryl kicks in. I'll have a couple of pictures of my trip to post once I get back home (one is of a "wanted poster" that was hung up all over the campground), so make sure you check back.

Also, there are three BIG fundraisers coming up. Today there is a scrapbook vendor fair in Southern California where they are selling raffle tickets for a gift basket with all of the proceeds going toward my dog. :) I'll keep you posted. Then on August 23rd there is going to be a scrapbook crop in Stanwood (I'll post more on that when I get home). And finally, on August 30th there is going to be a car wash at the Stanwood Haggen's with raffle baskets and things. I'll also post more on that as I know more.

I'll post more when I'm back home!
Aaron

Successful visit to Brigadoon

I have to say that today was the best visit so far! It started out with me, Mom, and Denise inside with Gypsy, but the weather was too nice, so we decided to go outside. This turned out to be a fantastic move. I was able to run around and do things I like (play in dirt and rocks) which made it easier for me to be with a dog. It was pretty cool to see the way Gypsy paid attention to me even though Denise had all the treats (Mom and Denise were pleased with that). Denise would tell Gypsy "find Aaron" and then Gypsy would come running to me. She would hang out with me for a minute and go back to Denise for a treat. She did this over and over again. Gypsy followed me around and smelled me a bunch, and I allowed her in my space and gave her some love. It was pretty neat for Mom to finally SEE the beginning of the possibilities of having a service dog. So here's where we're at: at this point is I'm going to continue meeting only with Gypsy to see how the interactions go so we know if she will be a good fit. Mom is working on scheduling another day to go up there for a visit. Hopefully we can get a bunch of visits in while the weather is still nice. Here are some pictures from today--have a good night!

Hanging out on the big tires in the doggie play park in the backyard.

Gypsy is playing in the dirt with me

Gypsy is running toward me after Denise said "find Aaron"

Gypsy following me around

Hanging out in the play tube

Gypsy is watching over me in the tube

Me & Gypsy

Storytime

Camp Prov

This week I got to go to Camp Prov, which is a camp for kids with disabilities. I got to go swimming, do crafts, sing songs and all kinds of other fun stuff. I had a special friend who was my buddy all week long. She was great, but of course no match for my escaping abilities. She DIDN'T lose me--I just made a bee line for the ice cream truck and hopped in it before she could catch me! I wonder what that ice cream truck driver was thinking?

We head up to Brigadoon on Tuesday, so I'll give you an update then. Have a great day!

Going to Brigadoon soon

We're headed up to Brigadoon again on July 15th, so I'll have a new update for you with some new pictures. Denise at Brigadoon is doing a newsletter that is pretty interesting, so if you have the time you should check it out: http://brigadoondogs.com/news/. You can also sign up to get her newsletter via e-mail. It's pretty cool and has some doggie treat recipes and other fun stuff. Hopefully it'll be a quiet week this week. Saturday will mark the 5 year anniversary of the first time I wandered. (Yes, it was on a 4th of July camping night) Have a fun and safe 4th!
Aaron

Devastating weekend

Mom has been thinking over the weekend trying to decide what to share on this blog and what shouldn't be shared. She decided to go ahead and share even the really-not-so-fun-stuff. On Friday mom got a phone call from CPS with a complaint that she leaves me unsupervised in an unfenced yard for 6 hours at a time (all while being in the buff). She was in total shock. There is just NO WAY she would leave me unsupervised--I would be out of there. What was even more upsetting was that whoever reported it knew my name and that I was autistic. It was the most insane allegation ever (with the exception of the naked part--but that's not illegal). After mom talked with the caseworker for 15 minutes he told her he was closing the file that evening. The good news is the file is closed. The bad news is that if someone (or they) calls CPS on her again there will be a record of a previous complaint. What she has learned from this: if you have a complaint or a concern with your neighbor call them or pay them a visit. Dealing with CPS is a BIG deal, and it's going to take a while to recover from this one.