Sweet Son reading to a dog and owner
Sweet Daughter (sitting in the center of the photo)
Her dog was laying so nicely that the owner is actually sitting on the bench behind the pole.
Showing posts with label dog. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dog. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 22, 2017
Read to Rover
Our library has so many amazing programs. This year we decided to try out the Read to Rover program. They bring in therapy dogs and the kids go in and read to the dogs. If you have any idea how much the kids love dogs and reading, you know this will go well.
Friday, September 2, 2016
A Tale of Two Beds - part 38
I would like to note for the first time EVER in this series. Both kids are in bed in every single picture. Progress!!
Once again, here are the links to the previous tales. Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Frustration, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12, Part 13, Part 14, Part 15, Part 16, Part 17, Part 18, Part 19, Part 20, Part 21, Part22, Part 23, Part 24, Part 25, Part 26, Part 27, Part 28, Part 29, Part 30, Part 31, Part 32, Part 33, Part 34, Part 35, Part 36, Part 37.
That's not how I tucked him in with the blanket, but whatever.
We got to dog sit for our neighbors and I promised both kids the dogs would tell them goodnight before the dogs went to sleep in their kennels. She slept through it.
He was still awake and thought this was hilarious.
He went to bed with a shirt on... I think... maybe... oh, who cares? He's sleeping!
Once again, here are the links to the previous tales. Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Frustration, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12, Part 13, Part 14, Part 15, Part 16, Part 17, Part 18, Part 19, Part 20, Part 21, Part22, Part 23, Part 24, Part 25, Part 26, Part 27, Part 28, Part 29, Part 30, Part 31, Part 32, Part 33, Part 34, Part 35, Part 36, Part 37.
Thursday, July 14, 2016
Poland Campground and Hiking
A family friend owns a campground so we went to visit for the day. We hiked to a tower (now private, but our friend talked our way in), a dam (not open to visitors, but we talked our way in), and through some fairly difficult trails.
Holding Sweet Daughter up to see just how far off the ground we are (those are all fully grown trees)
From the top of the tower there were amazing views
From the bottom of the tower looking up - that's me looking over the top
Ready to climb all the way up - I ended up going up and down about 5 times because the kids kept wanting to go back one at a time. I was a bit sore the next day.
The stairs looked like this all the way up - only not as well lit when you weren't by the door.
Hiking through the trees - this path had a steep drop on one side and prickly things on the other. It was a bit nerve wrecking at times watching the kids, but we all did it and loved it.
The dam - The walking path above is open to the public, but the building is not.
Inside the dam building learning how it all works.
This tunnel had to be made at two different times after the original tunnel was blown up in a war.
The kids are with the camp's guard dog. You can see the cute cabins in the background.
Family and friends
Guard Dog... um... apparently our kids aren't scary.
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
Friday, September 6, 2013
Football Season
For those that have been reading awhile, you know that I always have at least one post a year about football. Most of the time the kids don't even make it inside the stadium, but spending time tailgating (or boulevarding in this case) is always fun.
I play in the alumni band. You can't see me in the picture, but I promise I'm there somewhere. We make the kids stand off to the side because the group is rather loud.
It's always a family and pet friendly event. My kids met this dog (we didn't actually know the owners). They ask for permission to pet and then spent a long time petting and hugging the sweet dog.
Some of the kind drummers let my kids play.
I let the kids pick any shirt in the school colors. They grow too fast for me to buy them the licensed school clothes.
Thursday, July 18, 2013
Dog Sitting
I've written multiple times about the many benefits of kids growing up with dogs and pets in general. After our dog died just before the kids' second birthday, we decided we weren't ready for another mouth to feed and animal to train. So, what's the solution if we still want some of the benefits? We offer to watch the neighbor's dogs!
Our neighbors actually have 3 dogs and we normally only watch Coco - seen above. She is older, great with kids, and doesn't require a ton of work. The kids love playing with her, feeding her, and running around.
Such a wonderful dog to put up with this!
This time we also agreed to watch their puppy - Jasper. I was impressed how well the puppy followed the directions of two year olds. The kids are the ones who got out the blanket and told the dogs to lay down. I wasn't surprised that Coco followed directions. But the puppy? That's impressive!
Monday, July 1, 2013
Happy Canada Day!
I'm sure you are all aware that today is Canada Day! A day celebrated far and wide... at least in Canada. We went to the ever popular Canada Day parade in Halifax, NS.
Waving patriotic flags waiting for the parade to go by!
I admit this was my first time seeing a maple leaf zombie.
This was the kids favorite part of the parade. Sweet Son said, "That silly dog is driving a truck!" Sweet Daughter replied, "Dogs are only allowed to drive in Canada, not in America."
This afternoon I will post another way we celebrated. How are you celebrating today?
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
The farm in Poland (Zajaczkow)
After our visit to Lodz, we headed to Zajaczkow, or as we call it "the farm." Being from the city, usually a trip to a farm would be more like a field trip for us, so getting to visit family on a farm was exciting for many reasons.
My kids love dogs, so finding one who just hung around waiting to be petted was a treat every time they went up and down the steps to the front door.
They fed the chickens and even got to pet one. We got to eat fresh eggs and it was fun watching the kids make the connection to where eggs really do come from.
Riding in a tractor and being able to help drive? Pretty much a dream come true for a 2 year old.
When we visit farms around us, they never just open the barn and let the kids explore. The kids spent a lot of time climbing on this and taking turns trying to pull it to give each other rides. (They couldn't get it to move.)
We ended the day by climbing on the hay. It's more fun than a playground any day.
Monday, August 20, 2012
Best Dog Ever!
I'm sure you are tired of my posts about the importance of kids having animals. This post is very different. We found out in May that our beloved dog had advanced cancer that we couldn't treat. We did everything we could to make him comfortable in his last few months.
He may be taller than her, but he still let her dress him up in costumes. Our kids had no concept of death and Rocky was always with us, so we knew this would be difficult. After much research, we decided to just answer their questions directly and with appropriate concrete language. Saying things like the dog has "passed away" or that he is "in a better place" or that we "put him to sleep" doesn't make any sense to a toddler.
We did change our language about when we took Rocky to the doctor. We stopped referring to him as sick because we didn't want them to think every time someone gets sick that they die. They did see the many pills we were giving him every day and knew we were trying to make him feel better. They also couldn't miss the many vet appointments. They knew something was wrong, but didn't realize how bad it was. They did like that toward the end Rocky wore a diaper at night just like they do. It's good to find a silver lining. haha
When the time finally arrived we had someone come stay with the kids while we took Rocky to the vet. My husband and I were with him and needed the time to compose ourselves before going home to explain it to the kids. When we walked in the door, the first thing sweet daughter said was "Where is Rocky?" We sat down on their level and told them that Rocky had died. We explained that he wasn't hurting any more and we wouldn't see him again. They ask many questions, but did seem to get it eventually. We answered their questions and we talk about Rocky any time they bring him up.
People want to know how long it takes for them to forget or stop asking. I'm writing this blog post a year later and can't answer it yet. They still remember Rocky and talk about him. If someone asks if we have a dog, sweet daughter will say, "Rocky died." She says it very matter of factly and even knows to give me a hug after (I tend to get upset still). In fact this week, we were doing dictation about car rides and she said her favorite person to ride in a car with was Rocky when we went to Oklahoma. That was literally a year ago and she still remembers.
Sweet son also remembers Rocky, but in a more concrete way. When he sees a big dog he will run up to it and say it's nice like Rocky. If a dog licks his face he will say it's like Rocky, etc.
He may be taller than her, but he still let her dress him up in costumes. Our kids had no concept of death and Rocky was always with us, so we knew this would be difficult. After much research, we decided to just answer their questions directly and with appropriate concrete language. Saying things like the dog has "passed away" or that he is "in a better place" or that we "put him to sleep" doesn't make any sense to a toddler.
We did change our language about when we took Rocky to the doctor. We stopped referring to him as sick because we didn't want them to think every time someone gets sick that they die. They did see the many pills we were giving him every day and knew we were trying to make him feel better. They also couldn't miss the many vet appointments. They knew something was wrong, but didn't realize how bad it was. They did like that toward the end Rocky wore a diaper at night just like they do. It's good to find a silver lining. haha
When the time finally arrived we had someone come stay with the kids while we took Rocky to the vet. My husband and I were with him and needed the time to compose ourselves before going home to explain it to the kids. When we walked in the door, the first thing sweet daughter said was "Where is Rocky?" We sat down on their level and told them that Rocky had died. We explained that he wasn't hurting any more and we wouldn't see him again. They ask many questions, but did seem to get it eventually. We answered their questions and we talk about Rocky any time they bring him up.
People want to know how long it takes for them to forget or stop asking. I'm writing this blog post a year later and can't answer it yet. They still remember Rocky and talk about him. If someone asks if we have a dog, sweet daughter will say, "Rocky died." She says it very matter of factly and even knows to give me a hug after (I tend to get upset still). In fact this week, we were doing dictation about car rides and she said her favorite person to ride in a car with was Rocky when we went to Oklahoma. That was literally a year ago and she still remembers.
Sweet son also remembers Rocky, but in a more concrete way. When he sees a big dog he will run up to it and say it's nice like Rocky. If a dog licks his face he will say it's like Rocky, etc.
Monday, July 11, 2011
Kids and Pets (part 2)
Since some new research has come out about the benefits of raising kids with pets, I thought I would revisit the subject.
As I mentioned in the last post about pets, children with pets have fewer allergies than those raised without them. The new research confirms that, but goes farther into looking at which specific allergens are impacted. Pet dander was an obvious one, but children raised with cats and dogs also were less likely to develop allergies to dust-mites, ragweed and grass. Having pets does not seem to impact food allergies.
I had also mentioned how pets teach children to be more caring and nurturing. The new research supports this and finds that children raised in a family with dogs and cats show the same signs of "advanced nurturing" as older children who have 3 or more younger siblings. This is demonstrated through understanding the feelings and thoughts of others, taking responsibility for caring for others, and anticipating the needs of someone else.
While there has been a lot of research showing animals comfort people, a new study has come out showing children raised with animals are less anxious, even in situations where the animal is not present. Children taking standardized tests show different levels of anxiety and while looking into different variables that could help this, they discovered that there was a direct correlation between lower anxiety and students with pets. Of course, correlation is not causation, so research will continue.
Having pets has also been proven to increase reading skills, including reading comprehension. This research has been done in many different studies. Some studied kids who have pets at home, divided by type of pet and a child's interaction with the pet. While cats and dogs were the most common, some kids with fish, rodents, and lizards also had a small benefit to their reading scores. The common factor seems to be how often the child talks or reads to their pet. Another study built off of this and tested if kids read to their stuffed animals if it would have the same impact. Unfortunately the answer was no. Apparently when reading to a live animal kids are more likely to correct themselves and explain the story and while reading to stuffed animals they often made up their own stories rather than reading the book. There have been other studies testing whether kids reading to a therapy dog outside the home would have the same positive effect. The answer is yes, but to a smaller degree. I know our local library has a Read to Rover program, so if you don't have a pet, feel free to look for similar free programs near you!
Petting the puppy
As I mentioned in the last post about pets, children with pets have fewer allergies than those raised without them. The new research confirms that, but goes farther into looking at which specific allergens are impacted. Pet dander was an obvious one, but children raised with cats and dogs also were less likely to develop allergies to dust-mites, ragweed and grass. Having pets does not seem to impact food allergies.
Both looking guilty
I had also mentioned how pets teach children to be more caring and nurturing. The new research supports this and finds that children raised in a family with dogs and cats show the same signs of "advanced nurturing" as older children who have 3 or more younger siblings. This is demonstrated through understanding the feelings and thoughts of others, taking responsibility for caring for others, and anticipating the needs of someone else.
It's not nice to pull hair.
He thinks he's a lap dog.
While there has been a lot of research showing animals comfort people, a new study has come out showing children raised with animals are less anxious, even in situations where the animal is not present. Children taking standardized tests show different levels of anxiety and while looking into different variables that could help this, they discovered that there was a direct correlation between lower anxiety and students with pets. Of course, correlation is not causation, so research will continue.
Clearly a part of the pack
Having pets has also been proven to increase reading skills, including reading comprehension. This research has been done in many different studies. Some studied kids who have pets at home, divided by type of pet and a child's interaction with the pet. While cats and dogs were the most common, some kids with fish, rodents, and lizards also had a small benefit to their reading scores. The common factor seems to be how often the child talks or reads to their pet. Another study built off of this and tested if kids read to their stuffed animals if it would have the same impact. Unfortunately the answer was no. Apparently when reading to a live animal kids are more likely to correct themselves and explain the story and while reading to stuffed animals they often made up their own stories rather than reading the book. There have been other studies testing whether kids reading to a therapy dog outside the home would have the same positive effect. The answer is yes, but to a smaller degree. I know our local library has a Read to Rover program, so if you don't have a pet, feel free to look for similar free programs near you!
Sweet puppy
He's looking back because she stopped petting.
Monday, March 7, 2011
Kids and Pets
We have a little puppy that is a huge part of our family. Ok, he may not look that little to you, but he is little to us. There are many benefits to raising kids with pets (preferably the furry kind). The biggest health benefit is a huge decrease in allergies and asthma. An increased immune system has also been proven in these kids.
We did a lot of research and met a few puppies before deciding this was our dog. We had both grown up with dogs and agreed we wanted a large dog. Small dogs typically bark or yip constantly and are more likely to bite young kids. Big dogs are typically quieter, gentler, and better suited to being around young children. We found our puppy in a shelter and he had a great disposition. He is not an alpha dog by any means and he has never shown food aggression.
There are many other lessons learned from having pets. How to be kind, gentle, and loving are all demonstrated in the home. Kids will confide in pets and this has been shown to increase self-confidence and self-esteem. They learn impulse control and can improve social skills. Something as simple as playing fetch teaches kids how to take turns and share.
An animal will teach natural consequences - if he doesn't want to be petted or played with he will just walk away. We are very lucky to have a dog that is great with kids. If they do something he doesn't like, for example pulling his ears, he will lick them in the face. This makes them let go and laugh. They stop pulling his ears and everyone is happy once again.
Children raised with animals also tend to get more exercise. Kids chase the dog around and play outside more often. Our dog requires a daily walk, which is always a fun time for our kids. We can't wait till they are old enough to walk it instead of getting to ride though!
Having a pet is also a good way to teach responsibility. Giving the dog food, water, and letting him outside are just the tip of the iceberg. Seeing the dog go to the vet, get medication, and shots also helps kids empathize with a shared experience.
Our sweet puppy
He's always around.
The boys (minus the husband)
An animal will teach natural consequences - if he doesn't want to be petted or played with he will just walk away. We are very lucky to have a dog that is great with kids. If they do something he doesn't like, for example pulling his ears, he will lick them in the face. This makes them let go and laugh. They stop pulling his ears and everyone is happy once again.
Just one of the pack
Children raised with animals also tend to get more exercise. Kids chase the dog around and play outside more often. Our dog requires a daily walk, which is always a fun time for our kids. We can't wait till they are old enough to walk it instead of getting to ride though!
Not the type of ride I meant...
Having a pet is also a good way to teach responsibility. Giving the dog food, water, and letting him outside are just the tip of the iceberg. Seeing the dog go to the vet, get medication, and shots also helps kids empathize with a shared experience.
Monkey see, monkey do
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)