Rhapsody’s Chronicles 2007
Our Adventure in Arkansas Continues . . .
2 February 2007 – Friday
Everywhere Rhapsody goes, she notably appears to make new friends. She's satisfying to see those familiar faces daily as we are in school, which she's glad now that we are going five days a week. This week she vigorously experienced something brand new and exciting. It was something cold, a little bit wet on her nose and paws, making her all frisky inside and out. It was some Arkansan snow. Since Rhapsody came to her new home last year, she had a considerable amount of recent experiences but this one tops them all in her doggie world of adventure. One fact we know for certain, she's definitely is a water dog but who would have figure she be a snow dog too.
It was Wednesday afternoon she came home from school and got out of the car with her guide dog handler. Suddenly felt all of this white wet stuff coming down out of the sky onto her nose; but to her bewilderment, she didn't know what to make of this new stuff. It wasn't until the next day she totally experiences the realm of what this white wet stuff from the sky did. Several times in the past, she understood what freezing ground and some white flurry stuff was like, but nothing compared to this totally white substance called snow that covered her whole backyard.
After her morning meal, she anticipated her normal everyday routine of “taking care of your business.” When the sliding glass door curtain push opened to her bewildering eyes, look upon all this white bright stuff lying upon the ground that wasn't there before. Rhapsody was dying with anticipation to let her outside before her guide dog handler did. As soon as she was permitted to be loose and to roam free for a few minutes, Rhapsody started to run like a mad dog in circles, pouncing upon the snow, biting it, and even eating it too. “Hum?” She considered, “it tastes like the hard cold stuff when it's hot really hot outside, except it’s soft, wet and getting into my nose.” Rhapsody sneezes a few times to get it out, and all the while, her guide dog handler, could only shake his head and laugh with amazement of her silliness.
Later that day, Rhapsody had a great old time with the kids outside, since they were home from school. She was grant permission to go and play outside in the snow with the boys in the backyard. Rhapsody probably was outside for nearly an hour, just running back and forth, playing snowball catch with every snowball the boys thrown at each other. She even created her own version of the snow angels in the snow, which her guide dog handler called them “doggie angels.” Everyone laughed hysterically. Later before going to bed, she went outside to take care of her business. She started getting frisky again doing a few more “doggie angels”, however, this time she tried ever possible way to catch the snow flakes as it drifted down from the night sky. Rhapsody surely has been one very good entertainer these past couple of days.
4 March 2007 – Sunday
Every day always an adventure for Rhapsody, she is traveling to college five days a week with a few off track routine. Rhapsody loves to go places and feels sad when everyone else is leaving without her but she knows her guider is near her. She gets comfort from that.
This past week Rhapsody got a taste of what it will be like to attend a middle school when her guider began his teaching career. The first time she when to the Russellville Middle School, she got to meet Mr. Harpenau, the principal of the middle school, who is a real dog lover for he had two golden labs. It was here Rhapsody’s got her taste of what other kids were like in the school, we travel down to the classroom of Mrs. Sharbaugh and Ms. Lee, where they were teaching their wonderful resource students. We were all standing in the hallway entry of the two classrooms. Rhapsody kept doing was looking back and forth looking at all the kids in each of the doorway of those she never met before and wanted to greet them.
After a few minutes we went into Ms. Lee’s CBI (Community Base Instructional) classroom and introduce Rhapsody to all those students. Rhapsody found a few of the kids loving her kisses as they giggle from her kisses. But the following week we went into the same classroom Rhapsody settle down beside her guider as he take notes from what the teacher/students were doing that day. She got to meet more students in Mrs. Sharbaugh’s class and finally even a few more in another class she was teaching.
Rhapsody’s adventure continues when she visit more with these students in the coming week.
27 May 2007 – Sunday
It has been many months since Rhapsody’s last entry; however it seems right to still tell her tale in her life. Rhapsody everyday life has been the same activities day in and day out but what makes her life so unique is some of the special moments she share with others people in her life, especially her guide dog user, which he seemingly appreciate her daily for guiding him where ever he needs to go.
Since the beginning of the 2007 spring semester at UCA, Rhapsody finally got into the daily routine of guiding me around campus very well and timely. She does her job so well that she often seems to take me to my next class without a word spoken from me from time to time. She knows when to settle down to relax at the beginning of class, down to when it is time to go at the end. She knows every path to walk to our next class every day. On certain days, such as Tuesday and Thursday when we go to the same building as the other day of the week, I simply say to her, “Class is downstairs today” and she head right to the right door on that floor. Another funny thing is how she takes me to class on another floor and following that is my next class on the same floor. Rhapsody was so good about taking me to the next class, that she would count the number of doors we need to go down the hall before stopping at the right door. She ceases to amaze me every day as how much she really learns and knows.
Rhapsody one adventure has been one I wasn’t sure how well she would handle or be handled in an environment of children in her surrounding. And she got her chance when it was time to do a teacher’s observation for one of my class assignment. When Rhapsody seems to go to a new place she does her share of looking about her surrounding and then do some extra sniffin’ about to be familiar with her new surrounding. Once we met Mr. Al Harpenau, she would sniff him and do her happy waggy tail and Mr. Harpenau told me that he has two labs at home, so nonetheless, Rhapsody like him because of his love for dogs. After this initial meeting, Rhapsody had her first taste of what it will be like in her future of being surrounded by many children on a daily basis. You know! Rhapsody did rather well considering how many children there were in the classrooms but she fit in very well. Rhapsody was so well like that this is what one of the teacher’s she met wrote about her:
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Broken Rule
By Beth Sharbaugh
Russellville Middle SchoolIn the nursery rhyme, “Mary had a little lamb. It’s fleece was white as snow. And, everywhere that Mary went, the lamb was sure to go. It followed her to school one day which was against the rule.” Due to the open-mindedness and willingness of our superintendent, Mr. Randall Williams, and our principal, Mr. Al Harpenau, the rule was broken. The first working service team was at the Russellville Middle School.
We were pleased and proud to have Matt Friend, a UCA student, and his service dog, Rhapsody, observe in Mrs. Dawn Lee’s and my classes.
Matt is an education major at UCA in Conway, and he hopes to obtain a master’s degree in special education. As part of his course work, he is required to observe in a special education setting in a public school. Matt is visually and hearing impaired. Thus, he and Rhapsody are a working team.
In advance of their arrival at school, Matt sent educational resource information to help prepare the students gain a basic understanding of what a guide dog does to assist someone who is blind.
One of my students, Jesse Johnson, had an opportunity to take part in a summer service dog program at The School for the Blind in Little Rock. He gave a brief presentation which included pictures of his experience to the classes. It was the perfect personal touch.
Matt and Rhapsody came for two (2) weeks every other afternoon for three (3) hours, and spent an hour in Mrs. Lee’s room and two (2) hours in my room. They even observed in my co-teach language arts class with Mrs. Georgia Fletcher.
Recently, Matt presented us with framed pictures of himself and Rhapsody with our classes. We treasure them, and sincerely appreciate the opportunity to have him and Rhapsody at RMS.
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When school was over for me, Rhapsody got settle down to relax for a bit in the month of May since we were due to go back to school in June. However it has been a rather than a more than just a relax time but down time for me. I was due to have eye surgery the day after mother’s day and Rhapsody got my attention that Monday morning before my surgery but none after I finally got home from the hospital for one of the boys at home feed her and work her about. What was funny about that day was how Rhapsody felt about me leaving her at home while I went with Melissa, her utmost favorite person, left her behind.
After my return home from the hospital, which was about four hours later, Rhapsody came greeting me with her joyous and happiest waggy tail and jumping up on me, telling me she misses me greatly. Although at the time I didn’t think much of it for I was tired from my surgery. I reflex up how she reacted to me up my arrival home. I know now Rhapsody is truly committed herself to me as being this great guide dog team.
Since Rhapsody had a lot of down time at home, today she got the greatest joy her heart content. She got to play hard in her most favorite of all her activities, WATER. Romney and I decided to take a ride to the northern parts of Arkansas, where some of our children were camping this weekend. Rhapsody was sitting and at time laying down in the backseat car as we traveled to the Ozark National Forest. As we got close to our children’s campground, Rhapsody got very exciting seeing her family, who left her a couple of days before. Once we stopped and I got out and open the door, she was ready to dart out and greet everybody. However, I had to hold her back and get her leash and harness on so she tried to remember her job as a guide dog. Well! That almost work for she was half paying attention to her job since we were in the forest and wanting to do the normal dog habits of sniffing everything.
After a few moment of greeting everyone, we all headed down to the creek by the campground. For the first part Rhapsody could do her job but I knew it was too much of a task to walk to remainder of the way. So I place her on a long leash and done a few jerk to her leash to remind her, she is going to fast walking while some of my family member are guiding me down the rocky path to the creek. Boy! Rhapsody first sight of the water that, she hesitated to charge into it but knew she was still at my command. It wasn’t until I bend down and started to unleash her and said “Okay!” that Rhapsody went straight for the water. Everybody got a kick out of Rhapsody’s content to continue to run in and out of the water for nearly two hours with some of us trying to throw a stick into the water and she goes and fetches it. You know! Rhapsody is surely a very strong swimmer and seems rather tireless from the activities.
When the two hours was over with Rhapsody still wish to continue to keep swimming but I just had to get her to rest from time to time, worry she would wear herself out from exhaustion. But that wasn’t the case even though I told her it was time to stop playing in the water. Today was her utmost joyous day to play non-stop in the water. But the fun part was trying to get her dried, needless to say, I got wet from all her shaking the water off her smelling wet fur. Once we got home with her, she got brushed and combed and feed, Rhapsody was so exhausted from the day’s activity. Instead of going out and doing her daily walk around the church parking lot before taking care of her business, she jump up on the couch and went to sleep while I just sat next to her and petting her for the next two hours before she decided to get up.
Rhapsody is such a great guide dog. I am so grateful for her every day I use her for my daily purpose. I am so glad I went to the Guide Dog school to get her, she is everything and more to me. Rhapsody will soon be three years old on June second. Thanks to her puppy raiser for doing a tremendous job in raising her. And we will have our first year anniversary on the twenty-fourth of June. Yeahee!!
10 August 2007 – Friday
Time sure flies by when life gets busy with every day activities of school, home life, and of course doggie’s life too. Rhapsody has been going back and forward for nearly ten weeks of summer school session. However she has been getting a lot of down time these past two or three weeks because of the weather being extremely hot to take walks in our neighborhood. Even though she was feeling under the weather for a few days, she never cease to be a happy girl, especially when it someone she knows and glad to see them again.
Rhapsody has surely been maturing a great deal since our one-year anniversary in June from the Guide Dog for the Blind school. She seems very content with her life here in Russellville, Arkansas. But no matter what is going on in life she will get to know every person she comes in contact with at home or at school.
4 November 2007 – Sunday
Life sure gets busy with Rhapsody and I at college. Every day always seems to be an adventure for us but other days are the same humdrum daily tasks. Rhapsody is still a very intelligent and beautiful girl that I have got from the Guide Dog for the Blind school over sixteen months ago. Wow! Where has the time gone to. Tom and Cinda keep in touch with us from time to time and after nearly two and a half years they have decided to be a puppy raiser again but looking for another Rhapsody’s reincarnated. Sorry, I don’t think there ever get another Rhapsody but they surely can try.
Remember a few month ago back I have place an unpublished written article about Rhapsody and I from a seventh grade Special Education teacher at Russellville Middle School? (See May 27, 2007 entry). Well the Russellville School District newsletter came in the mail a few weeks ago with a picture and a VERY shorten version of the original story by Mrs. Beth Sharbaugh. However, it was fun to be in the news again. (Article Source: RSD - Russellville School District Newsletter; Summer 2007 – Volume 4, Issue 1, p. 8).
Well another semester will be down in a few more weeks for both us. We have been doing a LOT of running back and forth between classes and the Torreyson Library trying to do research for all kinds of essay. But needless to say some are going well and other are struggling along.
Rhapsody had one mishap day of being sick in one of our classroom but the professor was very understanding and a couple of the student came to help clean up the mess. Yuk! Rhapsody nevertheless she got the rest of that day off, since she wasn’t really feeling well. I figure it was the combination of being in the cold that day and the extreme heat of that classroom.
Well we are off to another adventure and hopefully it will be much more interesting than the last. Rhapsody and I will see you down the road.
10 December 2007 - Monday
Happy Holiday!!!
Happy Holiday to all of our Families, Friends, and others whom knows Rhapsody!
The holiday's are approaching and time for a new year to begin. Rhapsody and I have been through a great deal again this semester at the University of Central Arkansas. We are in the midst of our final week of college and preparing to take our final exam. We hope you week is much better than our.
As this season is fast approaching. Rhapsody and I have decided to keep it simple for our holiday. Of course, you will be getting a nice picture to view of our latest photograph of us together. We hope you like our newly updated web-blog and hope to read more as we usher into the new year of 2008.
May all of you have a blessed holiday season and a happy new year!!!
31 December 2007 - Monday
Happy New Year!!!
Soon it will be a new year. Rhapsody and I will have been together just over one and a half year. Christmas day had brought our family over for some Chicago-style deep-dish pizza extravaganza, in which Rhapsody was having a feasting with the kitchen morsels on the floor. Nonetheless, when I did see her in the room I shoo her away and place her on tie-down until I was done.
Rhapsody loves it when everyone in the family is here especially the grandkids. They seem to be the right height to try and jump up into their lap went they were sitting. As the evening wear down to our family tradition of opening the first gift, which were always pajama for the next morning's explosion of chaos and glees when everyone trying to open all the presents all at once. Nevertheless, Rhapsody was in the middle of it all, especially when she has to open her own present. Of course, it was not like the wrapping Christmas paper that I had my pajamas in but she knew it was hers because of the smell of it was something for her.
As she waited for the industrial strength tape was sip-off, Rhapsody when to town with full head into the gift bag her gift was in. Everyone in the room just roar with laughter as she tried to figure out a way to get her gift out of that bag. Finally, after several attempts to pull the toy out her mission was accomplish and planted her in the middle of the front room finding new ways to play with this three-ring tug-a-war toy. We all watch with our bewildering eyes and chuckle at Rhapsody playfulness with her new toy. It was an eventful morning. Now Rhapsody make any attempt to bring it outside when she needs to take care of her business but she rather play first before that gets taken care of.
Now it is the dawn of a new year, Rhapsody and I have work together very comfortable for the past year and a half. We hope to have a great new year in 2008 but our adventure together will never be dull.
--- Signed: Matt & Rhapsody - December 2007
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