September 13, 2010

White Dog and Quinn could sense something was not good the minute Michael walked in from school. First, he did not arrive by schoolbus, he walked up the block. Second, he gave off a vibe that said, "Don't crowd me or ask me questions." The pups heard the message and gathered by me, waiting.

Michael had begun training to ride the public bus system today as part of his community access classes. He has resisted the notion filled with fears of getting lost or worse even though he is riding with a mentor. He refuses to carry the cell phone and is too embarrassed to carry a paper with our written address and phone number in his backpack even though he has not yet memorized either...so we can all understand some of his trepidation. Compounding the day was the fact that this training took him out of his 7th period class so he had make up homework for what he missedand he did not get home until nearly 45 minutes later than usual. He claimed waiting for the buses was long and hot and he was not happy. White Dog and The Other White Dog gave him space (even though they wanted to make it all better with licks and wags) and he went to his room (but not before we told him that we were all proud of his effort and hoped he would keep trying).

When Michael came up for dinner, Gregg and Candace and Richard (and Dragon) were over. They had helped take out the dead stove and move in the shiny new replacement that we had gotten yesterday. WD, TOWD, and The Honorary White Dog had supervised the installation and had watched over the grilling of pork chops for our meal. Both pups were a little timid not knowing Michael's state of mind but were quickly thrilled to find him talkative, social, and relaxed. They crowded around him begging for bites and pets. Suddenly the day seemed much much better!