Hip..Hip..Hooray for Harly!

Hooray...Harly's eyes are open now..he is 4 weeks old today and is growing soo beautifully. I can't wait to go visit him again and cuddle..and play with him..

I ( Corinna ) went to a wonderful Dog Show yesterday...and got to talk with a couple of Therapy Dog workers.very interesting to find out 1st hand what they do..and a few things to look out for..Most important is to socialiaze Harly with children...older folk...take him to as many different places as he is allowed..The 2 ladies I spoke with both do Reading Programmes with children..and thier dogs..were sooo sweet, gentle and so attentive.

I met also with the lady, Kirsten who will be training Harly for the 1st 8 weeks afer we bring him home... Puppy obedience class is also a very important part of the beginning stages of therapy dogs.. She is soo delightful and fun and I know Harly will just be such an obedient dog !!!!

Time is flying by..4 weeks on...5 more to go.. yahoo!!

Welcome to ......

YAY!

We finally have decided on a name for our " Happy Havanese" .......

* * *drum roll* * *

........1st...there is something important to share...

My dad is a very wonderful, sweet, loving, caring, giving man. He has devoted his whole life to medicine and helping to save peoples lives in a specialised filed.. "Heart Medicine". My dad has just celebrated his 97th Birthday and even tho he is now retired from medicine, his heart is still beating and reaching out full of love to people all around him!

We have decided to honour my dad and use his middle name, "HARLAND"....

This little guy is going to be able to give lots of love to people like my dad who are in nursing homes and bring that bit of JOY to thier lives while in thier last remaining years.

so a big welcome to " HARLY, the HAPPY HAVANESE" !!

2 weeks on....

Here is a sweet updated picture of our "honey" of a puppy..he is showing such a gorgeous glow to his coat and I just know he is going to be a sweet and very gorgeous boy ! He is now 2 weeks old and the waiting time is I think God's way of teaching us patience !! I am soo looking forward to going to visit him in a couple of weeks and getting more acquainted with him. That is the beauty of having a breeder so local and handy .Feel free to share anything you might have information on and we are still looking for a name..but "Honey" seems to be sticking...( no pun intended.hahaha ) !!!!

have a blessed weekend everyone..til next time....
Gods JOY..PEACE and LOVE

God Knows!

Gods mercies are new everyday!

It's soo fun exploring new avenues and today I had the opportunity to email the author of the book I ordered yesterday......"Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Help Others" by kathy Diamond Davis. I so pray and hope she responds and stays in touch. After reading her blog and a couple of articles of hers, I found she is also a Christian; just another confirmation Gods hand is upon us and this ministry .

I came across this sweet poem...please enjoy..be blessed and encouraged!

When you are tired and discouraged from fruitless
efforts.....God knows how hard you have tried.
When you've cried so long and your heart is in anguish.....
God has Counted your tears.
If you feel that your life is on hold and time has passed
you by....God is waiting with you. When you're lonely and your friends are too busy even for a
phone call.....God is by your side.
When you think you've tried everything and don't know where
to turn.....God has a solution.
When nothing makes sense and you are confused or
frustrated.....God has the answer.

If suddenly your outlook is brighter and you find traces of
hope.....God has whispered to you.
When things are going well and you have much to be
thankful for.....God has blessed you.
When something joyful happens and you are filled
with awe.....God has smiled upon you.

When you have a purpose to fulfill and a dream to
follow.....God has opened your eyes and called you by name.
Remember that wherever you are or whatever you are
facing.....GOD KNOWS!!

Gathering Information

Today was rather quiet, but it's fun learning how to set up our new blog. We discovered today about being able to meld other blog sites to ours and was searching for other bloggers who are training Therapy Dogs also.

I (Corinna) have been reading thru some websites about training our TD and came across a book that was highly recommended by many people who already have trained a dog. The name of the book is "Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Reach Others" by Kathy Diamond Davis. If you know of any other books/DVDs that would be worth looking at, please leave a comment here and I will check into them.

Each day God is bringing everything into clearer perspective and we are both excited at how His hand is unfolding this new ministry.

We added 2 new websites today for a fantastic church we attend , pastored by Greg Johnson in Salem, OR. Take the time to enjoy some of his teachings and what wonderful things Gods doing in the most unchurched state in this nation.

From the Mrs...

Greetings,

I have had a passion in my heart for about 6 months now to start a new ministry. God's timing is always perfect and now is the right time to begin. The vision I have been given is to purchase a puppy (Havanese) and take him into nursing homes, childrens wards in hospitals, and even school libraries to aid children in their Reading Programs.

I have researched and been reading all about training a Therapy Dog and I know Gods called me to do this as my heart is to serve others and reach out and love those who need a special touch .I have attached a picture of the puppy I would like to purchase. He is a real cutie and the breeder is local, so there are no shipping costs involved.

I have talked already a couple of times with the breeder and he ( Bryan) has been so helpful and given me very informative information and says the Havanese breed is perfect for using as a Therapy Dog as thier personalities and temperaments are so friendly and gentle and lap up all the loving they can.

You can check out at these web sites what I will be involved in. First, I will get involved in a group therapy and then branch out on my own. I will spend 1st 12 months socialising and training my puppy and get him prepared for therapy and register him with the "Therapy Dog Inc" when he is 12 months old. Within the 1st 12 months I will approach a few nursing homes and childrens schools/libraries and ask them may I bring him into help socialise him and familiarise himself with these kind of environments.

I am excited at what God is doing in my life and I ask you please to pray and seek if this is something you can help me with and maybe contribute towards this new ministry whether in prayer, helpful advice or maybe a financial offering ( I am currently saving towards purchasing my new puppy) and be apart of it. Would you care to join me and share in this vision?

This is truly going to be a blessed ministry. I will continue to keep you updated as things progress.

Thank you for being a wonderful friend and a blessing in my life.

You can contact me at... God's furry little helper,

God bless you.

A New Ministry

God has placed a desire on my wifes heart to start a ministry of visiting the elderly and children in hospitals and homes, with a therapy dog.

This is my first attempt with a blog, I pray that I can make it enjoyable to those that visit and care to follow along. I wanted others to be able to enjoy the journey with us as we take a dog from a puppy to an adult and into the world of therapy for those nearing the end of life here on Earth and those with illness.

This is new to us and exciting at the same time. We will be learning as we go along.

Today is the day Corinna (that's my wife) went to visit our soon to be puppy. She did lot's of research and has contacted several people and breeders about what type of dog seems best fitted for therapy work. We found that there are many types of dogs used for therapy, but the one particular dog she found was a "Havanese". I will post a picture and more information on these types of dogs as we move closer to the adpotion date, which will be about mid September.