Teacher's Pet: Dogs and Kids Learning Together

New Lives.....

2009-11-11T13:04:00.002-05:00

Teacher's Pet is featured in a new book called New Lives!!! Click here to learn more about it!

New Teacher's Pet Article!

2009-10-14T16:43:00.000-04:00

http://www.oxfordleader.com/Articles-i-2009-10-14-231921.113121_Program_teaches_dogs_kids_new_tricks.html#222

Click on "New Teacher's Pet Article" for an amazing article about Teacher's Pet. I think its one of the best articles yet!!!

New article

2009-10-05T14:02:00.002-04:00

Another article about the Teacher's Pet program!

The hardest part....

2009-09-25T00:04:00.000-04:00

So, I've been having a really hard time since H left the JJC (Juvenile Justice Center). I'm not used to not knowing ANYTHING about what is going on with a student once they have graduated from the program. The kids in the JJC are there because they committed crimes, crimes of which they probably wouldn't have committed had they had good homes. Some, maybe do have a decent home, but H does not, and now she's been sent back to that so called home. She has my phone number but I don't know if she'll use it or be allowed to. So many times I've wanted to ask some of the employees at the JJC "How do you deal with these kids being sent back to their parents, probably the worst place for them to be, and then never seeing them again or know how they are doing", but I can't bring myself to ask. I'm afraid if I do, and then find a way to deal with it, eventually I'd just get used to it and every time a kid goes home it would just be another kid going home. I don't want that. I want to care, I want to worry and I want to cry for them. This isn't just a job, it's so much more than that, it means so much more to me. These kids are so special, and the dogs.....are truly amazing. They don't even know how much they are helping, more then any human could possibly do.

Today I saw a girl go from completely frustrated in the beginning of class to ecstatic because she could not believe how her patience and consistency paid off in just one hour! The dog had just learned to sit, that's all, just to sit when she told him (Emmett) to. That one hour with Emmett today, will help her get through until Tuesday and she'll walk out into the yard having confidence in herself, possibly something she has never had.

Off to bed now! I just had to get all this out so I can try to get some sleep now!
Thanks for reading,
Lisa

Started a new class

2009-09-17T09:28:00.003-04:00

We started a new group on September 10th. 14 kids now!!! Two have six weeks till graduation, BE and M. Three have graduated and are mentors now, N, T, and D (H and N have both gone home now!). And nine new kids, J, D, Z, Bri, B, H, D, G, and one that hasn't started yet and will hopefully start today. The dogs this time around are Jeezy (Pit Bull), Harmony (Hound mix of some sort), Bella (Boxer), Emmett (Hound Mix), Keywii (Beagle), Chance (Beagle mix), and Hazel (Pit/Lab mix). Three of them were sick and I'm thinking they won't be back today. One of them, Chance, will probably be replaced because he was VERY sick. It's a great group of dogs and kids.

H and N have gone home now. N went home right after graduation and has continued counseling with the therapist she saw while in the JJC. H went home yesterday. She will also continue seeing her therapist, three times a week. I'd like to say I'm very happy for H but while we were working with the dogs Tuesday she came to me and told me she was leaving Wednesday. I said I was very happy for her. She didn't look happy about it. I asked her what was wrong and she said that she didn't want to go home and that she wishes she could just stay at the JJC. So now I'm thinking...Is it really that bad for her at home that she would rather stay at the JJC or does she love her new friends, her therapist, the employees, and our program so much that she'd just rather stay? It really makes me worry about her. I prayed and cried for her several times yesterday(this is where the "job" gets difficult).
During class Tuesday H asked if she could read out loud what she wrote in her journal. She wrote......

Today is my last day in the dog program and its actually really upsetting to me. I'm going to miss Miss Lisa and all the other helpers in this program a lot. I appreciate and can't even to begin to explain how thankful I am to have them help us. I learned so much about myself and others in this program. I am very happy that I got to be in this dog program and got to experience meeting such wonderful people. I'm truly going to miss each and every one that devoted their time to us.

(tears again)

This is from a 15 year old child. A 15 year old girl that was incarcerated and if people on the outside knew she had been incarcerated, they wouldn't give her the time of day, possibly even her own parents. I know some adults that aren't thankful for much at all and have probably forgotten some of the kind things people have done for them. H will never forget and now will go on to help others and more dogs.
H is just one of the many reasons why I LOVE this program!!!

Here is another reason.....Tuesday N wrote.....

I feel very excited to be able to mentor the other participants! (for the most part) There is certain people who I can't stand, but I've been working with Mr. Berry on my tolerance for others.

Those of you that have met N can see this coming out of his mouth! He's so sweet, wants to know EVERYTHING about dogs and animals, and is working VERY hard on himself to be a better person. He also speaks his mind.

And another reason......Z was held back from the program for weeks. Fortunately, he has people working with him and fighting for him to get him into the program. Z gets into a lot of trouble. He is the boy that you might look at and think he's the tough boy in the class. Tuesday Z wrote......

I feel good that we got a good dog that wasn't treated well. She is so cute and needs someone who will care about her. We named her Harmony and it fits her perfectly. I'm about to cry because my dog is really sick.

Z also choose a pink folder for his journal with a kitten on the front and wrote "Ziggy" underneath it. Not so "tough" after all. Can't judge a book by it's cover.

So those are just a few of stories from the class. I'll post as much as I can this time around.

Thanks so much for reading! Thanks to the volunteers helping this time around....Nicole, Annie, and Barb!!!

Lisa

Macomb Daily article...

2009-08-31T13:22:00.003-04:00

Teacher's Pet had another article run today! This time in the Macomb Daily.......

Detroit News Article

2009-08-24T20:54:00.000-04:00

Click on the slideshow too!

2009-07-27T22:39:00.000-04:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Graduation - 2 days

2009-07-07T22:07:00.003-04:00

How sad...our graduation is in two days. I always get a little bittersweet feeling over graduation. I am so proud of where the girls and dogs have journeyed....and you really get to know them pretty good over the course of two months. Some of the girls are a little more vocal about their feelings than others. We have one really huggy, pretty needy girl that I will miss. Another who has gone through so much trauma in her life that it makes me feel sad that we won't be able to offer her anything anymore...I mean....she loved learning about dogs and pulled every brochure they had in the shelter to read and learn about diseases and shelter life. She absorbed everything like a sponge. She took on THE most challenging dog we had...an overactive, confined treeing walker coonhound with a bad case of happy tail. This dog had been abandoned and would bark incessantly in her kennel. No volunteers would walk her because she was so crazy. But when I offered up the dog to see who would be willing to work with her, she stepped up without a second's hesitation. She wanted the challenge and took it. The dog is unrecognizable now - she no longer has happy tail, no longer barks in her kennel, can walk nicely on a leash and can do just about any trick that C showed her. She is upset, really upset, about not being there, but she keeps so much inside. You could tell by her face that she was about to lose it, but it came out in frustrated words and irritiability. I just feel so sad, yet inspired, by her.

Anyway, I am not as eloquent as Lisa...I just wanted to share.

A good joke.....

2009-06-29T19:26:00.002-04:00

Late one night, a burglar broke into a house he thought was empty. The thief tiptoed through the living room, but froze in his tracks when he heard a voice call out, "Jesus is watching you."
Then silence returned to the house, and, after waiting several minutes, the burglar crept forward once more. "Jesus is watching you," the voice called again.
Paralyzed with fear, the burglar stopped dead again, and looked all around. IN a dark corner, he spotted a bird cage. In the cage was a parrot. He asked the parrot, "Was that you who said Jesus is watching me?"
"Yes," said the parrot. The burglar breathed a sigh of relief, then asked the parrot, "What's your name?" "Dwayne," said the bird. "That's a dumb name for a parrot," sneered the burglar. "What idiot named you Dwayne?"
The parrot said, "The same idiot who named the rottweiler Jesus."
;)

Two new students at the JJC

2009-06-28T12:50:00.003-04:00

I spent part of my Saturday with a couple new girls at the JJC that will be starting the Teacher's Pet program on July 7th. I will call them M. and B. (I don't know maybe I should use fake names, what do you think, would it be easier to figure out who I'm talking about if I use fake names instead of initials?)
On my way up to the units I was told by a "security guard" that H (a current student) wasn't happy that I was coming. :( She doesn't want to sit through any classroom work today, especially since she had already done this part. So, now I know that negative things about class are being said to the new girls regarding the work we would be doing today. This could make things difficult for me. When I first walked in to their living quarters, one of the new girls, M, said to me right away that she did not like dogs and does not want to be a part of the program. I asked her if she'd at least give me a chance today and then make a decision about whether or not she'd like the program. That was quite a gamble since the first few hours is all classroom work and can be very boring depending on the kid! We pulled a table over near a receptacle so I could plug in my computer to begin the presentation. As I started talking and setting up the presentation I noticed that for some reason the screen on my computer wasn't working! The computer itself was working but the screen was very faint. I didn't bring the projector since there was just going to be a couple of us, the projector probably would have worked. That was all I brought with me to work with today! I had to have this computer to show the presentation! What now! One of the new girls, B, said that she's really good with computer's and she'd take a look at it and see if she could get it working, so, I allowed her to and just kept talking about why I was there today and what Teacher's Pet is all about. As I was talking H raised her hand, I called on her and she said, "Miss Lisa, I have my copy of the presentation that you're going to show if that would help any!" Yay! Here H didn't even want to be here today and now she was able to help me out! H went and grabbed her presentation and set if on the table so all of us could see it. She was very pleased with herself as I thanked her. B was unable to get the computer screen to work so we just shut it down and continued using H's hard copy of the presentation. The girls both seemed very interested and H, being the only one from my regular class that was there today, was very eager to help out and point things out that she felt I missed and were important for the girls to know. Once we were done with the presentation H felt that she needed to let the girls know what "Miss Lisa's rules" are because I had forgotten to say. So H told them, "be respectful to Miss Lisa, to each other and to the dogs. Raise your hand when you want to answer a question or ask a question. No using bad words, never call anyone names or make fun of anyone, and clean up after your dog! Oh, and Miss Lisa especially doesn't like the words stupid and idiot, so don't ever use them!" (that last one was funny since H was the one using those words all the time and I had to ask her not to!)

God I LOVE these kids!

We also got a chance to talk a little bit about the new dogs coming in on July 7th and about graduation for the dogs we have now, which will be July 2nd. The new girls will be able to attend graduation and see what it's all about. Before leaving I asked the new girls how they felt about the class so far. B said she's very excited and can't wait to start. M, the one who made it clear in the beginning that she didn't want to be there, said "I think I'm going to like this, but do you think I can work with a small dog?" I told her I have a couple small dogs this time and I'll make sure she gets one of them if that what she feels most comfortable with.

Before leaving I pulled H aside to talk to her about Lilly. Lilly will be staying in our program. H has done a wonderful job with her, especially in the past couple weeks but Lilly still needs work on socialization with people and dogs. H has really stepped up to the plate with training and has really focused on what is best for Lilly but I still feel Lilly needs more work. Since H has been doing so well, after much thought, I've decided to let H make the decision as to what would happen to Lilly in class. Either H keeps working with her or one of the other kids works with Lilly and H works with a new dog. When I told her that, tears welled up in her eyes. I asked her what was wrong and she said "I'd love to keep working with Lilly, I just don't know if that's what's best for her and I want to do what's best for Lilly". Now tears welled up in my eyes. That's exactly what I was hoping she'd say. H came into the class very self centered and could have cared less about much else, but herself. H asked if she could think about it. I asked her what she would be thinking about and why, she said "I know Lilly really good, better then anyone, and I know how she works, but she needs socialization, she probably needs to work with others too." So, I told H she could take some time and let me know next week what she's decided, and if she decided it was to hard of a decision to make, let me know and we'll talk it over and make the decision together. H will make the right decision. To me there isn't a wrong decision here. If H continues to work with Lilly, she knows what needs to be done and will get the job done. If she decides to pass her on to someone else, then H can help them out a little here and there, and I have full trust in all the other kids that they will get the job done. It's a win win situation for Lilly. I just thought it's important for H to have, and be trusted with, this important decision.

So, as it turned out, H was all talk before I got there, she didn't mind at all participating in class. She was really quite helpful. She also volunteered to use my Dog Breed Book to show the new girls how different breeds have different characteristics, etc.

I just love these kids!!!

I noticed that I can add a "pole/voting" type thing on this blog so I'm going to add one for a few days. I'm not sure how many people are actually reading the blog but I'd like to get people's opinion on Lilly. So, check out the pole, to the right, and vote! Also, please comment anytime! and post some things about your day too!!!! I feel like I'm the only one out here!
Thanks for reading!!!

2009-06-26T12:51:00.009-04:00

The dogs got baths yesterday at the MCJJC. We were able to get four of them done before the thunderstorms rolled in. A and N weren't there yesterday anyways so it worked out okay. We'll have to plan some extra time next week so A and N can get Tucker and Cass washed up too! Here's some pictures...

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

The six dogs we are working with now will be graduating next Thursday. I'm working on flyers right now and will post them. If anyone would like I can email copies to you so you can print and pass them out! That would be awesome!

I did a couple videos of two of the kids yesterday, N with Awestin and T with Happy. You have to really listen because it was windy and in some parts all you can hear is the wind! Here they are.....

N.B. with Awestin. Awestin is so funny with that bark and it cracks me up that he decides to bark right as N.B. is talking about how he has taught Awesin not to bark so much, he really has!

T.R. with Happy. When Happy first started class, he would have NEVER say like this, especially for this amount of time. Truly amazing what T.R. has done with him!!!

Change in hours today

2009-06-25T09:52:00.003-04:00

Class today will be from 1pm to 3pm instead of 3-5pm. Since it's going to be such a hot day I decided to try to give all six dogs a bath today! The kids should have a blast! I'll try to post some pictures later!

Lisa

Great Day!

2009-06-23T21:49:00.003-04:00

Today was a great day with the kids. We got through week five and week six has started off great. We only have the rest of this week and next week with this group of dogs, then we will be trying something new. We'll bring in a new group of dogs to work with the same kids! It's pretty exciting. The kids have some anxieties still, about having to let go of the dogs they're working with now, but at the same time they are really excited to meet some new dogs and help them find their forever homes! We may keep Lilly, one of the dogs we have now, in the program. She still needs some work on socialization but she really has come a long way!

I had a meeting today with a few people from the MCJJC and the manager of the Shelter. It went well. These people are so easy to work with! A few of the superiors at the MCJJC have decided that the kids, and families of the kids working with the dogs, will not be able to adopt the dogs they are working with. That's a new one for us. Usually one or even two kids end up going home with the dogs they trained. I guess this is a good thing because the rescues we've worked with in the past usually do a really good check on the adopters and the Shelter does not, you just fill out the app., pay the money, and walk out with the dog. The way the MCJJC is looking at it is that they want the kids to learn selflessness and want them to learn to do something for someone/something without getting anything in return, just knowing that they've done something wonderful. Thankfully, I won't be the one who has to tell them that! Someone else will break the news. Not that any of them would have been adopting their dogs anyway, but they all dream that its a possibility. It'll be interesting to see if it changes the dynamic of the group. I don't think it will in the future, but for this group, it will be a disappointment. I don't know, I guess we'll find out!
The MCJJC has decided to change the name of the program too. They were originally calling it "Paws for a Cause" but there is already a non-profit named that so to avoid stepping on any ones "paws" we've decided on "Macomb County Teacher's Pet". That'll get our name out there a little too!
Guess that's it for now! I would have had some videos and pictures to post had my batteries on my camera not died today! Thursday, I promise!

Hey, lets hear a little more for everyone! I'd love to read about how it's going with all of you!

Thanks for reading!
Lisa

2009-06-20T20:50:00.001-04:00

Hi Everyone,

I added a "link list" to the right side of the blog. I added some sites that you may be interested in. Please feel free to share other sites that you think we might be interested in too!

Lisa

2009-06-20T14:55:00.003-04:00

Make a Smilebox photobook

I just threw this together real quick to test it and see how it works. If it works good then we can use it to post photo albums! I created it on Smilebox.com. You can use their templates to creat all kinds of stuff and add music too! Once your done creating it you click on "share, print, or DVD and can click on "blogger" and it will give you an HTML code that you just copy and past it in the blog! It's really cool!

So, like I said, I just threw this together and used the same pictures for all the pages. I just wanted to see how it would work!

Crossroads for Youth

2009-06-20T11:38:00.003-04:00

We started our new group yesterday at Crossroads for Youth. Kelly and I met the six young men who are all extremely excited and ready for their challenge! They were so enthusiastic in responding and taking NOTES - I can't wait to begin with the dogs...who really need the help! We could probably use another volunteer or two if you know of anyone who might be interested / available!

Amy

2009-06-19T13:48:00.003-04:00

I'd just like to say WECOME to all our team members on this blog! I'm so happy to see that so many have signed up already. Please post as often as you can even if it's just how your day went with the kids and dogs or maybe you have some ideas for this year's Kamp K9.

Thanks for stopping in!
Lisa

2009-06-18T21:35:00.007-04:00

So we have now entered our 5th week of training with the dogs at the MCJJC. For some odd reason, in EVERY class we teach, in week five, our dogs don't want to work. It's kind of like hitting that plateau when you're dieting. So Tuesday was rough! But today was great! Today the dogs and kids looked like pros! You'd think they've been training for months. We have a very large area to work in and all the kids spread out at times. At one point today Berry (direct care staff worker) and I just sat down and looked around at the kids and just couldn't believe our eyes. Each kid was working and their dog was responding and it's only week five. It was truly a beautiful site to see! :)
It was one of those bitter-sweet days. K is going home tomorrow. He's been there a really long time and is done serving his time. He's a great kid and there is no doubt in my mind he has learned his lesson and will not be back. At the beginning of our program K was quiet, didn't like to ask/answer questions, and seemed hesitant about training his dog Tucker. Today he was a pro! Tucker now knows sit, stay, lay down, shake, dance (and his dance is perfect), and he is really good at loose leash walking! Tucker will continue in the program and work with A until we swap the dogs out but he really could be adopted out now if we had too. And to think that Tucker was considered un-adoptable just five weeks ago!

Fortunately, we were able to do a mini graduation for him. About 10 minutes early we all gathered around to watch what K show Tucker off and when I handed K his graduation certificate he seemed a little speechless, smiled and just said "That's cool!". The other kids all signed a card for K and said things like "we're proud of you!" and "you've come a long way!". K expressed how he'll miss Tucker and each kid that he has gotten to know in class. K loved his picture of him and Tucker and his new dog book.

At the end of class today I asked K if he was proud of himself. He looked at me with this big beautiful smile and said "Yes, I am proud of myself.". I could see it in his face and smile, it had all just sunk in. He had just realized that he had accomplished something to be proud of and not only were we all proud of him but HE was proud of HIMSELF. He now has the courage to go home tomorrow and get a new start.

(pic - A, Tucker, and K taking a walk)

I wish you the best K and will pray for your future to be as bright as that smile I saw today. (tear)

Lisa

2009-06-18T13:07:00.001-04:00

I'm working on adding a calendar, I'll post one and how to use it later tonight or tomorrow!

2009-06-17T16:42:00.005-04:00

Welcome to the brand new Teacher's Pet blog! We can use this site to post how are day went with the kids and dogs, questions we have, ideas, or whatever is on your mind!

If you would like to be a team member who can post (and not just comment) on this blog please email your blogspot user id to lmrabine@wowway.com

We can post pictures and videos on here too so please do! If you have any questions on how to post please feel free to email me. One thing I would like to explain is when you add a picture or video it will always show up at the very top of the edit page. All you have to do is click on it and drag it to where you want it to show up on your blog.

I'll start off with a beautiful picture I took at MCJJC the other day......

This is Cass a 1 1/2 year old pit. He was surrendered to the Macomb County Animal Shelter because his owners could no longer afford him. He is an awesome dog, very powerful. His trainer, N (I can't give actual names) is working very hard on a loose leash walk and "stay" with him. She's doing a great job!

Happy blogging everyone!

Lisa Rabine