Recovering from surgery

To all my friends:

  Just a brief update- I haven't been updating the blog as much as I previously had.  Life has been a lot busier lately.  For the last several months, I've been hanging out at the doctor's office a lot more!  (Nothing life-threatening.)  But none-the-less, it's been occupying a lot of my time.

 Yesterday, I went in for an out-patient surgery. All went well, and I'm at home recovering now.
When I got home from the hospital, Jaz immediately curled up in my legs, very concerned.  She cuddled with me for a good 5 minutes until hubby went into the kitchen to get me some food.  Then suddenly, Jaz jumped down to follow him into the kitchen.  Jasmine loves me dearly, but food will trump me every time.  ;)

  So- I may not be updating the blog much, but I do try to post on Facebook regularly.   So if you don't see me here, be sure to check out Jasmine's page.    https://www.facebook.com/MyFavoritePupJasmine  And we can stay in touch that way.  (Because I can check that from my phone.)  Hope you are all doing well.  Take care my friends!   I'll be back blogging as soon as I can.  

~ CJ  <3 font="" nbsp="">

Senior Citizens Enjoying Dog Tricks by Jasmine!

Good things happen when you FINALLY get around to replacing your laptop battery!!   I found some old footage of Jasmine that I'm making into new trick videos!   Here's one we just uploaded...

We've done tricks shows for practically every age group now.  And they're all pretty fun.  Jasmine gets so excited when I get out ALL of her props, and start cutting up treats.  She knows we're going to do a show! 

This was a fun show to do.  We were asked to perform at a Senior Living Center, in honor of a woman's 96th b-day!!!   We did the trick show, then afterwards I took Jasmine around so that everyone could pet her.  They told me about the dogs they used to have.  It was very sweet.  Jasmine is a therapy dog, and loves people.  

Here's a recap of the show we did.  I think everyone enjoyed it.  (Including us.)

Jasmine, the Therapy Dog, Visits the 3rd Grade!

I'm a little behind on writing about life on my blog!

But on Oct. 5th- Jasmine and I went to an elementary school to talk to the kids!

This was so fun.  We did this last year too.  




All the 3rd graders just finished reading the book "Rosie the Visiting Dog".... about a therapy dog who looks similar to Jasmine.

The teacher asked if Jasmine and I could come to the school so the children can meet a therapy dog in real life!  

We talked about our experiences at hospitals and retirement centers, and what exactly a therapy dog does  And why we like to volunteer there.


After a long period of question and answers, we did a little trick demo.  (Very similar to what we do at the children's hospital.)   



They just loved it!!

This is Jasmine's "Be Shy" trick.

Then Jasmine found a volunteer to demonstrate her "Cowboy Trick".   


We did a trick show for about 20 minutes, I just wasn't able to get many pics.

All in all, a very fun day hanging out with the 3rd Graders!!  :)  



Hopefully, these 3rd graders will remember the story they read a little better because of meeting my favorite pup Jasmine!

Therapy Dog Visit to an Elementary School

In October, all the 3rd graders here read the book "Rosie the Visiting Dog"- about a therapy dog.

Last year, my friend (who is a 3rd grade teacher) asked if we would come visit the school, so the kids could meet a real therapy dog.  

We went and met with all the 3rd grade classes.  And we had a blast!!   3rd Graders are so much fun!!! (and hilarious!)

We talked a little about being a therapy dog, then did a trick dog demo.   Here's the video from last year:   (We ended up doing this same presentation at 2 different schools.)

I was just asked if I could bring Jasmine back again this year!  There's a whole new bunch of 3rd graders... ready to meet Jasmine the Therapy Dog!  So we're going this Friday!  I'll let you know how it goes!

Jasmine... the Magic Therapy Dog

Last Friday, Jasmine and I volunteered at the children's hopsital like usual.  Every week is a new experience, but there are a lot of similarities.  This visit was fun.  One room we went into had 4 little boys. (only 1 was the patient.)  Three were on the bed, one was in a chair beside the bed.  They were SO EXCITED about our visit.. It was seriously like a party in there! And Jaz gets energized when the kids are enthusiastic. She was showing off all her tricks! (even when I wasn't asking!) :D  We did our little routine, then they wanted to see some of the tricks again.  (Requests)   Then they wanted to "train Jasmine".  So I had them do the hand signal for High 5, and they were crowded around Jaz all asking at the same time.  Jaz was a little confused who she was supposed to be giving a High 5 to, but it all worked out.  And the adults were cracking up.  Another episode that made us laugh was when I asked Jasmine to "ring the bell".   I know in advance this trick will elicit laughs- because Jasmine tends to keep ringing the bell, even though I don't ask her.  But this time was especially hilarious.  Jasmine rang the bell, and got her treat.  The little 4 year old said "I can ring the bell!"  And he jumped down and rang it.  Apparently it wasn't that impressive that a dog could ring a bell if he could to it too!!   ;)  We were laughing.

The other thing about Jaz that I love- is that she almost has a magical power to make kids stop crying. Later that night, I heard a little girl crying down a hall, so I followed the noise.  The little girl definitely wasn't happy, but immediately when she saw Jaz, she stopped. She just kind of stared. As I talked to her and started showing her some of Jasmine's tricks, a shy smile spread across her face. Her parents said that was the first time they had seen her smile in a while. It makes me feel good to be a part of that. I couldn't do it without Jaz!  She makes all the difference.

Although Jasmine is pretty special... she's not the only one.  There's a ton of good dogs out there that could do the exact same thing.  And there are plenty of opportunites to volunteer and make a difference in someone's life.  Think about it.  Could your dog be a therapy dog?

Therapy Dog once again!

Now I remember why I LOVE to volunteer as a therapy dog team.  


Prior to tonight, I haven't volunteered in months.  At first it was because life was so hectic, I hadn't finished the renewal process.  And then once Jasmine got recertified, I was so busy with our travels that I just hadn't had time!  


March/April was our participating on the Animal Planet show "Who Let The Dogs Out'.  (Which was a ton of fun!)  This ended with performing live at Universal Studios for the finale.


The month of  May was our trip to New York to be on Good Morning America.  (in addtion to local news stations.)  And last but not least, we just got home from a wonderful trip to Utah where we were speaking at the BlogPaws conference.  

So, we really have been really busy.  But I've missed it.  So tonight we went.  And as usual, there was just something special about it.  The most memorable was a 2 1/2 year old girl named Bella. (I make my rounds on the pediatic/oncology floors.)  As I was going from room to room, I could hear a little kid crying very loudly.  The nurses take them to a separate room to do blood draws, treatment, etc.  She was having a rough time.  By the time she came out of the room, she was screaming.  


Her mom was holding her, and they were going across the hall to go pick out a new toy.    It was very drastic.  She went from crying very loudly to suddenly quiet.  It was when she saw Jasmine.  I was pushing her on her cart down the hall.  The little girl just stared at us.  As I came closer, I asked "Do you like doggies?"  


The mom said yes, they had a dog at home.  Bella pet Jasmine, and watched enchanted as we did our little trick show routine.  And she laughed.  Because we were in the hall, more people gathered around to watch Jaz.  One 4 year old was imitating the tricks I was asking Jasmine to do.  It was quite amusing.  Everyone was smiling or chuckling.  By the end, Bella had completely forget about her previous experience.  The entire situation was turned around.  All because of one little furry dog.  What a difference a dog can make.  


That's why I like to volunteer with Jasmine.  It reminds me of the Emily Dickinson poem,
 "I Shall Not Live In Vain".  

"If I can stop one Heart from breaking
I shall not live in vain
If I can ease one Life the Aching
Or cool one Pain
Or help one fainting Robin
Unto his Nest again
I shall not live in Vain."

12 Seconds of Fame VS. Therapy Dog

Just wanted to say THANK YOU to everyone who voted for Jasmine in the "12 Seconds of Fame" contest!!

It's REALLY hard to be patient to find out who the winner is!! It's going to be a surprise during the Half-Time of the SuperBowl. (So keep an eye out for Jaz!)

She is definitely going to be featured during the pre-game show. (All 3 of the finalists are.)

Unfortunately, it's only going to be aired in Arizona... so all my friends from other states are going to have to wait until I record it and put it on Jasmine's YouTube channel!

Although this is exciting, and it would be cool if Jasmine won.... This is not what brings fulfillment to my life. In fact, sometimes I get tired of it. I'm getting very selective which contests I enter Jaz in. Because after a while, it's all the same.

I think I'm feeling this way because I haven't been able to volunteer with Jaz for a while. Her therapy dog certification expired at the end of December. And there's a few steps/vet visits I need to make to get it renewed. Life has just been kind of busy lately, so I haven't had the opportunity to renew it. But that is what really makes me happy. Being able to bring joy to the lives of others. (Especially kids.) That makes me really happy.

Whenever I'm feeling down, I just watch this video of when Jasmine visited the kids in the elementary school. I love hearing the kids laugh. I love their energy and enthusiasm. It's contagious. I think we all need to be more child-like at times. There is an innocence and fun that you have with kids that some people lose as adults. (Now, I like to tell people that I'm a little kid trapped in a a big kid's body!) It's pretty much true. I love kids. They make me laugh! This 3rd grade class all wrote Jasmine and I thank you cards for coming to visit. They were the cutest thing ever! They each drew a picture of this day, and wrote a little note at the bottom. I wish I had a scanner to share it with you. They are so funny and adorable. Maybe someday I'll get one!

Want to know who some of my heroes are? People who are compassionate. And people who make a difference.

I originally started thinking about getting Jasmine certified as a therapy dog after hearing about our friend Thy's therapy visits with her dog Atka. She takes him to nursing homes. This inspired me to get Jasmine certified:

Atka knows a lot of tricks. But that's not what matters. The best thing these dogs have to offer is their love. And the best thing we can do is share our dogs love with those who need it the most.

Another one of our heroes if our friends Theresa and her dog Winston: This dog has had some big roles as a canine actor. The most recent was a staring role in the Disney movie "Frenemies". I am so impressed by the fact that she didn't let Hollywood get to her. She's still the same kind, compassionate person she was 4 years ago when she first started volunteering with Winston at the hospital. She is such a good example to me! Theresa and Winston are living proof that I can get my dog into show business, and yet not let it define me. It doesn't have to change the kind of person I want to be.

I just love connecting with people like Thy and Therera. (And I have many more friends just like them, these are just two examples.) They know what's really important in this life. And are a wonderful example of using their dogs talents to make a difference in the lives of others. :) These are my heroes! :)

Havanese Breed Magazine- Article #6

I am a freelance writer for the Havanese Breed magazine. They publish a continuing series on lessons I have learned from Jasmine. Eventually I plan on combining all these articles into a book. I've wanted to write one for a while, but just have never made the time for it. (I get kind of busy with my regular life!) ;) By writing for this magazine, it gives me small short-term goals that I can accomplish, that will eventually lead to my larger goal of publishing a book! When I was in college, and feeling overwhelmed, my mom always asked me... "How do you eat an elephant?" The answer is: "One bite at a time". (Metaphorically speaking!!)

So, here's last month's article! I converted it from an adobe file to a jpeg file, so hopefully you can still read it. (I think if you double click on the pictures, it will make them bigger.)

The links don't work as a jpeg, so I'll include them below if you want to watch the videos that I mention in the article.

Visiting the kids at school:

Jasmine's best dog tricks:

Dog Goes Shopping- Jaz's most popular video: