My Day at Sun Rise - Can You Help?

Yesterday I had the overwhelmingly great pleasure of spending the afternoon at Sunrise Assisted Care Facility. Their resident dog - a delightful yellow Lab named Ronnie - had decided that older gentlemen with walkers were something to bark about - something that could lose Ronnie one of the best homes a dog could have!

This first visit was primarily for observation purposes - I wanted to see just what it was that was setting Ronnie off. I watched as woman with walkers passed by and then men with canes and then men with walkers and then Tony - and that was when the formerly placid Ronnie, the Ronnie that sat on command and scrounged my bait pouch for treats, lost it. Tony, it seems, is Ronnie's devil incarnate - and, given what the staff told me, the only resident that causes this reaction.

Not that Ronnie's reaction is totally inappropriate - he is a dog after all! Tony is a grumbly sort - loud and not likely to follow direction. Further, he admitted to me that although his son, whom he visits quite frequently, has two German Shepherds, Ronnie scared him. It quickly became apparent that just working with Ronnie wasn't the answer to this situation. I would have to work with Tony, as well.

Tomorrow, I will be starting training with both Ronnie and Tony and actually using the same de-sensitization techniques on both. Thankfully, Ronnie is very food motivated (Hmmm, I wonder if I could try that with Tony! LOL!).

I have to admire the staff at Sun Rise for having so progressive an idea as to have a resident dog and being so thoughtful as to use a rescued dog to that end. I also have to thank them for having the patience to try training rather than abandoning this guy. I am sure, given time, we can work out this situation.

And now, I am going to ask for some help. Sun Rise is actually a three hour drive from my home. It is located in Wayne NJ. I am planning on going twice a week for as long as necessary to make this all work. Is there anyone out there that can perhaps donate a few hours of their time so do the training on the days when I can't? I would like this problem to be solved as quickly as possible and the more working days Ronnie and Tony have, the better.

Please let me know if you are interested. I know about 100 Sun Rise residents that would appreciate it ....