The service dog in training serves.

Today Jake had CF clinic. Burke stayed in the car - I don't think we're quite there yet as far as taking him in with us.

It started with him getting his arms and legs held while he was on my lap so they could attempt to do a throat culture. It didn't go well. He ended up biting the swab clear through, and was then quite agitated for a while after. The GI meant well, but yammering at him while he is trying to re-regulate didn't help at all. But eventually he calmed down. We found out that his hands going white during skiing is not CF-related, but probably Raynaud's Syndrome. My mom and I both have it, so no huge surprise, but still. It's sad when the medical practitioners pity you. His weight was excellent and he has grown taller; the GI says that height will stall when there isn't enough weight gain which is what happened last time. I'm glad they keep a close eye on it but that freaks me right out.

Then we're considering starting Singulair again because it seems he's been super congested all the time and has an increase in irritated-type coughing. The pulmonologist thinks he has allergies. In May he will get a RAST panel done. As well as a chest X-ray, blood drawn for annual labs and a study of liver disease in kids with CF (and alpha-1), a glucose tolerance test that involves him drinking a ton of really yucky orange liquid, and oh yeah - an eye exam a few hours later. Whew. Matt is taking off to go with me and I'm really glad cause that is a lot to do alone. I will make social stories for it all, but am waiting for details on how they will do the X-ray. I am tired just thinking about it.

After clinic we went to lunch at the Co-op Store, where he housed a good amount of Boar's Head roast beef, his favorite, and a few sips of apple juice. Again, I left Burke in the car. I haven't been able to handle both training Burke in public and dealing with Jake. But my plan was to head to Kohl's afterward and give it a shot.

So we did. I put a short "handle" type loop of webbing on the second loop on Burke's harness, then attached the primary leash to the super-strong metal loop. I held the leash and Jake held the handle. It was a little crazy at first. Remember Burke is eight months old. Whenever we enter a public place he rears up on his hind legs and sniffs and just is like, "I cannot believe the smells and excitement of this place!" So we go through a couple of minutes of him sitting and just sniffing and getting acclimated. But pretty soon he's calm, so we practice walking to the back of the store.

I was so nervous, but it went really well. What was most incredible was how Jake behaved. Last time we walked into a Kohl's he had to ride in the cart. He's getting too big, and his legs got stuck. I couldn't push it because he's just too heavy. So I pulled him out, and he flopped on the floor and wouldn't get up and we had to leave with him screaming and everyone staring. (He is 9 and a half and just too mature-looking for anyone to think it's a toddler or young child having a tantrum.)

Today, even after all the trauma of the clinic throat culture attempt (I forgot to say the pulmo got a decent swab later), he walked very calmly holding onto Burke's handle. Burke walked between us. Didn't lunge, didn't pull. Sat and waited, for the most part, while Jake spent twenty minutes pushing buttons on the many sing-a-long books on the display - still his favorite. (I told him he got to pick a toy if he got the throat culture done. Was supposed to be if he cooperated, but he did the second time so I figured he got the toy.) Jake was very appropriate and regulated while looking at the books. He would normally flap, bend over, jump around and run away and back again with excitement. He didn't. He looked freakin' normal, like any other kid.

Then I had to look at comforters. Hey, I had Kohl's cash and a 30% off coupon and I almost never get out. And, as good as he is, Burke chewed holes in Jake's comforter and duvet cover. The goodness continued as boy, dog, and mom walked calmly down the wide aisles, and even through the little ones. I admit I didn't push going too close to people, but when they did come by Burke did very well. This is his biggest challenge. He gets so excited and wants to meet and greet everyone (and jump up on them and lick them). I keep reminding myself that he's only eight months old. And I know this sounds nutty, but at one point a woman was about six feet away browsing and I just sat him and rubbed his chest and told him that I knew how excited he was, but he couldn't meet everybody in a store like this, that his job was helping Jacob and part of that was being very calm and not meeting people right now.

He actually seemed to get it. I don't know. I know he doesn't understand English, but I wonder if the poodle-intuition is that good, that he got the gist of what I was saying. We circled the store a few times for good measure and then checked out. He did great through it all. So did Jake! I was amazed.

On the way home he sat snuggled so close to Jake, his eyes closing as he fell asleep. Jake tolerated it, even seemed to like it. Then Burke just curled up with his body on Jake's leg. Again, Jake seemed to more than tolerate it.

Pretty cool stuff. I have been so wishy-washy about this whole process, but it really got me excited and motivated. I know I just need to push forward with heel, sit-stay and down-stay with distractions. He's so easily trainable and has such a great disposition. And most importantly, Jake seems to want him to be with him in the store and it regulates him.