School with My Mom: By Jasper Lucky Shulak

By Elizabeth Green Smalling Shulak

As a therapy dog for my new mom, I made sure she got out of bed every day, whether she was up for it or not.
I also demanded that she take me outside, so I could do my business. Slowly, my mom started to enjoy taking me outside. She started to feel safe and actually enjoyed getting to know her neighbors and their dogs. She took me on errands, to visit my great grandpa and to the park to play with other dogs. I got to meet all kinds of people in our community, and I got a lot of love and attention. The dry cleaner's and car care workers loved when my mom brought me along. My great grandpa and his friends faces lit up when I visited. The dog park could be a lot of fun, but sometimes, I had to be taken out for not being respectful. We would go to the other side of the park for my time out. The kids were on that side, and the parents loved that I let them love on me. My mom thought it would be fun to take me to the children's hospital to cheer up sick kids, so she enrolled us in a volunteer program. We didn't pass the test, and they encouraged my mom to take me to school. SCHOOL WITH MY MOM, by me, is our story of our school journey. If you want to learn more about my mom's journey of how I helped her go from the couch to working at our neighborhood flower shop read her book Validation Within. Thank you for purchasing my book and enjoy!!

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: May 2, 2020
• ISBN: 9781098314170

Book preview

ENROLLMENT

In August of 2019, my mom enrolled me in school because we got an incomplete on our evaluation to be a volunteer therapy team for the children’s hospital in our community. 

My mom really loves to take me to places with her, and one of our favorite places is the neighborhood park.  We spend a lot of time on the side of the park where the kids hang out because I get too rambunctious with the other pups.  The kids at the park love to pat my ears, rub my back, and pull my tail.  I just stand there and allow them to because I am really focused on the dogs.  The parents love the excitement and joy I bring to their kids.  So my mom thought it would be fun for us to visit children in the hospital to cheer them up.

My mom had to take a class in order for us to join a volunteer program.  I really didn’t get a say in the matter and neither did my dad.  When my mom wants something, she goes for it.  My mom got stressed out because I wasn’t ready for the test. During my trial run, the day before, I didn’t behave the way the test wanted me to behave.  My mom went ahead and took me to the test since she didn’t want to cancel at the last minute.

The test was very stressful for the both of us. I refused to sit and stay and lay down for the testing

ladies.  They were very scary. When I got anxious, my mom got anxious, and then I got more anxious. Then my mom started sweating, and we both wanted out of the testing room. 

The testing team told my mom she needed to take me to obedience school.  My mom was angry at the ladies—she blamed their scariness as to why I didn’t do what they were demanding me to do. 

When we did get released, I was so happy to see my dad.  He comforted me, but when I saw the other dogs being tested, I went bonkers.  Walking past a neutral dog was on my exam—oops, guess I wouldn’t have passed that part either, but the test was over, so I jumped for joy and barked and rush to play with the so called neutral dogs.  My dad took the leash from my mom to help us all get outside.  My mom was crying so much, she didn’t feel safe to drive us home right away.  My dad drove to the test in his own car, so she let him go home.  She sat on the grass by her car and kept on crying.  I plopped down on the grass beside her, so she could love on me.

My mom was really angry on the way home. She wasn’t angry at me and was happy that I knew that and was able to comfort her. She was angry at the testing ladies for being so demanding and not releasing us when we wanted out of the testing room.  She