[NancyJ]

Oh it has been a hoot. Beau has not much experience with kids, except for my granddaughters, who really don't want to play with him, but any meetings have never given me cause for concern

My mother's caregiver's boyfriend got his kids for a few weeks and they have gone from being scared of dogs to playing and playing with Beau. I was a bit on edge with the 9 year old girl just because Beau is so boisterous but, true to his breed, he knew she was a child and was very gentle and would drop the toy right on her feet to play.

I was downstairs while I was working and saw poor Beau on the deck sitting and laying down and sitting and laying down (my office is under the 2 story deck of a walkout basement) ...sure enough ....so I threw a bag of treats up and told the kids to "pay him" for doing tricks for them.

Upside. I got a blind training problem out of it. The boy, supervised by his dad, hid a training aid for me (a bone fragment in a jar).. where I did not have any idea of where it was hidden. Unknown problems are always best for us! Then, after Beau found it and I played tug, I handed the tug to the boy and they had fun for a long time! Win win!

Hate it for the kids. They had never run barefoot through grass, or caught lightning bugs (which they are now doing like crazy), and I am taking them in the small 40 acre woods behind my house in a few days. They keep calling it "the forest" and are actually kind of nervous about it. ........and they want to come weed my garden and learn to cut my grass (I have a manual reel mower)...because they live in an apartment and never do ANYTHING outside. Goodness!

 

[3GSD92_00_12]

I can understand "the forest" idea. I had the same response when I was about six years old. I have lived in/ grown up in the city basicly...so any heavily tree populated area and very little concreted area would be seen as a forest easily.
Also, thank you to both Beau and yourself on helping these kids on creating wonderful, new memories.

 

[Nigel]

I don't have a 12 yr old boy with ADHD, but I have an 8 yr old girl with it. Today was our first hot day of the year, 98 so she and ranger are playing chase through the house, he loves it, pokes his head around the corner with the ball in his mouth, sees her and runs.

That's great those kids are getting to experience Beau, the bugs, and the "Forrest". I can't imagine a life spent entirely in the city, you miss out on way too much. You'll have to update this thread after the visit to the woods, hopefully they'll get lucky and see a few critters.

 

[NancyJ]

Everything is amazing them. They had never had corn on the cob. A whole generation raised on what you can buy at McDonalds and Pizza Hut. They are pretty open minded kids though and actually handling the idea of trying vegetables remarkably well. {I told the caregiver's girlfriend what I did with my kids when I was little..no mixes of veggies..keep it simple one at a time}

Not too many critters in the woods though the caregiver said she saw a deer this morning (they have been gone....really....I have not seen any deer sign for over a year-and it is good habitat as the 40 acres backs up to a flood plain that is hundreds of acres and has a field smack dab in the middle of it)...I think for these kids a box turtle would be a find ... and a black snake a bonus super duper find.

 

[Wetdog]

It's great that you can show those kids so much. Sounds like they have never experienced most of the things that I just take for granted as the best things in life.

 

[Daisy&Lucky's Mom]

THanks to both you and beau for giving these kids an experience they might not have had. Our son lived w/ a child protective services agency for along time and never roasted a marshmelllow or cooked a hot dog on a fire. Im still battling the veggie experince. Beau you are great medicene for an ADHD boy.

 

[Shade]

That's a great story! I'm sure 50 years from now they'll still be telling stories of you and Beau and the fun they had

 

[NancyJ]

The little girl is very interested in gardening. I have a very prolific tomato that makes small sweet grape tomatoes. Going to start one with her this weekend so she can see the roots start then pot it and send it home with her. I think that where they live it may have a chance to actually grow and produce some fruit.