July 17

Hello everyone! Well, today almost felt like we were back in South Carolina! It was pretty warm here, however, still not nearly as humid so I am not complaining! I was able to visit with Ryan again today and since they had the entire day off, it was a very lazy day. I met Ryan after breakfast and we walked the garden for a while then returned to the house to hang out with his friends. They were content to hang around and talk for a short while but soon decided that things were getting a bit boring. I found some english speaking TV channels for them, but for some reason they were not interested in Matlock or The Lawrence Welk show (imagine!) so I pulled out the Backgammon and Scrabble. :) This managed to entertain them for a little while. Some of the kids washed their clothes so they were, at least somewhat productive today! Ryan and I spent the afternoon reading for awhile until his dog decided he wanted to play so Ryan pulled out his rope toy. His dog loves  playing tug of war with the rope to and Ryan seems to enjoy it just as much. When I left for dinner, Ryan and his dog were having a good time. I plan on returning to their house after I complete my posting.
This coming week should be interesting. I met with Eric for lunch on Saturday and he explained that the third week is very different. This is the time that the dogs begin to challenge the kids; sort of testing the boundaries, much like children do. They need to figure out "is this person just my buddy or my master?" Eric has explained to the children that the dogs must respect you before they can love you. So this week, they will have to earn the respect. It should be interesting.According to Eric, all things fall together during week four and a respectful, loving bond is formed between dog and master. He says it has happened exactly this way for the past 30 years. AMAZING!! :)
A few more pictures for you. Enjoy! Au Voir!!

Ryan brushing his dog. Look at the hair! These dogs do shed alot!

Whose tail will get stepped on next?

 Ryan playing Backgammon against me. (I won....) :)

One of the trainer, Giles, and some of the kids with Ryan. Giles is just the kindest man. The kids love him!