Thanksgiving Puppies!

Thanksgiving is that time when friends and family gather to break bread and eat together in peace and harmony.  Thanksgiving is also the time when some who might harken back to old slights and fights of family members should truly forgive over the calming influence of tryptophan and pie.  

Melisa, another puppy raiser, had invited Fred and me, Willow and Coach, over for Thanksgiving.  We were extremely grateful and I had made a 5 layer chocolate pie and a Jack Daniels Pumpkin Cheesecake as desserts.  

Coach panting by the side of the house.  He is looking off the right at Bo, who is not in the photo.

Willow is pleased as punch and looking up at me with a big smile on her face.

When we arrived, Dave and Petey, St. Pete's first puppy, were already there.  Duke and Lil Bo Peep live there, so they were there too.  Melisa's parents, Judy and Jerry and her partner Ed were also there.  Willow was wearing her pretty princess sparkly pink crystal collar, which she rarely gets to wear, so she was feeling fine.

Melisa is passing around the delicious baked olives. Her mom is on a swing chair to the right and Fred is making a grab for more olives.

Melisa had cooked up a feast: cheddar wrapped olives and stuffed artichoke hearts for appetizers, which were very tasty were just the start.  The weather outside was perfect.

The boys: Fred, Dave, Jerry and Ed sunning themselves on the patio outside.

The dogs seemed to get along, until Petey decided that being head of St. Pete meant that he was the boss of everyone.  When Coach realized that he and Petey weren't actually playing but were doing a dominance contest, Coach was desperate to get out of it.  Coach is a live-and-let-live kind of fella.  So we separated the two unnuetered boys and kept them out of each other's way the rest of the night.  Coach got his confidence back playing with Bo and Duke as you will see in the video.

Petey spent some time in Duke's crate and he got a peanut butter kong later in the evening.  Bo, Duke and Coach figured out someone was getting a kong and it might as well be them, so they tried to influence Dave into giving Petey's kong to one of them.

Dave is at the counter filling a kong with peanut butter.  He is watched by Coach, Bo and Duke.

They even followed him to the door in a last ditch effort.  But it didn't work.  They are nothing if not persistent.  

Bo, Coach and Duke followed Dave to the door and stand outside the door hoping he won't give the kong to Petey and will bring it out and give it to one of them.

In the end, they were able to coexist with each other and here they are at the end of the meal breaking bread, or rather staring at bread and thinking about eating it. 

All five pups in a semi circle around a bowl of rolls.  Of course they are being held back by Fred, Ed and Dave.  Petey is the only one on a loose leash.

It was a photo op, not an actual treat moment. We hope you all had such a lovely and tasty Thanksgiving Holiday!

Enjoy some puppy exuberance in the video. Coach and Bo are BFFs!

 

Puppy on Ice!

Last night Coach and I went to see my advisee, Chad, play in one of the Berkeley hockey games.  We were playing a pretty good team and we still have a very young team.  So, it was going to be a lesson in determination, teamwork and enthusiasm against superior skills.  

Coach, Jamie, Merideth and another mom watch the game from the goalie's perspective.

The Clearwater rink has an interesting set up as far as seating goes.  There is more indoor seating, but there is also space behind the goal so that you can watch the whole game from that special perspective. That's where all the moms were, so that's where Coach and I went.

Coach was not particularly fond of this spot.  He didn't seem to be able to get comfortable on the floor. I think he is a real Florida dog.  We did have a couple of struggles with the down command as he wasn't fond of the cold floor.  Ultimately, he ended up sitting between my legs. And we took a walk at one of the breaks to warm him up.

He got to experience whistles, buzzers and crashes.  It seemed to me as if he did, in the end, enjoy the game, because when he was sitting his ears were perked and he was following every swoosh of the skates, every pass by of the skaters, every crash into the boards.  

At games end, we were down 20-2.  Our team was feeling quite legitimately down in the dumps, despite leaving it all on the ice.  Our goalie in particular was incredible.  Michael deflected so many shots on goal and was swarmed.  This year is his first as goalie and I was quite impressed with his fortitude in the face of an intense and nonstop barrage of shots.  Well done! 

After the game I had asked if there was a possibility of getting Coach on the ice with the boys and parents Bobby and Merideth made it happen.  It seemed to cheer the boys up a bit too, if their smiles in the photo below are any indication.

Photo of the whole team with Coach finally sitting his butt on the ice in front of them. 

But then, who wouldn't love to see a puppy get on the ice for the first time?  I let Dawson take him out on the ice as Dawson has an ambassador dog at home and knows all the rules.  It was only that very tail end of the skate that Coach goes a little puppy crazy, but you can see that in the video.  Coach really didn't want to sit down because it was so cold. So he was doing this weird hunching thing.  One of the boys asked about whether he had to poo.

I said he just didn't want to freeze his booty.  then I thought to myself, "Please Lord, don't let him poo on the ice!" He did sit for them, finally. And I walked with him back over the ice to the doorway thinking to myself, "Do NOT fall on your butt! Do NOT.  Walk VERY slowly!!"

We made it safely to dry land.  Please enjoy the video of Coach's first ice experience.

The Puppy Who Cried, "Stick!" and Then Was Redeemed

 There once was a puppy who would go off on long walking adventures with his two long suffering companions.  At first all was well and a smooth and steady pace was achieved, but soon, the puppy would begin to have doubts about the route.  Perhaps he should have eaten more breakfast.  Perhaps that acorn over there would be a tasty morsel to add to his morning repast.

And so he would lurch off the path, dragging his companion with him to nip over and lunge for an acorn only to be told to "drop it."  That was the worst.  To feel the acrid bite of the acorn on your tongue, that first crunch, and then, "Drop it."

But, it had to be done.  He dropped it.

So he looked for sticks.  And found them.  They were everywhere.  They littered the entire path as it was a forest path and was not swept with any regularity.  Over and over his companion had to bend down and pull bits of stick out of his mouth and he could see that she was not happy with this new turn of events.

I am standing holding some sticks, Coach is sitting in front of me and is looking off to the right.

And yet, he did not care.  For the lure of the stick was too great.  He could not pass it up. Even in the photo at the end of the journey when his companion held out some sticks to show what he had gathered and how he had slowed them down with his thoughtless chewing, he still yearned for them. Looked for them.

I am standing holding some sticks, Coach is sitting in front of me and is looking at the camera.  His eyes are glowing.

He was confused.  Should he walk fast? Or should he follow his instincts and eat sticks?  What should he do?  What did his conscience tell him to do?  What would he do when no one was looking?  That was the question.

Later when his companion was in the shower and he was in the dressing area, he snoozed lightly looking out from under the curtain and into the main shower room.  Two older Hispanic ladies approached from the pool area.

"Hola, perrito!" the one lady said to him, trying to engage him in conversation.  Coach looked at her.  This was it.  What would he do?  Then he got up and moved into the shower area and away from the two ladies.

Later the older lady saw his companion and apologized saying, "I tried to talk to your puppy when you were in the shower, but he was so good.  He wouldn't do anything.  He just got up and moved into the shower away from me.  He is much better behaved than I am!"  She laughed.

"He sure is!" Her friend added loudly.  Then they both laughed.  His companion patted Coach on the  and said sweet words to him.

Coach standing with a smile on his face with a smile. He is in coat.

He knew then he had made the right choice.  It was going to be a good day.

I Listen to My Dog

Wednesday morning, Coach, Zoe and I went to the YMCA to go walking.  Just walking.  We were going to put in 2 miles, about 40-45 minutes and then shower and head in to work.  Of course, getting up at 4:50 am to get to the Y with a 7 month old puppy is like getting your baby up and in a stroller for the morning jog.  It often doesn't go as planned or in a timely fashion.

First, I have to get out of bed.  The difference between 4:50 am and 5 am is monumental.  Imagine lying in your bed and thinking about getting up with that 4 am staring you in the face.  If you only waited 10 more minutes....

It was now or never, so we got up.  Coach and Willow (our chocolate lab) followed me downstairs for a pee break (for dogs) and coffee (for me).  Then it is puppy feeding time.  Then poo time (for the dogs).  Coach performed both really well.

I picked up my coffee mug, leash, three bags and headed for the door.  I was already 5 minutes late.

By the time I hit the Y, I was sure Zoe was going to be waiting, but there she was putting on her tennis shoes.  She had stayed up late watching the debates and was tired.  I let Coach out to greet her.  We walked in and I got a lock for the locker and then we headed out to the track.  Coach was in quite a hurry to get to the track.

Zoe, my walking partner, and Coach on the track in the morning.

Once out there Zoe started up her Nike app and we began walking.  About 30 seconds into it, Coach pulls hard to the left.  Eeek! A poo break.  But I was prepared.  I had anticipated a potential poo on the track and brought poo bags with me.  So I cleaned it all up and we were back walking in no time.

After about a mile, another lady joined the track.  She was a runner.  I think there was a boot camp class that was going to start at 6 am and she was early and wanted to get in extra running time, because she was super healthy and had extra energy to burn (I wonder what that is like?).  She jetted past us and as she did, she said, "I see a puppy in training!"  It was a rather happy greeting.  We said a jolly hello back and kept walking.

Coach, however, was amazed by this woman.  "OMG! Look how fast!  She is like Wonder Woman!"  You could see the puppy thoughts zooming in his brain.  He picked up the pace and looked back at me when I didn't follow suit.

It was like when you take your child to that first birthday party with all the moms in attendance and your child turns and looks at you and says, "Why can't you dress pretty like that mommy?" And you realize that your fashion sense is not what it used to be.  Or at least your child doesn't get it.  And there's no going back!

Coach had looked back at me and said, "I like the fast mommy! Let's run!"

Pumpkin, we are not running.  "Coach, buddy, you got the pokey mama." Zoe laughed.  "We aren't running and you can't change mamas now."

Coach was still straining at the leash and had a wistful look in his eye.  He managed to contain his disappointment and finished he walk with us.

Coach lying on the shower floor with his head poking under the shower curtain.

Then we hit the showers.  He was very good in the shower.  He stayed in a down stay at the edge of the shower.  Although, I do have to admit that he poked his head under the curtain as you can see in the photo above and looked at the ladies who were walking to and fro.  

Coach sitting a little damp in the shower.

Nobody screamed though, so I consider that a victory of sorts. And the YMCA staff has been very welcoming.

Today we went for another walk and since Zoe slept through her alarms so we had the first few minutes on the track by ourselves.  Now, if you know me at all, you should know that I am a slave to my overactive imagination and the only reason that Zoe and I joined the gym is that we scared ourselves walking in the dark in our neighborhood.  DON'T LAUGH.  It's true.  Well, I'm sure you are laughing anyway, so go ahead.  

Coach and I step out onto the track area, which I will say, is super well-lit and fenced in and all the brush is trimmed back. So, no problem, I say to my lizard brain where all my imagination and fear is contained.  

Then Coach stops and stares over at the middle of the track.  Way off into the darkness past the fence into the bushes.  Right where someone would be lurking.  

"What is it?" I ask.  Coach remains on alert.  "There's nothing there."  I say this in a whisper.  I realize that I've whispered this and I say it again louder.

Coach ignores me and stares more intently at the spot.  

I start thinking about all the horror films I've seen.  The ones where the girl goes out in the dark and her dog sees the psycho killer and the audience screams, "Don't go in there!" and the girl says, "Oh, Sparky, there's nothing there! You silly!" And the audience screams, "Don't go in there you idiot!!!" And she goes in there. And the audience screams, "NOOOOOOOO!!!!!" And the psycho killer gets her. And the audience screams, "Why didn't you listen to your dog!!!!"

I look down at Coach.

Maybe we'll do obedience drills right here until Zoe comes.  I'm not stupid.  I listen to my dog, but I'm still not running.

Daring the Gods: The Chihuly Exhibit

Our friends Kitty and Sheldon were down for Columbus day weekend and since St. Petersburg is the more cultured city, we decided to take them down to the Chihuly and Dali for a museum day.  Of course we took Coach with us.  What?!!  A museum filled with glass and one filled with priceless art?  Are you nuts?

Well, you read the blog!  Don't you have the answer to that already?

Now, Coach has now developed into a 10 am pooper, so when we got down to St. Pete about 10:30 and there had been no poop, I was a bit concerned. I sent Fred, Sheldon and Kitty on to the Chihuly to get tickets while I walked the boy to see if he would give it up.

Now, sometimes I like to think of myself (egotistically, I know) as the poo whisperer, as there have been some moments when I feel that I can sense that Coach has to go (Tim's office poo notwithstanding).  I proved this on a dinner trip to Chili's one day.  Michele, Coach and I were on our way in when there was something about his walk that just bothered me.  

"Give me a couple of minutes.  I think he needs to poo." I took him over to a grassy spot and sure enough, he twirled and pooed. "Ha!" I thought.  "I AM the poo whisperer!"

But here we were in St. Pete far away from Chili's and after the infamous Tim's office poo.  My confidence was shaken.  Did I still have what it took?  Would he poo?  We walked over to the grass and I did my little lullaby of poo commands.  Holey guacamole, batman, we have poo!  Now we could go into the Chihuly museum and not fear leaving a deposit on the floor of any kind.

I could feel that little fear drifting out of my body.  Then we started our walk up to the museum.  And it hit me.

Did you know that the Chihuly museum is a museum of glass?  Well, actually, it is a museum that houses glass art.  Not an actual museum made of glass.  But, regardless, the museum is filled with glass.  Very, very expensive glass.  I saw the big glass sculpture outside the building.

"Crapola." Glass sculpture.  I looked down at Coach.  He was so docile.  He plodded along like a good boy.  I sighed.  Can't back out now.  I went up to the door and told Coach to sit.  Then we went inside.

I have to give props to the museum people.  They said not one word to us about bringing Coach to the museum.  They didn't even give us a strange look.  And if in their heads they were thinking, "OMG!!!" You couldn't tell from their faces.

The man took our tickets and this wizened older lady peeled off his side and started to follow us.  At first I thought she was just some stranger, but it was clear that we had been assigned a docent.  A docent who hated the idea of service animals.

"Is he unhappy?" She stood close and peered down at Coach as I sat on the bench and stared at the boat filled with glass floats.  (As you might imagine, I sat a lot and had Coach do the same!)

Startled, I looked up at her.  "No. He's a happy dog." Then I realized she was one of those people, the people who object to service dogs because they think their lives are so tragic and they never have any fun.  By this time, Fred had come up and was listening and he jumped in.

Fred took over and explained how Coach gets to play at home.  How he has lots of time to be off leash and have fun.  But he also gets to be with us all day.  What other dog gets to do that?  He's always with his person.  That's where he wants to be.  That's what makes him happy.

"Hmmmm."  She shook her head and pursed her lips and wandered over to Sheldon, who had become the only person in our group who would talk to her.

I looked at Kitty and Kitty shook her head.

In the Chihuly there is a glass hallway that you walk through to get to the other room and the ceiling is covered with glass.  You have to look up to see it, but it shouldn't be a big deal.  When I was coming into the boat room with Coach, I looked down the towards the glass hallway and there was a couple in it.  The woman had fallen and her husband was trying to pull her up.  I couldn't tell if she had just been overwhelmed by the glass and fainted or if she had looked up too much and lost her balance and fallen back or if perhaps she was just tired and resting on the floor.  I think perhaps she had lost her balance.

I was a bit nervous going towards the hallway as I had Coach and I wanted to look up, but I wasn't sure I should.  After all, a grown woman had just fallen down!  What if I fell too?  How many people fall in this place?  Is this something that happens all the time?  Should they put up a warning sign?  Don't look up too much?  Only tilt your head at a 30 degree angle or you will stop the blood flow and you will fall down?  Seriously! This could be a major health concern.

Where was that old lady docent? Was she looking up?  If she was looking up, surely I could look up.  No.  I was all alone.  They were all back looking at the chandeliers.  Fine.  I'll do it myself.

Coach  is lying down on the tiles while Kitty, Sheldon and I smile up and Fred.  You can see a piece of Chihuly in the background behind Kitty.

I didn't fall.  I also didn't really look up.  Turns out there is a glass angel up there somewhere.  The old lady docent told Sheldon about it.  He looked up and saw it.

We made it through without Coach knocking anything over or breaking anything.  Nor did I fall or trip or run into something.  Maybe next time I will look up.

First All School Convocation

Last Wed. was our first all school convocation.  Our school likes to start the year with a big gathering to welcome everybody back.  We also have a tradition of having the seniors escort a kindergartner into the gym accompanied by a balloon.  In the past, the little ones held the balloons, but they soon grew tired of this onerous task and then at various points in the convocation a balloon would softly and slowly drift upwards to the very high ceiling of the gym as seniors looked a bit panic stricken and kindergartners giggled.  

Serious seniors would try to admonish their kids to keep a firm hold on the balloon, but usually, temptation was too much.  Off it would float and whoever was speaking would hear some giggles and look over to the right and watch silently as the balloon made its slow journey up to the top.

The year more than 20 balloons were set free, faculty knew that the end of the balloons had come.  Their demise was predicted.  But no, more sagacious minds were at work and they came up with the ingenious balloon bracelet.  Now, there is no temptation.  No giggling, no interruptions.  No serious seniors (only happy ones). After all, who wants to give up their fabulous balloon bracelet? 

The all school convocation is joyous and filled with balloons.  Balloons attached to strings which are attached to tiny braceleted wrists.

Photo of the back of Coach's head as he looks out onto the gym floor and the crowd filing in.

Over 1300 people were crowded into the old gym because the weather wouldn't allow us all to walk the distance to the new gym.  The little kids just couldn't make the walk in all that rain.  So, we will have to inaugurate the Straz Family Field House with a different All School Convo.

Coach is lying at my feet with his Southeastern Guide dog coat on.  Can you see the rain sprinkles on it?

This time we sat over on the opposite side from the kids and had a good view of the seniors with their little escorts.

Pairs of seniors walk in with one kindergartner in between them.

It's a great tradition.  It's surprising how many lifers (lifers are students who came in pre-k or k and stayed until senior year) remember who their senior was and who was their little kindergartner.

You can see how intently Coach is staring at something (probably a cheerleader!) as he is surrounded on all sides by students.

Coach got his first exposure to over 1300 people clapping, shouting, and singing in unison. He was a bit disturbed by it at first.  He vocalized a little bit.  Well, a little loudly.  He made a really weird sound that had all the seniors and little ones in our area turning their heads and staring at him.  But gradually, he got used to the noise.  The cheerleaders were another thing.  He watched them and was interested. 

Every time he wanted to bolt forward, there lots of people around and I had to pull him back.  Eventually, he just settled in for the ride.  It didn't last too long. About 20 minutes.

Photo of one of our head student library proctors (a senior) talking with her kindergartner.

But it was something everyone enjoyed.  At the end, Coach even enjoyed it.

Bring on the bagpipers!

On Being a Good Citizen

By Fred
Cheryl is back at school, back to her normal busy routine, and today is Coach's first day here with me. On Tuesdays and Thursdays we will work on being a good citizen of the house.

A picture of Coach with big, round eyes. 

A good citizen of the house does not run up and down the stairs; he does not pee or poop on the floor; he does not seem too sad when I eat lunch in front of him, and he does not sniff my plate if I walk away for a second; he does not chew my shoelaces when I'm on the phone; he does not torture Willow; he knows (somehow) when I am busy with work and when I am bored with work; he licks my face but not the furniture; he pretends to understand what I'm saying.

So far, Coach is a very good citizen, but it's just his nature.

Coach's First Day at School

Today Coach went to school for a full day of work.  Because of his car sickness problem, we decided that a delayed breakfast was the best choice.

Coach is sitting at the far end of the kitchen by the pantry (magic) door.  He looks wistful and a bit hungry.

Coach didn't agree and sat most of the morning close by his dog food and the magic door where the dog food lives hoping that breakfast would be served.

Coach at the bottom of the passenger wheel well all curled up.  He's not asleep, but not looking at the camera either.

On the car ride in, I cranked the AC down to freezing and blew it just on Coach, because he is the most precious cargo.  He just sacked out and fell asleep.  But no puking!  So, that plan worked.

Coach is sitting on the floor beneath our bulletin board.  The board says, "What's Your Favorite Book?"

Here's Coach under our end of the year bulletin board where we asked everyone to write in their favorite book.  We got some great responses.  No one put in any dog books.

The Headmaster is seated and leaning over a bit to pat a sitting Coach on the head.

Later that morning we stopped in to say hello to the headmaster.  Coach was just as calm and sweet for Mr. Seivold as he is for everyone (sigh of relief!).  

I'm kneeling by Coach, who is seated and looking up at Coach Dom.  Dom has just opened his office door and is seeing his namesake for the first time.

That afternoon we drove over to the Straz and knocked on Coach Dominick Ciao's door to see if he wanted to meet his furry namesake. 

Coach is sitting in the locker room box with a #30 blue jersey behind him.  You can also see a blue helmet.

 We even got a tour of the locker rooms.  Coach got to sit in Austin's dressing area with his #30 jersey! Austin is Coach's sponsor.

Coach Dom and I are talking and I am holding Coach (the dog) in my arms.

Coach Dom asked some detailed questions about the puppy raising program at Southeastern Guide Dogs, like how long coach would be with me (until about May or June) and what do I teach him (basic obedience and socialization skills.  We also talked about what the trainers at Southeastern teach and what happens to Coach when he gets called in for training.

Coach Dom is holding Coach.  Coach (the dog) is staring into the camera.

I do think Coach Dom was pretty impressed with how laid back and calm Coach was. They seemed to get along very well.

Coach is sitting next to a sign that says Play Like a Champion Today!

Coach seemed ready for the start of the football season!  Go Bucs!

Breakfast at Lenny's: A Casual Sunday Visit

Fred and Coach walking past the Lenny's sign.

Sunday we made a breakfast date with friends so they could meet Coach. We arrived and entered Lenny's in Clearwater (an amazing breakfast restaurant!) with a much more confident feeling because this time when we took him to busy, he did his business. Seems he likes us to say "Busy! Busy!" with a much more definite and commanding tone of voice. 

Michele, Erik and Kelland had gotten us a big booth and were waiting for us.  Since we have take our Southeastern Guide Dog puppies to Lenny's before, they know all about them and have never had a problem with them. So, we had a tasty breakfast while Coach got to sleep on Michele's feet.  Overall, Coach stayed asleep or on a down stay in the booth with no napkin stealing!

Erik and Willow watch from the deck as Coach and Fred look into the Koi pond. Coach is leaning over the pond.

After breakfast, we went back to house so they could love on Coach.  In the above photo, Coach is looking for the Koi fish in the pond.  He spotted them on Saturday night and has been very interested in them ever since.  I'm thinking it is only a short time before we have a full fledged dunking.

Kelland and Coach in a moment of calm. Coach is chewing a nylabone and Kelland is scratching his back.

Kelland and Coach had  great time playing fetch.  Coach does a weird little pounce right before he lands on the item he is fetching and brings it back.  Quite cute.

Michele is scratching Willow, who is deeply appreciative!

Willow has been ignoring Coach for the most part, but this morning she decided that perhaps she needed to start getting involved.  So, she inserted herself for petting and, when Kelland was playing fetch with Coach, she strategically blocked off the throwing route by standing in the way.  She still won't play with Coach, but they are at least touching each other and being friendly.

Coach made sure to make the rounds to everyone's lap.  Here he is with Michele.

Of course all of this playing and fetching had a deep affect on Coach for the rest of the day.

Hound down! Coach is asleep, on his back and falling off his bed.

Same pose, a little closer. 8-)