Scary Camouflage

Coffee.  All I had on my mind was getting a cup of coffee before the cafeteria closed before 9.  We were walking at a fairly brisk pace and had just turned right down the main hallway toward the senior mall when Dewey stopped short.  

"Dewey?" Nothing.  I noticed that his ears were up and he was staring intently dow the hall.

I looked down the hall.

The view down the hall: a large camouflaged backpack with a beam of sunlight falling on it.

There were two backpacks on either side of the hallway, but Dewey wasn't looking at them.  He was staring straight ahead.  Intently.  There, in the bright sunlight, was Caleb's oversized camouflaged backpack.

Dewey was not going to go any closer.  I tried the happy voice.

Nope. Nothing.

I looked at Christina.  She went over the backpack and kneeled down beside it.

She tried the happy voice, "Dewey! Come! It's okay!"

I tried the happy voice where I was beside him, "Okay buddy, let's go! You can do it!"

Dewey walked forward a few steps.  He looked up at me.  He looked at Christina.  He walked a few more steps. We kept up the happy voices and he kept slowly walking.  I decided not to come at the backpack directed and we took a wide arc to come at it sideways.  Dewey's pace increased.  His nose started twitching. Christina was still calling him in a happy voice.

He was always in a forward motion. Finally we arrived at the backpack and Dewey came right up to it and sniffed.

He backed up two feet and then approached the top again, opened it with his nose and got a good sniff.

"Well, that's nosey," I said.  I closed the top. He sniffed the backpack up and down.  It was no longer scary.

Dewey leaning against the backpack.

We came back about 15 minutes later with my iPhone to take photos. He walked right up to it, no problem.  Fear conquered.

Good job Dewey!

Dewey's Week with Al and Rita

Just got back from vacation. Thanks to our friends Al and Rita Young for taking such good care of Dewey while we were away. Here are some of their comments and pictures from the past week:

By Al and Rita Young
Dewey is like a dear old friend. No matter how long the separation things just start up right where they left off.


Dewey Update 03/15/2014:
Dewey slept until 7:30 this morning!!
Our granddaughter Amanda is visiting and helping Dewey practice his commands. Later today we will get past the "pet me" command (shown below) and move on to the more practical ones. Dewey patiently waiting to come upstairs with me.
Amanda did a great job with Dewey. We worked out a few procedural things and she continued on with the sit, down, stay and come commands. Finally on a down command Dewey rolled over and demanded a tummy rub.



We will do some command work later today. Now it is just straight up lovin!


Dewey's visit has been a real treat. His puppy raisers are on the way home from their vacation and will pick him up later today. He will be 1 year old next month and will probably be off to puppy college during the summer. Then a guide dog for a vision impaired person. I/we are so happy that we have been able to play a small part in his life.

House Cup Day

Before spring break, we have a thing called the House Cup.  And during the House Cup we play some games.  One of those games is Chubby Bunny and it involves marshmallows. 

A photo of the Publix Big and Fluffy marshmallows that we used.

Lots of fluffy marshmallows.  Essentially, you need to continually be able to say, "Chubby Bunny" as you stuff the marshmallows into your face.

Lots of interesting faces were made!

 There were four rounds of this game.

Dewey was not sure what to make of this game.

 Dewey remained calm throughout most of the afternoon of games.  He is not much of a marshmallow fan.  We did take the coat off for petting purposes, as it was House Cup.

Dewey looking relaxed.

 Ms. Beitler came in to check on things and got to give Dewey a hug.  Or is that Dewey giving her a hug.  You never can tell with Dewey!

Dewey and Ms. Beitler.

Dewey sniffs some marshmallows.

Round two students pose with marshmallows and Dewey.

Marshmallow fun.

Party in the Driveway

By Fred
Trainer Jen suggested that we do some work with Dewey so that he begins to think about the car as a happy and fun place. So today we had a little party in the driveway. I sat in the passenger's seat, and he sat just outside while I gave him some stinky salmon treats.


No pressure. He was glad to just sit there (Dewey is a very content little guy). Just him and me and some kibble that smelled like a fish's butt. And we sang some songs.

I like fishes' butts
And I cannot lie
When those butts get in my eye.
(etc.)

And then we went back inside. I won't be surprised if the neighbors report me as being unbalanced. I've got to think of more songs...

PetSmart Temptations

By Fred
I had an unusual childhood. The front room of our house was a candy shop for kids from the high school, which was just across the street. We had a juke box, and I can remember opening our kitchen door to see girls dancing, their long skirts twirling. I can still see my mom and dad behind the candy case. Candy bars were 5 or 10 cents, I think, and we had so much candy that I could have sneaked in there at night and stolen something now and then, but I don't believe I ever did.

At our puppy meeting on Thursday we tried something new. We took the puppies into PetSmart and let them sniff and investigate to their heart's content for about 10 minutes (like a kid in a candy store).

Toys and more toys.

Of course there is every imaginable temptation at Petsmart, visual and odiferous. Fussy toys, plastic toys, rubber toys, birds and hamsters, entire rows of bagged food, treats large and small, each with its own scent signature.

Too many toys, way too many

I thought for sure that Dewey would find something irresistible, something to pick up with his mouth. How could he not?

A fuzzy toy is just begging to be picked up.

But he never mouthed a toy or licked a bag of food. The only thing he picked up was a small doggie bed, and this was only because the bed was tucked away under a shelf and Dewey wanted to get a better look.

Dewey is sniffing a doggie bed. He pulled it out to get a better look.

And OK, maybe I did take a Butterfinger bar from our store once. Just once, though, and only because I thought it had a funny name.

Coach: An Update

We have some unfortunate news. While Coach made it as a guide dog, he did not stay a guide dog.   When Kristen brought Coach home on graduation day, her personal pet did not get along with Coach and there was some growling.  Southeastern's trainer went to try to fix the situation and was unsuccessful.  Coach returned to Southeastern last Tuesday, was reevaluated on Wednesday and dropped from the guide dog program Wednesday afternoon.

Coach in his harness.  

In our hearts, however, we will always remember him as a success, the nicest, most eager to work and eager to please puppies that we have raised.  Whoever adopts him as a pet will be very lucky.

Dewey at Publix

By Fred
We can try, but we can't really imagine what it's like to be a puppy in a grocery store. No music could overwhelm our ears in the same way. No sight could overwhelm our eyes. Nothing we experience with our senses can compare to the rich palate of scents that a dog can experience. And because they are so good at smelling, it makes sense to believe that they appreciate and remember certain odors in an emotional way.

A picture of Dewey being good,
in a down stay next to the grocery cart

I saw The Eagles in an outdoor concert in 1974, and I remember the sound so clearly now that I can almost taste it--crystal clear and beautiful. I have other sound memories like this--my first record player, Joe Cocker, Jimi Hendrix and all the sounds that came from it.

Will Dewey remember his trip to Publix yesterday? Will he be nostalgic about the aisle full of corn chips and potato chips and the bag that stuck out a little and teased him to take a little bite? Will he be a seasoned guide dog someday, and will he be working while at the same time daydreaming about the mysteriously stinky pile of goo just under the meat case? Just there, out of reach?

Dewey, dreaming with eyes open

I hope so.