Kahj - Out and About

Kahj started off this week with his little handkerchief and a slow life in library.  We did have some classes in the library, so he had a lesson or two in how to sleep during class.

Kahj lying down on the library floor in front of the books.

However, at the end of the week, when we got word that he was getting his coat that evening, he did go to a class that day.  It was one of my small classes and they were very good.  Kahj is what our Area Coordinator Lois calls a slug: meaning if he doesn't move for at least 30 seconds, he falls asleep.  Now, we also have a new manual and with that new manual comes some new commands.  One of them is the PLACE command. This PLACE command is going to come in great with classes because I will be able to set his Kong mat down, tell Kahj PLACE and then have him go to sleep, which is what happened on Friday.  Easy, peasey.

RUSH E period with Landon holding Kahj.  Landon won the "nose goes" contest to hold Kahj for the photo.

After class was over, we had a quick nose goes contest, which Landon won, in order to see who would hold Kahj for the class photo. As you can see in the photo, Kahj is pretty limp, as he just woke up from his long nap.

Kahj sleeping in his "place" in my office. 

Kahj also has a crate he can retreat to in my office.  He loves his crate and is very comfortable hanging out taking naps in there.

Kahj showing off his coat at Cassis.

We also took Kahj out to breakfast this Sunday with Jam and he did great.  Everyone thought he was the bomb.  Such a little cutie in his coat. 

Kahj's First Week

We now have our 8th guide dog puppy to raise from Southeastern Guide Dogs in Palmetto, FL.  His name is Kahj and his sponsor is Theresa Wells.

From left: Cheryl, Fred holding Kahj (a yellow lab) and Theresa, greeting him for the first time in the Southeastern Kennels on Dec. 30th, 2016.

 Theresa raised the money to sponsor and name Kahj and we agreed to raise him.  Here's how Theresa tells the story of how his name came about:

"Yes, there is a story behind that name. Kahj is a future superhero AND charming prince. Kartie, my successor guide dog (we were matched back in January 2015 - he is one of elite extraordinaire) and I flew to Cleveland, OH to visit my daughter and her family to meet my second grandchild. My 5 years old grandson, Tahj had a HUGE fear of giant dogs and doesn't want any part of it especially with pictures. I was silent and very confident that it would change. When Tahj and Kartie met for the first time, I gave Tahj a few pieces of frozen green beans. They were 5 feet from each other -- Kartie sat there and decided to sit next to him waiting for the treat. Tahj gave him one piece at a time. Kartie was very, very gentle to him. After a few minutes, it's the love at first sight for both of them. Three days later, Tahj became so obsessed with Kartie and decided to have professional photo shoot with him! I was in awe how they got connected in just a few days. That's how I came up with the name after both of them, Kartie and Tahj. I decided to name Kahj to honor their unique connection!

Photo of Theresa holding Kahj in her arms.

His birthday was on Sept. 12th, 2016.  So, when we got him, he was about 15 weeks old.  We didn't have school on Monday the 2nd, but he did go to school with me on Wed.  However, he spent the day in the library as we are doing a slow introduction of him into the school.

Kahj napping on his tie-down in my office.

Since we didn't want to overwhelm him, we were very careful to only let a few people say hello to Kahj during his first day.  Once his limit had been reached, no more visitors.  One person at a time, and Kahj had to sit in order to say hello.

It helped that Kahj is calm and knows the sit command like the back of his paw.

Kahj showing off his sit.  He has a little bit of an Elvis lip going on.

 Of course at home, he was a goof ball and would be silly and flip out and roll on his belly.

Kahj sleeping on his back.

Kahj's fist visitor was our good friend Michele Timothy.  She is usually our first visitor to meet all of our puppies.  They got along great.

Michele with Kahj on her lap.

Kahj also has the distinction of living with Jam, the dog who loves too much and Willow, the Duchess of Everything.  Willow has already declared him lovely and made him her plaything.  She rarely is immediately accepting of a puppy, preferring to have a period of grumpiness where she can bark her displeasure of having a young dog bother her.  Much to our surprise, Kahj is sweet, calm and not at all bothersome.  Willow loves him.

Jam has declared him a brother, although he could do without the occasional humping. 

Jam and Kahj share some toys together.

 All in all, it has been an amazing first week with a delightful new puppy.  We know that every puppy is different and this one is no exception.

Kahj wearing a green bow tie that was supposed to be Jam's Christmas present, but was a bit too small for him.  It looks mighty cute on Kahj.

Kahj on the bridge with his bow tie.

Talking While Pooping

I work at a pre-k to grade 12 school and I take Bassett in to school with me on M-W-F.  If you have been following this blog at all, you know that I have had a very close relationship with poo in all its myriad forms.  I have not run across this particular problem before.

Usually, I try to make sure that students are spared the sight of Bassett doing his business.  I know when the pooing hours are and I have poo places to take him that are set away from delicate sensibilities.

But sometimes, a dog doesn't want to poo during the regular pooing hour.  Sometimes, a dog holds it all in for a while.  On Friday before an Admissions appearance and photo shoot, I noticed a certain look which belies a fateful turn of events.

I take Bassett outside pretty quickly and we rushed over to some pine straw where the poo would be easy to pick up.  Bassett immediately turned three times in a circle and started to poop.  Almost at the same time (this being lower division book sale day), I heard a small girl child call out:

"Is this a good time for me to pet Bassett?"

Mind you, Bassett is STILL pooping, big horse poops. The girl's mom, instead of saying "Of course not, walk on sweet girl and avert your eyes!" She says, "Just wait a second...Ooops, I think he has some poop stuck to his butt."

OMG! Could it get more embarrassing?!

Yes, yes it could, because to get the dangling poo-horse turd to release, Bassett comes out of the pine straw and onto the sidewalk, right next to ME! I have a bag on my hand and am frozen.

Should I grab the poo and yank it out of his butt in front of the little girl?  Would that be traumatic?  His butt is pointed away from her.  Or should I wait and see if it will naturally fall out.  Give gravity a chance.

Please work, gravity!

PLOP.

I have never been so happy to see a piece of poo hit the floor before.  I scooped it up in the bag and added the other poo and then threw it into the trash.  I wiped my hands with the sani-cloth and turned to the mom and child.

"Bassett would be happy to say hello." And so she got to pet Bassett, who was very attentive and friendly.  Funny how that happens after a good poo.

Bassett Learns a Lunch Lesson

Bassett is a very good boy.

Usually, when we go out to eat, we take Bassett and Jam.  Jam being the elder and a picture perfect restaurant dog, he counsels young puppies on proper restaurant behavior: lay down and go to sleep.

It's been a routine that works.  Puppy after puppy. And our baby Bassett has been doing really well.  So, today, I took Bassett with two friends to the Olde Bay Cafe in Dunedin for lunch.  It is very dog friendly and we have been there many times before with the boys (Jam and Bassett).

As we walked up to the outside patio, I heard barking as two mutts seated at a corner table got wind of Bassett.  A big brownish fuzzy dog and a black and white small dog continued their obnoxious behavior as we proceeded past.  Now, I could use the word lunge, but it is so charged with meaning. Let's just move on to the lady who owned the dogs, who said, "Don't worry. They're friendly."

Really?  You can't tell by their behavior.

On the amazing side, all I did was the switch command to put Bassett on my right side, walk him past the miscreants (Bassett walked past them without pulling on the leash or trying to get to them - awesome loose leash walking!) and sat as far away as possible.

Yea Bassett!

Bassett close up.  He's looking down, kinda sad.

But I did notice that he was inching a bit under my chair, which was in the direction of the "bad boys." I had to pull him back.  He also got a bit restless and would stand and look mournfully over at a table not far away that had a nice black lab at it.

Bassett was really being put to the test as he had the "bad boys" and the black lab and couldn't play with anyone.  His only fussing was the mournful look, full of longing for a romp that wouldn't happen.  One of the ladies at a neighboring table smiled at Bassett, I got the sense that she thought Bassett was dealing with the situation in a grand fashion (no barking or fussing).

Close up of Bassett looking hopeful.

Then, a new group moves onto the high top table next to us and they bring with them a highly excitable boxer who begins a staring match with Bassett.  Bassett looks up at me.  "Should I look at him?"  I turn him away from the boxer.  So rude.

Not five minutes later, another couple arrives with two Pomeranians.  They put their fluff balls on the patio floor with a treat stick, food and water.  Really?  Why not set up a play pen for them too? Just take up the whole entire walkway, because honestly, your dogs are the most important ones in the entire world and as patrons of this restaurant, I enjoy having to walk my dog not only around your dogs, which isn't a problem, but now, I have to have him avoid your bones and treat rawhides that you have thrown out onto the porch.  Thankfully, as we leave, Bassett does not try to eat their food or take their treats. 

Bassett is a very good boy.  

Corky's Day: Corky Is A Guide Dog!!

Cheryl, Chris with Corky and Fred at puppy raiser day.

Puppy Raiser Day:

We have now been to three puppy raiser days: one for Dewey, one for Coach and one for Corky.  But by far, Corky's puppy raiser day was the most nerve wracking. Why?

We really wanted it to go well.  

After 6 dogs, lots of different things have befallen you and you just want smooth sailing.  

So, it was a very distracted driver who drove down to Southeastern this morning.  I am very thankful that we got there intact.  The whole way there I am thinking, 

"Will he like us?"

"Will Corky remember us?"

"How am I getting all the cookies into everyone's bags?" 

"Will Corky love him?" (Which I dearly want him to do!)

"Did I just miss my exit?"

Fred, who was fairly calm about my almost missing the exit, was a bit nervous too.  But we waited for our trip into the cafeteria for the bios to be read.  I was able to quickly shove cookies into everyone's bag of goodies.

Chris.  His name is Chris.  He is a grandfather.  He lives in Georgia.

Time to watch the partner walk.  Chris and Corky are mid pack.  They come out.  Corky finds the curb.  They cross the street.  Then they are making their way down a sidewalk. All of the puppy raisers are about 20 feet off to the left hand side in a pavilion able to take photos without the dogs noticing us.  But as I stand next to the column looking out, Corky sniffs and turns and looks right at me.  

Chris and Corking walking.  Corky is looking at the camera.

He goes right back to work.

I take more photos of my working guide dog Corky and his new partner Chris.  They are great match.

Chris said they are a match made in heaven. That they had Corky wait so that he could be matched with him.  I agree.  Corky has an odd gait: fast and slow, sometimes fast, sometimes slow, which is just exactly what Chris wants.  

They say there is a guide dog match for every person who needs one.  I believe it.  Corky was waiting for Chris. Now they can lead each other on new adventures.  

We can't wait to hear about them. Because in the end, for me, the day is all about them: seeing them, meeting them and honoring their bond. It was a really lovely morning with a wonderful new team.

Amazing News about Corky!!

Face on portrait of puppy Corky.

Big News about Corky

Pensive Corky looking down in a stand of bamboo

We just received some very good news about Corky.  Surprising, actually, because on June 10th, this was the report card that we got:

Comments from Last Report Card:

"Corky is such a sweet boy. I have only had this guy for a few weeks but he is doing pretty well. He is still a little immature which we are working on but this has improved. We have also been working on his jumping. He does love to work in harness and has been doing well. Thank you for raising this sweet boy."

Our Thoughts:

We were a bit worried.  His other report card from the previous month was super positive.  We thought perhaps he is regressing.  But one can never know what is going on inside the kennel and it is really hard to interpret one trainer's comments from another's.  It's like when you have that one introspective friend who hardly says anything and is really low key.  For her, when she says, "Yeah, it's cool."  It's like a bomb went off and there were huge dance parties and people were shouting, "OMG!! It's the best thing ever!!"  But you don't know that, because you don't know that's the kind of trainer who is now writing your report card.

It's similar to the comments on your child's report card.  Everything that isn't MY CHILD IS AMAZING is equated to THERE IS SOMETHING WRONG WITH MY CHILD.  So we worried about the jumping and his immaturity and we worried he might not make it. And we should have looked at the SWEET BOY (of which there were TWO, among other compliments). And we should have trusted the process.

Big News:

Then, when we were in Paris, I got a Facebook message from our Area Coordinator, Lois, asking if I wanted to hear some good news.  Well, heck yeah!!!!

"Corky has been matched!!! (Then she added icons for celebrations, wine and balloons) Puppy Raiser Day is July 9th. (More celebration icons!)"

There was much celebrating in Paris!!  Here's to you Corky!

Corky, Jam and Willow at Christmas 2014.

 You are an amazing boy.  Do good, be good and we will always love you!

Our handsome Corky.

Day Dreams

Day Dreams

Bassett is usually a very calm dog. As you can tell by the photo below, he can be almost angelic in his sleeping position. 

Bassett in his crate with an angelic look on his sleeping face.

More often than not though, he is sleeping with his head at a crazy angle, hanging over the edge or sleeping while having the hiccups or snoring VERY loudly.

But sleeping is the big constant.

Bassett, in his crate, just befor closing his eyes for a nap.

I guess he is a bit angelic.

Mine, Mine, Mine!

Daffy Duck

Jam, the dog who loves too much, tends to look at the world as his oyster.  It's all his.  Every last bit of it.  Consequently, he pees on a great deal of it.

He reminds me in many ways of Daffy Duck, a character who also was concerned with owning everything.  This scene is from one of my favorite cartoons with Bugs and Daffy.

 

Jam and Establishing Ownership

So, back to the peeing.  Jam generally pees on lots of items.  Sometimes this means walking into a new home and taking possession of the best pillow, the one previously owned by the small male dog in the house.  Method: Pee on the pillow.

Meet a new friend? Why not pee on their head?  Guaranteed to let the neighborhood know whose friend they are.  Jam's friend!

Where Shopping Is a Pleasure

My favorite place to shop is Publix, so of course I went to the Publix Paws booth to sign up for Publix Paws at Walkathon!! And I took Jammy with me while I signed up.  Jam was quietly sniffing the banner and sizing up the tote bag and the two water dishes that they were giving me (two dishes because Publix rocks!) and then Jam had a brilliant idea.  Why not own Publix? Why not become a part of Publix Paws? Really get into it? Make it his program?

Wait for it...

So, he peed on their sign.  In front of them.  Standing next to me.  While I was obliviously filling out my form.  That is until I looked up to see the wide open, staring eyes of Publix employees locked onto Jam.

I turned to catch him shake it off, so to speak, and lower his leg.  Quite pleased with his aim as it hit the paw print right on the money and  kinda blended in with the cornflower yellow of the banner.

I could only think that "Wow. I'm glad that banner is water proof, um, pee proof, and all the pee is beading up and running off it." 

"Bye! Love Publix!" I grabbed my tote and yanked Jam away from the booth.  

Jam, sitting by the Publix Paws banner, he loves Publix and so do we.

Despite the peeing, Jam is very grateful to Publix for all the treats and toys he will be getting in the near future from the Publix Paws program coupons.  He's hoping to pee on the toys.

Our Seventh Puppy: Bassett!

Once More, Into the Breach!

On Jan. 5th, Fred and I went to pick up baby Bassett.  Bassett is our 7th Southeastern Guide Dog puppy to raise.  

Fred and I and Bassett at the Freedom Walk. Photo by Christy Clark.

Bassett is the last name to the beautiful girl he is named after: Christie Bassett (in fact, you can also join our facebook page at The Adventures of Christie and Bassett). Christie is pictured below.

FirstThe first week was just a blur as we were getting back from the holidays and getting the puppy and starting back at school was quite a one-two punch!  Fortunately, Bassett is super good.  He is calm and confident and mostly sleeps through the night.  

First Puppy Meeting

He went to his first meeting that Saturday.  I was very impressed with his behavior.  He is an older puppy.  We had been hoping to get a very young puppy to experience the whole puppy experience again and had asked for a baby baby.  But Bassett was born on 9/29/15 and was about 15 weeks old when we picked him up.

Close-up of Bassett at the puppy meeting looking up at me for direction.  Photo by Paul Carroll.

But it's one of those crazy things, you love every puppy, no matter what.  At least we do.  They are all amazing.  And Bassett is no different.  He is unlike all of our other puppies.  He is calm, but very independent.  One of the puppies who is about two weeks older arrived and started to bark excitedly and pull to come see Bassett.  Bassett was sitting by me and he looked over at the puppy and then looked up at me.  I could see the wheels turning and then he got up and walked away from the puppy and sat down on the other side of me. Not hiding, but clearly not interested in playing with someone so rambunctious.  He's very precise.  Very curious and observant.  Rather like Sherlock.

First Week of School

His first week of school was a big success.  He is spending the first month only in the library.  I walk the back way in, out of direct traffic and encounter few students, so it is very calm.  The library itself is quiet and calm most of the day as well.  

We have a firm petting exposure rule: one person only and no more than two people per hour ( one per half hour).  It's been interesting telling students that "I've just put the baby down to sleep, so you can't pet him now."  They have been quite ok with just looking at him.

Bassett with one of our Student Library Proctors.

In fact, they are all so well trained that no one tries to reach out a hand as we go by on our way out to the restroom.  Although I do hear the faint cries of, "Awwwww!" as we pass.

Bassett, with his head tilted.

And really, who wouldn't say, Awww, to that face?

I Am Thankful

Post Puppy Depression

For six years, I have driven to school with a puppy curled in the wheel well of my passenger side of the car every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

For just about every day, I have had a puppy there and on the way to work I glance down and there is my companion and I have my conversation and we talk about the day and what we are going to do.  Sometimes I tell him what we aren't going to do. 8-)

Sometimes, I tell him to stop trying to drink my coffee.

That happened a lot.

With Corky.

I digress.

Now, out of the corner of my eye I think I see something and I quickly look.

But there is no puppy. I'm alone.

Sometimes, when NPR is especially interesting I'll comment, but none quirks their head.

I sigh.

And my office is replete with puppy paraphernalia and I sit alone with the puppy toys.  Periodically, I use my toe to move a  nylabone out of the way of my rolling chair, but there is no puppy to gnaw on the bone. 

Visitors at the Door

Yesterday, as I was feeling particularly down, I heard a commotion at my office door.  I looked up and there stood Mrs. Hillmer, the lower division art teacher, with two lower division boys.  She motioned to one small, blonde boy to walk over to me.

"Hi," I said and smiled at everyone. The boy held out a card to me. I looked up at Mrs. Hillmer.  She just smiled back at me.  I took the card.  I read it.  I started to tear up.  

There's a reason I am thankful for working where I do.  Situations like this happen all the time and your empty bucket gets filled up by children who never know you needed it.  Matthew made the next few weeks bearable. I'm thankful for Matthew and Mrs. Hillmer and all the people I work with who continually fill up my bucket and never even know they are doing it.

And in January, I will have a little puppy in the house. And all will be right with the world.

Burger 21: Friendly to Service Dogs

On Monday I met a friend in the Burger 21 on Linebaugh to discuss a class we would both be teaching.  I was a bit nervous about it.  

I have brought dogs before to Burger 21 and not had a problem, but this time they were really exceptionally pleasant.  We sat in the corner at the back away from everyone.  Eventually, the place filled up and people sat next to us (a mom and her two daughters), but at the beginning, we had the place mostly to ourselves.

The one guy at the counter brought over a bowl of ice water for Corky and I didn't have the heart to tell him that he can't drink in coat.  We just moved it out of the way.  Corky tried to tip it over almost immediately.  

Which led to us using tons of napkins to sop up the water on the floor.  Which Corky then tried to eat.  

Sigh.

All of the wait staff who helped us were friendly and helpful and very cognizant and sweet to Corky.  Even the customers were amazing.  I have never been to a restaurant where all of the moms knew to ask if Corky could be petted first.  

I was at the counter with Corky waiting with one mom who said, "I can't believe my daughter hasn't run over here yet.  She loves dogs." She glanced at their booth and sure enough a small little girl was sliding down and running toward us.  The mom almost yelled at her as she came up to Corky,

"Honey, you have to ask if you can pet him!"

She looked at me.

I shook my head.  "I'm sorry.  He's working.  He can't be petted right now."  

The mom took her daughter's hand.  "See honey, he's working.  He's doing a job."

Dang, these Burger 21 people were on it!

I got back to the booth and my friend and I worked some more.  Then the small family of three moved into the booth next to us.  The two girls sat along the wall and the mom was in the far chair. They made sure to slide in from the far side so as not to bother Corky.

Corky, lying against the booth, is in good position to whack his tail
against the small girl's feet as she is sitting in the booth next to us.

Corky looked up and saw the girls.  He wagged his tail.  It thumped against the older girls feet and ankles.  She smiled and bit into her hamburger.  She knew a good thing when she had it hitting her in the shin.

When we had finished lunch, I thanked the girls next to us for being so nice and letting Corky smack them with his tail.  I told them that he really needed to get his wagger under control.

I highly recommend a stop in Burger 21. Not only for the food, but for the service and the people.  They are uniformly nice and pleasant.  It was a great lunch.

I Want to Be Corky's Favorite

Today was a busy day for us in the library.  We had so much to do getting ready for the librarians conference for next week.  Even so, life at school went on as usual and some of the 8th graders brought some rising 6th graders by the library for a tour today.

Two of them brought a group of ten by my office and asked if Corky was in. I said he was and they asked if the 5th graders could see him. Corky happened to have his coat off, so when I took him out of my office and into the main library there was a general sucking in of breaths and a breathing out of "He doesn't have his coat on!!"

"Can we pet him?"

"Yes, you may, but give him some room."

They spread out into a semi-circle and started to pet Corky, who stood calmly wagging his tail. One of the girls dropped down to the ground and Corky, sensing a licking opportunity, turned her way and started to lick her face.

"Ah, I see you are Corky's favorite," I said without actually taking in the meaning of my words.  Immediately, all the 5th graders fell to ground as if they had dropsy.  The boy to my right said in a loud voice, "I want to be Corky's favorite!"

"Oh, my."  I thought.  "I hope this turns out ok."

Corky happily obliged, going down the line and licking everyone in the face.  They all laughed.  I told them all that Corky loved them best. 

Corky, doing what he does best, giving a kiss to someone, in this case, our librarian Christina.

Corky was the big winner.

Advisory Chooses Southeastern Guide Dogs

I do have the best advisory there is.  I always do.  And for the past three years, I have had a wonderful group of very talented and funny girls and boys.  They are all juniors now and will be heading into their senior year next year, which makes me a little sad.

We had a spirit day today and all the advisories were supposed to pick a theme and dress up in costume.  Our kids decided to dress like Southeastern Guide Dogs.  Julia told them all "to wear black pants so they would look like Corky."

The Southeastern Guide Dogs (Girls only) with Corky and two Puppy Raisers (Me and Mrs. Fletcher).

Now you might notice in the photo above that there are just girls.  The girls got to wear the glitter letters and Caroline made headbands with felt dog ears on them for them, assuming the the boys wouldn't wear them.  This was confirmed this morning when Wade said, "Yeah, I'm not wearing that" and it was echoed by three other of the boys.

Good call Caroline! Julia brought nose paint, but not everyone was into that.

Just the girls who did nose paint, Caroline, Julia and Kimberly.  They rock!
Caroline made the ears and Julia made the shirts. Kimberly got it all to school on time.

 So, we took a photo of just the three who went whole dog, so to speak! 8-)

The whole advisory group. Everyone participated!  Such a nice group.

Here's the whole group.  I think they all rock.  They all participated and were great.  They are a very sweet group and Mrs. Fletcher and I have a lot of fun with them.

A Bag of Poo and a Bad Decision

A Time to Poo

I had to get some dinner.  My idea was to go to Whole Foods and pick up something from the buffet.  My only hesitation was Corky.

Corky is relaxing in the wheelwell on the drive home.

Corky generally doesn't poo at school.  He saves it for 5 pm at home.  It was nearing 5 pm and we were not at home.  We were pulling up to Whole Foods.

It was the Pooing Hour.

Corky and I got out of the car and I walked him over to a grassy median where I tried to get him to busy.  He wandered around sniffing.  He finally peed halfheartedly and sniffed a bit more.  I knew there was more in there. I stood my ground.

Corky turned in a half circle and then back again.  Aha! Got him. He did a half squat and then shift and started to poo.  Success! I was so stoked.  I got out my poo bags. They were electric yellow and could be seen from the moon.

"Good boy, Corky!" Corky wagged his tail.  He looked at the yellow bag and looked away.  It may have hurt his eyes.  They were bright.  I tied the bag into a knot to prevent any stink from escaping and began to walk toward Whole Foods to throw it away in one of their trash cans.

Now, here is where it gets a bit tricky.  As you approach Whole Foods, there is an eating area off to the right.  I certainly didn't want to walk up to that area and wave my big bag of poo around with diners: "Hey! Got some poo here! Look!  Does this make you want to eat your food?!"

Fortunately, I had parked to the left and my approach was away from the diners.  I was hiding the bright yellow bag (haha, as if you could hide that bag) by my side.  I started to look for trash cans.

Nothing. Not one trash can.

Really, Whole Foods? No trash cans?

A shot of a Whole Foods shopping bag.

I'm standing by a planter with a big bright yellow bag of poo.  What now?  Take it into the store? Certainly not! I can't even take it close to the door.  IT'S POO! LOTS OF POO.

What store doesn't have trash cans?

OK.  I set my bag of dog poo down on the ground and say to anyone listening, "I will be back for this bag of poo," and I walk away.

I leave the yellow bag of poo and Corky and I walk into the store.  I did turn to look and it glowed back at me accusingly. POO, POO.

There was nothing to be done.

A Bad Decision

And that wasn't my bad decision.  My bad decision was settling for a basket and not a cart.  I thought the basket would be easier to maneuver.

I walked Corky into the buffet area and got a wet wipe out of his coat and wiped my hands off. I didn't want to touch anything without cleaning my hands.  That done, I went over to the plates.

I grabbed two plates and pulled them apart.  I dropped them into the basket.  I didn't notice that the plates didn't sit flat.  I grabbed two tops and spent three minutes trying to get them apart while Corky tried to sniff at them and at the basket.

Then we walked over to the buffet area.  Corky was very good.  He didn't lunge or jerk around.  He was very calm and sweet.  I quickly realized that when I filled a plate that it wouldn't sit flat in the basket.

Really, Whole Foods? What good are your baskets?

So now I am staring at Corky, my useless basket, my filled plate and my unfilled plate.  How will I fill the unfilled plate and how will I get both plates to the checkout counter?

Close-up of Corky looking sweet.

Finally, I got Corky to stay and put the basket in an out of the way spot and put the filled plate in an out of the way spot and filled up my second plate.  Then I stacked the two plates on top of each other and Corky and I ran very fast to the checkout area.

Not an elegant solution, but it worked.

Everything was put in a paper bag and now I had a handle.  I left and picked up my yellow bag of poo  (which was still there!!) on the way out, which I carried home to throw away in my trash can.  

Corky 1

Poo 1

Cheryl 1

Whole Foods -3

Bathrooms and Waitresses

Cheesecake Factory

Some days are just good days.  You have a lunch date with a friend you haven't seen in a long time, at a restaurant you really like.

Cheesecake Factory usually puts us in a booth when I bring a service dog, but this time they put us at a four-top table in the center.  They explained that they didn't want us at a two top because there wouldn't be enough room for the dog.  I thought that was nice.  When we got to the table, our hostess offered to take a chair away, but I told her we were fine.  

Corky doesn't have the best settle, but he does ok.  True to form, he stood like a horse in a stall under the table. Sigh.  He's also not a puppy that takes kindly to you pressuring him to sit down.  He's either going to do it in his own time, or not.  There's just no way around it.  

He decided Michele's feet looked comfy and sat on them.

Our adorable waitress came up and nearly stepped on Corky and then nearly fell all over herself apologizing.  Turns our she has a golden and is a huge dog lover.  She was delightful.  She showed us photos of her puppy.  Very sweet.

Corky was very good under the table.  There were a few moments when he got up and wanted to stand and test out the standing, but he finally settled and fell asleep.

Bathrooms

After our nice lunch, we stopped by the bathrooms, which were all full.  The  first one to open was a regular stall, so Corky and I made our way in.  The stall was stall number one against the wall, so we only had one neighbor on our right side.

I had to scrunch us in and then turn Corky around so that he was facing the right hand side and I could close the stall door.  I hooked his leash up on the door with my purse.  

Corky poked a nose under the stall to the right.

"Oh!" Came the response from the woman in the stall to the right.  I could see her lovely shoes.

Pause.

I see a nicely manicured hand scratch Corky's chin. 

Corky sticks his whole head under the stall.

"No peeking! No Peeking!" The lady said in a laughing voice.  I pulled Corky back.  Thankfully, we were ready to go. 

If I timed it right, I could wash my hands and be out of there without meeting the person my guide dog puppy had seen in a delicate position!

I timed it right.  Thank God for automatic faucets!

Corky Helps a Friend

A friend of mine at school will be going to meet a career changed Southeastern guide dog on Thursday afternoon.  They have been waiting a long time to get their forever dog and are extremely excited about it. (All the photos here were taken by Christina Arcuri, many, many thanks!)

Everyone arrives to greet Corky

Since their last dog was a Jack Russell, I offered to have their boys come over and meet Corky so that they could really get to know a big lab before meeting their dog on Thursday.  That way, they could practice petting a big dog, how to interact in a calm way, and ask questions.

The two boys are a bit tentative about petting Corky.

Corky is a really good test big dog because he is so friendly and has such a waggy tail.  Everyone likes him right away and he likes everyone back.

Mom watches as I talk about Corky and how old he is.

I had Corky do a down stay because he is a big lab (74 pounds, their dog they will meet tomorrow is only 55 pounds) and they are still pretty small.

The boys are sitting by Corky and asking questions. Corky is lying down.

I also had them pet Corky on the body.  I had told their mom to try and avoid having them pet their dog on the head as that can lead to jumping and mouthing.  

The boys are both petting Corky.

We also talked about having very calm voices and moving slowly, not running around and getting the puppy excited. I loved their questions.  The first one was about stuffed animals.  Was she going to like stuffed animals.  "Yes, she was," I said.  "So it is important that you keep your toys in a safe place out of her way. If she does get one of your stuffed animals, just go and get one of her toys and trade her so that she knows which toy is her toy."  

I told him it was probably going to be a good idea to keep his socks off the floor and his bedroom door shut too!

Mom and son are listening as I explain about stuffed animals.

We decided his younger brother had the stinkiest socks and had the most to worry about.

Mission accomplished: a happy boy with Corky.

Mission accomplished: Another comfortable boy with a big dog.

All in all, I think they ended up being very comfortable with Corky and will have a very successful visit with their (hopefully!!) new forever dog tomorrow!!

Dewey News! Cautiously Optimistic

Dewey Gets Matched

We got the call last week.  Dewey had been matched with someone in this month's class of graduates currently down at Southeastern Guide Dogs.  We knew it was a possibility, but we thought it was another class or two away.

He had been chosen to do blind fold walks at the last open house. He had also been chosen to do the AC conference and lead one of the ACs around for her blindfold morning.  So. we knew he was getting close.

But we were really surprised to hear that he had actually been matched.  I think after having Coach be matched and then unmatched we are cautiously optimistic.  Every dog is different.  

Dewey is very calm.  He has a nice settle.  And as indicated by this photo from Friday, he can sleep through a noisy food court with no problem. He was the ultimate napper.

Dewey napping in a food court while out during class.

We will be attending Puppy Raiser Day on March 7th.  We are excited, but trying to be calm.  Like Dewey.  Hopefully, we will have some fun photos to show you all.

Keep your fingers crossed.

And perhaps your toes too.