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.

What It Means to Sponsor a Puppy

Southeastern Guide Dogs' primary mission is to provide dog who blaze a trail of freedom for their visually impaired partners. A secondary and lesser know mission is the one the dogs have embedded in their brains: their name. For each dog is named for someone special and he or she carries the hopes and dreams of that person's legacy with them. 

Sponsorships

The naming process is a very special process.  A person or a family or group will come together and make a decision to honor someone.  At Berkeley, we decided to honor our retiring headmaster, Joseph A. Merluzzi: JAM.

Joseph A. Merluzzi holding puppy Jam upside down in his arms.

One year, we had one particular student, Austin Iglehart, who raised all the money himself and wanted to recognize and honor his football coach for being such a role model and mentor.  That was Coach. Our sponsor was shy.

Austin Iglehart with Coach on the football field.

And sometimes the honoree touches everyone's heart.  

Christie Bassett

This January, 16 year old Christie Bassett lost her life in a  tragic automobile accident.  In addition to being a competitive swimmer, she was a vivacious young lady with a zest for life and a love for dogs.

Christie with her Uncle Chris's career changed guide dog Johnny.
Christie is a little girl in this photo.

And I know that while you all may be thinking that this is very sad, but I don't know why this matters to the McLeans and why it should matter you.

Christie with Wally, Chip and Chris's current guide dog in training.
Wally is asleep on her lap. Christie is smiling.

When Jam went in for training, he had a problem: he had bad separation anxiety.  Perhaps you have seen the Jam Cam or remember the posts about all the problems we have been working with him on about separation anxiety.  Well, at some point, Southeastern felt that for Jam's mental health that he needed a break and he needed to go to someone who would help him not only with his anxiety but would help him complete his training and allow him to come back, eventually.

They sent him to Chip and Chris.

Chris with Jam.

Chip and Chris got him through.  Chris is Christie's Uncle.  Chris has also been volunteering with Southeastern since 1997. Both he and Chip have been our friends since we got Jam back.  

Sponsorships are a way to let that loved one live on in memory.  We were thrilled that we had an opportunity to be a part of helping to name a puppy after such a sweet girl. Our hope is that you feel that same way.  Will you be a part of helping her name to live on in the spirit of a lab, golden or goldadore puppy?  Just click on Walkathon and go to our walkathon page to make a donation.

Any donation is acceptable!  However, if your donation is $50 or over, I will personally handknit you a scarf like the one Jam is wearing.  Just tell me your favorite color.

Here's a video of Christie.

Posing as a Puppy

By Fred

A picture of Dewey waking from a nap,
his face snuggled into a towel.

Dewey has almond eyes that light up whenever a surge of happiness hits him, which is every five seconds or so. He has very good house manners, a perfect disposition, perfect to the point that I almost suspect he's not a puppy at all but some sort of human shape-shifter pretending to be a puppy, some graduate student making money for the summer, maybe.

But this phase of puppy goodness and light is temporary, as we know from experience. He will be growing up fast. Too bad for Cheryl, who is not here this week--she's missing the fun part.

For example, yesterday on a walk Dewey and I came upon a neighbor lady walking her pit bull. But Dewey couldn't have cared less about them. He just walked along with his head up, not struggling to get closer to (or away from) the big dog, not sniffing and scouring the ground for every little scent, not listening to that puppy head-banger music in his head (the music that's turned up so loud they can't hear a word you say). For now Dewey is a joy to walk--of course, the treats help quite a bit.

Dewey and Jam looking up and laughing for no reason

Dewey has the tip of Jam's tail in his mouth

Willow and Dewey are getting along. I don't have any pictures of Willow here because she doesn't like to be posed. When I point the iPhone at her she glares at me and turns around or just stares at the ground as says Arghhhh.

But Jam loves the camera and he seems to love Dewey.

Jam has become more affectionate in general. He misses Cheryl and often goes to the window to look for her car, which is parked in its usual place, so where the heck is she? I shrug my shoulders because the truth (that she's taking a crochet class in California) would be too strange a notion for Jam (or any dog) to process.

So I look out the window with him, and we sigh.

I've staged photos before, but this one happened for real,
with no encouragement from me. Jam is using Dewey as a pillow

Nearly Headless Jam

Puppies are funny creatures.  In some ways they are like horses in that they shy at very odd things at unexpected moments.

Take this morning for example. Baby Dewey (BD) and I were having a nice breakfast and checking out Facebook when all of a sudden it was as if a horrific creature had appeared in front of BD.  He leaped up, tucked his tail and backed up a few feet.  Then he looked up at me for confirmation.

"Are you seeing this?" His eyes were locked on to the TV room, so I turned and looked over there.  All I saw was a sleeping Jam in MY leather chair.

Wait, from Baby Dewey's perspective, it was merely a head!

Jam, with just his head hanging over the arm of the chair.

 From a puppy perspective, and after having seen one too many True Blood episodes, I could clearly see the decapitated head of Jam sitting on the chair, taunting poor Baby Dewey.  Something needed to be done.

"Dewey, let's go see Jam." I could see Jam barely open his eyes.

BD was not sure about getting closer to the head, but he did like Jam, so he started to walk very, very slowly, closer to the chair.  We took our time.

Jam raised his head and looked at us.  Annoyed.  His nap was disturbed.

BD sitting in front of a complete Jam, head and all.

BD walked around the chair and looked at Jam.  "See?  Jammy is fine!  Good Dewey!"

BD did a little happy wiggle (he's big on wiggles and he's a mighty tail wagger as well).  All was right in his world once again.

Ah, puppies.

Jammy Is Loved

We are so proud of Jam.  He is still in Phase 3: Polishing and Blindfold Walks.  On his last report card 

Jammy sitting and looking off to the right.

his trainer said that Jam still got distracted, but they were working on it.  As you can see by the photos, Jam is a VERY happy boy and he certainly loves his trainer!

Jam is standing and his trainer has her arms around him.
Jam has his head thrown all the way back almost in a howl of happiness.

Jam's Report Card!!!

We just got a new report on Jam.  Seems like he is continuing to do really well, so everyone should keep crossing their fingers and saying their prayers!!  Don't slack off now.  He's working really hard and loving his training as his trainer's comments below show he is a happy worker, but we knew that!

Jam at the Bradenton Mall sitting in harness by a giant sandal.  He is inside a shoe store! Photo by Kathy Hysmith. 

COMMENTS:  Jam is always in a good mood and loving life.  I don’t think this dog ever has bad day in his head. J  He loves everyone and has a blast running around with his roommate.  His harness work is still improving and he absolutely loves it.  We are still working on his obedience including his jumping and sit/stay.  He is a very smart dog and just needs to keep busy.  Sometimes I think that I could do a 10 mile route and that would only be his warm up!

 Go Jam go!!!

Jam's Harness Photo

We got Jam's harness photo in the mail.  He is soooooo handsome.  I see that his tail isn't curly in this photo, so he must be trying to be serious.  Hmmm.  He does look all grown up.  

Oh.  My baby is a big boy now!

Jam's Report Card

Here is Jam's report card.  I think it is a pretty good report card.  Here is the meat of the report:

"Oh Jam.  There is never a dull moment with this happy and silly boy. 8-) He has adjusted to the kennel and always looks like he has something he wants to smile or say something.  He is still very immature and young but is a smart boy.  I am really looking forward to working with him more and seeing his full potential."

Woot! Smart.  Potential.

We'll take that.

A Lavender Blurrr

By Fred
Ever since Cheryl learned about the therapeutic effect of lavender, our home smells like an Victorian English whorehouse, and for the past several days I've been wandering around in a lavender daze, as if I weren't calm enough before. We now have a variety of lavender power dispensers, misters and sprays, and there's a giant vat of lavender oil in the garage. The air is so thick with it that I sometimes can't see across the room.

A blurry picture of Coach with a sweet smile.
He looks a little drunk on lavender.

Little Coach is a sweet guy, a really cool dude, and I get the feeling that lavender is the last thing he needs.

But who's complaining. Not us.

Jam Goes In For Training

Photo of the welcome sign: Welcome to Freshman Orientation @ Guide Dog U

Saturday was Jam's day to go in for training, or Guide Dog U as it is known.  This day is something that is not necessarily looked forward to by puppy raisers but is acknowledged as one of those sad, sad days that you have to go through in order to experience the joy of puppy raising.  It can't all be puppy breath and kisses.

Fred and I are kneeling to the left of Jam's sign with his portrait on it.  There is some sun glare off  to the left so you can't really see our expressions.

Southeastern Guide Dog's puppy department has a sign for each dog entering the dorms that has his name and 6 week puppy portrait.  Here we are sitting with Jam by the sign.  At first I was a little annoyed that the volunteer didn't get closer so that you could actually see the sign and our faces, but now, I realize, that you also can't see that we have just completely lost it.  I, didn't make it past driving through the gates.

We are standing at the Southeastern rock sign.  I'm on the left and Fred and Jam are on the right.  Jam is sitting.  Fred and I are standing.

It does help that you are surrounded by some of your good friends and we happened to have some very good friends with us that day, which is why you see some smiles on this photo by the Southeastern sign.

Fred is sitting on a bench at the very back with Jam lying at his feet waiting for Jam's name to be called.

Jam was the second dog of the second set to be called in to go.  It was a little upsetting for me, because Fred started down the aisle to the right and I went with him.  Then I realized that I had forgotten the little sheet of paper with instructions for the trainers on Jam (of course, I just thought it was for serious things and put down his poop and eating habits, which are weird and I was a bit worried about them.  But after I filled it out Leslie told us they also wanted to know about what kind of pats and rubs he liked and I didn't get to put that down, which is making me cry now.  So, I'm going to tell you: he likes to be scratched under his chin and he likes his butt scratched at the base of his tail.  He is not a cuddler, per se.  He's more cat like and will twine about your legs. There.  Now you know.). So, I ran back up the aisle to get it, but Fred kept walking and took Jam to trainer Karen.  I came down the other aisle.

Trainer Karen is hooking Jam up to the leash, but Jam is looking away from her off to the right. He is looking at me walking up to him. Photo by Durga Garcia.

I guess Jam didn't know where I was, so he was looking for me, which I didn't know until I saw these photos taken by fellow puppy raiser Durga Garcia, who is also a professional photographer.

Photo of me looking down at Jam for the last time. Photo by Durga Garcia.

So, I tried to give him a hug, but I think as soon as he saw me, he figured things were ok and he wanted to go off with trainer Karen.  He was ready to go.  So they walked off and like all the puppies before him, he went off happy and excited and he never looked back.

And we wouldn't have wanted it any other way.

Good Friends, Good Boy

Yesterday we met our good friends, whom we hadn't seen in about four years, at Sea Sea Riders for lunch.  We, of course, brought Jam with us because they have a a yellow lab and have kids and are dog friendly.

Anna, their little girl, was over the moon to meet Jam.  She and Kate met us outside the restaurant and walked us in to our table.  Jam was very good and did a smooth down under when we got to the table.  Then he started to lick Kate's toes.

Jam lying down in front of Anna, Cheryl, Kate and Will

He was great during the whole meal.  Didn't move around or get up much at all.  Although at one point, someone had dropped a fork and Jam found it and was about to eat it.  Anna pointed it out to Fred who retrieve the fork.

Fred, Jam, Will and Jay standing in front of the tree for a photo of the boys.  Will is wearing his black lab shirt.

After lunch, we went outside and took off his coat so that everyone could pet Jam.  At this point he was very calm and collected and didn't jump at all.

Fred is showing Anna how soft Jam's ears are.  Jam is in a sit and Anna is patting his head.

He was able to do the meet and greets with aplomb.  Yea Jam!

Farting at the Movies

Many years ago, Fred and I had bought tickets to see Phantom of the Opera.  We had never seen it and were looking forward to finally seeing what all the fuss was about.  It was playing at the then named Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center.  Then my college roommate called and said she was coming for a visit, so we bought one more ticket.  Only problem was it wasn't anywhere near our seats.

Fred was a gentleman and let Gisah and I sit together and took the orphan seat that was closer and way over to the left.  We were further back and over to the right.  None of us were close and were behind the center line.

As we sat down Gisah and I were very excited about the play.  I seem to recall Gisah had seen it before, so I was a bit more excited about it.  The audience was packed.  There were very few empty seats.  Then just before the curtains rose, it happened.

"Oh!"  I crinkled my nose.  Damn.  That was nasty.  My eyes watered.  I looked over at Gisah and she was looking at me.  I shook my head, which in mime theater talk means I didn't do it!  The lights were out and play started.

We fanned our programs and tried to waft it away.  Which worked a little bit.  Then, about five minutes later, it happened again. Then again, five minutes later.

Every five minutes we were hit with a fart from the man sitting beside me who obviously had Delhi Belly, Montezuma's Revenge, or whatever town or person they want to name it after but means that your body is saying YOU SHOULDN'T BE AT A PLAY! You should be on a toilet like a normal human letting that foulness out, not trying to keep it in!

Honestly, it went on and on.  Gisah gagged a little.  I started to feel nauseous.  I couldn't concentrate on the play.  I think there was something about little boats in the water and I was fantasizing about throwing this contaminated dork over the boat, when the lights went up.

We bolted, found Fred and blurted out, "The man next to us is farting!"

I'm sure everyone next to us heard it.  "We cannot stand it." "It is disgusting." "We have to leave." "I'm about to throw up."

"Uh. OK."  Fred is amenable to just about anything but I know he hated to be in the seat by himself. This solution was great.

So we left.

Jam, curled up on the floor of the movie theater.

Last night, we took Jam to The Avengers movie.  We got there a little late, it was about 10 minutes before the movie started and the only good dog seat was in the front row of the stairs by the stairs.  So I took it quickly.  There was a couple sitting in seats 3 and 4.

Fred got up to use the restroom and the lady in seat 4 leaned over and asked, "Do you want us to move over a seat so the dog has more room?"

"Oh, he has plenty of room, between my chair and my husband's.  But thank you for asking." I thought that was sweet. This theater was super clean.  Not one popcorn kernel anywhere.  But there chairs are weirdly spaced so it was hard to scrunch my purse between them.  It kept falling to the floor.  GRRRR.

Fred came back and sat down.  The movie started.  Jam was starting to sleep.  Then some of the action started.  Jam would wake up and watch it.  Then he would move around and try and get comfortable.

Fred leaned over, "Did Jam fart?"

"Oh no he didn't!" I may have done the head bob thing as well.  If there is one thing I can tell you it's where a fart is coming from in a theater.  I was on the end of the aisle.  Jam was with me.  WE WERE NOT FARTING. I have no problem admitting to a fart or assigning blame on Jam when he is farting, but when he isn't, I'm not going to just blame him because he is the only dog in the theater!

Evidently, the girl behind Fred had said in a whisper, "I hate when I go to the movies and there are people farting!"

Fred said the farts were about every 5 minutes for the first part of the movie.  Then the man next to him (Seat 3) got up to go to the restroom (I'm guessing). (Seat 3 is the farter! Says me.)

Jam continued to pop his head up at every roar from the Hulk.  It was like they were talking to each other or rather the Hulk was being annoying and Jam was an old grumpy man who needed to give him a glare.

Finally the movie ended.  We waited until the end for the shawarma scene which was worth it.  Many people smiled at Jam, so I'm guessing that they didn't blame Jam either.

They blamed Fred.

Handsome Docile Lad

Yesterday I met a friend out for lunch for her birthday at Red Mesa Cantina.  Jam was a pretty good boy at lunch, although we were in a fairly dangerous lunch spot: our booth was on the high spot of the garden outside overlooking the fountain area, so that the tables below us were at about shoulder height for Jam.  Or rather butt height for him if he turned his "most appealing side" around.  

Not that he ever gets up and changes position under a table. (Twice.) Sigh.

However, we were blessed that the table below us was filled with dog lovers as it was a mom and her son and a girlfriend out to lunch.  The friend was on the Jam side and the son was very interested in Jam.  The mom immediately explained that he was working and he couldn't be touched as I quickly tried to down Jam out of sight.  The boy was good, and kept an eagle out for Jam appearances and didn't seem disappointed by any full moons.

After lunch we went by the Dali museum gift shop for Theresa to pick up a present for a friend.  Jam had never been, so this would be a new experience for him.  As soon as we got out of the car, he started picking up his paws really fast indicating hot pavement, so we ran over to some grass.  I took off his coat so that he could busy before we entered.  

As previously mentioned in our puppy sitting post, Jam had disappointed us by marking once in Brian and Susan's house.  It was a community pillow that all of their dogs slept on, one of them being the male dog, but still, up until that point, I could claim that Jam hadn't ever marked in the house.  Now, all bets were off and I wasn't feeling so confident.

"Busy busy." I said as we stepped onto an expanse of green grass.  Jam wandered around and eyed me. He tried to sidle up to the eletrical box that was nearby, but that seemed like a dangerous combination, so moved him to more grassy expanses.  No deal.  There was going to be no peeing.  We walked some more.  The museum was getting closer.  He did finally pee and I did say busy busy before he did it, but I'm not sure if it counts as marking or not.

We went into the museum.  But I had the sense that Jam was a bit on edge.  Because we had been on vacation and Debbie had visited us with her rain, we hadn't had the time to take Jam on many outings and this was really his first big errand day.  

I wanted to get a photo of him in a down stay in the aisle. 

Jam, clearly not in a down stay. He's up and moving and actually going for his diaper bag.

 As soon as I got him in the down stay, my diaper bag swung down and Jam went for it and started biting it.  Then he got frisky.  IN THE MIDDLE OF THE GIFT AISLE. So, I have to detach the diaper bag from his mouth with a firm NO. And praise.  And then put him back in a down stay, with praise. And then try the photo again.

Jam in a down stay in the aisle.

 Success.  The car started thundering and then raining.  Well, it is the freaking, Dali museum, what do you expect?  That is why Jam's expression is so curious.  He's wondering

1. Why is a car in the middle of the gift shop?
2. Why is it raining in the car?
3. Why is thunder coming from the car?

 We just left that aisle and went to stand by the weird giraffe. On our way there, the elevator security man says into his walkie talkie, "There is a service dog on the premises.  A Southeastern guide dog."  I always love it when they announce him.  

Of course, Jam is getting lots of smiles directed at him.  98% percent of the people smile at me or at him and don't meet his eye so that they don't rile him up.  But as we get to the door, there is this one lady who just has to meet his eye and say how handsome he is.  Honestly.  But Jam remains in his down stay and only wags his tail.  Good boy.  

As Theresa goes to pay for her purchases, I follow with Jam and down stay him.  Then the cashier delivers this line, "He looks like the most docile dog.  I just want to come over and hug his face. He's so handsome."

I barked out a laugh.  "Oh, he's on a knife's edge and it's not docility. But thank you! He is a breeder candidate and is unusually good looking." Jam just watched the people coming in and out.  

On the way out, we ran for the big expanse of grass and since it was a large expanse of grass, I didn't take off Jam's coat.  As we were walking over the grass to the car, Jam starts peeing.  No lifting of the leg, no indication that there is going to be some urination. No nothing.  Just a walking pee.

"NO! Honestly!" I look down at Jam.  In coat.  On the grass. You were walking dude.  I don't know what to do about the pee situation.  I have three weeks to consult with my AC on ways to deal with his peculiarity. I am flummoxed.

We went on to Dillards at International Mall where when we entered we were met by one of the happiest clerks ever.  I think it absolutely filled him with joy to see Jam.  As we walked in, this man was working the jewelry counter and he looked up and was overcome with a huge grin.  I needed to know where the elevators were and thought why not ask the happy, grinning person?

"What a handsome, young dog you have there!" He said.

"Yes, he is. Thank you. Can you point me to the elevators?"

"Oh yes!" And he proceeds to give me very detailed instructions, all the while watching Jam.  Then he says, "What is this handsome boy's name?"

"Jam."

"Oh! That is delightful!"  It was like talking to an elf.  So fun. We made it to the elevators were we waited and evidently so surprised the people getting off that they forgot they were getting off.  They just welcomed us on the elevators and said they were continuing to go down.  I said that I was going up and would wait until they came back up.  Then they realized they had to get off.

Jam outside the elevator

I attempted another photo of Jam in the aisle of Dillards by the bedding.  It would have been cute.  But again that darn diaper bag slid down and Jam was off to the races!  Tug of war with the bag and it was just before he was going to do the puppy crazy spin run that I was able to get him to sit and down.  Fortunately, Dillards has large aisles and we were in bedding.  Fortunately, he is older and more manageable.  Fortunately, he knows his commands and will do them.

Sometimes, he just choose to do them on a bit of a delay.  

So we double timed it out of there.  Not quite a run, not quite a walk.  And when we hit the parking lot and were on our way to the car, I saw a man staring at me.  Then I noticed his huge grin.  He was staring at Jam and Jam had just made his day. 

I wonder if he too thought Jam was a handsome, docile lad.

Puppy Sitting Jam

We just got back from vacation and while we were gone, Jam stayed with two very kind puppy sitters.  The first was a family with three children who had a former breeder named Stuart.  I had prepared a letter with descriptions of all of Jam's quirks and suggestions for how to settle him into their house.  

I'm coming to realize that perhaps I am not the most calm person, but I am trying to be a calm person. So, when I got a call as I was on my way to the house saying that there were painters outside and that the meet and greet with Stuart would have to take place inside, rather than outside as we had planned, no problem.  I was calm.  

I got to Dana's house and car outed Jam.  We walked up to the door and immediately the deep barks of Stuart greeted us.  A little flutter started near the region of my heart.  "Shhhhhh.  Calm yourself. He will be fine."

Dana opened the door and beckoned us in.  Stuart waited and Jam was eager to get to KNOW him, if you get my drift.  (Jam hasn't been fixed, Stuart is a former breeder, this situation is fraught with anthropomorphic emotional problems!) We started each dog on a loose leash on the meet and greet.  Jam and Stuart started to circle and sniff, there was some jumping, no hackles, but when Jam decided hump, Stuart decided No was NO.  But, there was still tail wagging.  

Inside my head, I thought, "This is not working.  I need a new pet sitter.  We leave tomorrow.  Holy Crap."  Outside my head I was silent and watching because Dana, the mother of three, was calmly telling her children to let the dogs get to know each other and not bother them.  She was calmly telling me that Jam was lovely and everything would be great and asking me questions about feeding.

Jam was super interested in humping Stuart, getting tossed off and barked at in no uncertain terms, dancing away and, I swear to God, laughing, before coming back to try for another hump.  Stuart, for his part, as a former breeder, was not interested in being humped and was quite emphatic in his barked NO.

Stuart, a bit of a pudgy yellow lab is lying down on the left with Jam lying down on the right.  Both are looking up at the camera.

Dana ended up sending Stuart out for a walk so that Jam could get to know the house and the two remaining kids.  I was looking at her and thinking inside my head, "I don't think Stuart is ever going to like Jam." But Dana, the zen master, walked me to the door and assured me that Jam and Stuart would become fast friends.  As you can see from the photo above, the next day, they had reached detente and Jam had realized that he did not have a humping partner.

A couple of days later, I got this photo of them holding paws while napping.

Jammy taking a nap on the floor with his legs stretched out and touching his front paws with Stuart's back paws while Stuart is napping.

Take it from the calm mother of three, a little bluster soon goes away.  I had also told her about Jam's quality of hard bonding.  He picks one person and that is his person to follow, shadow and look for at all times.  He picked the zen master, Dana.

Jam lying on the kitchen floor with his head between Dana's feet.

Another good thing about Dana's house was that it also had a cat: Hoot.  Jam had visited cats, but had never lived with a cat.  For about a week, he learned that "leave it" meant leave the cat alone and he obeyed that without fail.  Dana said he was the best puppy they have had in regards to dealing with Hoot.

Hoot the cat is at far left on the table top.  Jam is at far right turning to look at the camera.

Jam also spent time at black lab puppy Liz's house with puppy raiser's Susan and Brian in our North Group.  the pass off happened on Wed. and here is a hot of Jam's bootie under the table at The Thirsty Marlin.

Susan and Brian's house presented a challenge of a different sort.  Instead of children, they have smaller dogs (two, a male and female) and another Southeastern Guide Dog puppy named Liz (about five months old and a female black lab).  Jam needed to control himself and he was only moderately successful at this.  Perhaps having the larger and more commanding Stuart at the last house and now having the smaller and much less commanding male toy dog at Liz's house put Jam in the frame of mind that somehow he was the king of this house.  When he arrived, he walked around, found a community dog pillow and decided that as an intact male he needed to state his authority. He marked it.  Elapsed time from door to pillow: 3 minutes.


Fortunately, the pillow was washable.  Now, marking was one of things that I had highlighted as something we were working on with Jam and they would need to watch out for.  However, Jam had, until this moment, never marked in the house.  But this is one of those moments when you are listening to the story and as she gets to the part where Jam walks up to the pillow, in your head you go, "oh no, oh no, don't do it, don't do it." We are so sorry, Susan!

He didn't mark again, thank goodness.

Jam relaxing on Susan's lovely wood floor, which he then scratched up in his eagerness to greet me.

But he left his mark in other ways, ways like nail marks on the floor and poor Liz having to be on tie down more than usual because she and Jam were CAPTAIN CRAZYPANTS times two.  Liz would egg him on and I think having established himself as the king, it was a status he needed to uphold.

Sigh.

Susan and Brian were lovely though and said none of this. These descriptions are just me reading between the lines.

I remember a time when Fred and I were waiting for our first puppy and we puppysat for Tim or as we called him, Tim the Destroyer (name has been changed to protect the innocent!). Tim was a lovely black lab and was about two months from going back in for training.  At the time, we were new and we really didn't get any instructions about Tim other then feeding and general info.  Nothing special to watch for, nothing to work on.  So, we were a little unprepared for the insane puppy that appeared.

Ah Tim.  I still remember that you would NOT stay out of my yarn room.  It was like doggie crack, calling your name.  "Tim, come and eat me! Unroll me! Take me out of the bins and toss me around!"  Tim could never be let off leash or off tie down.  He would run immediately to the yarn room and wreak havoc. I still get a little shaky over the memories.

But Tim was sweet.  He had a squishy, soft  muzzle. He loved to cuddle.  He walked well and he was a good eater with Willow and treated her well too.  So, we were not scared away from puppy raising.  Rather we learned that puppies, like children may not behave well when not around their parents.  And try as we might to give a long list of instructions to warn of every possible scenario, we might miss one or two.  What may save us though is our puppy's innate cuteness and sweet nature.

And the kind, forgiving nature of puppy raisers.  For that we are ever grateful! Thank you to Dana's family and to Susan and Brian for taking such good care of our rowdy little Jam.  It was comforting to know he was safe and well cared for.

Secret Photos

My Dad likes to send me random photos of things that he likes: pretty flowers, javelinas that are in walking by his office window, new haircuts my mom gets and any service dog that he sees when he is out and about.   I love getting these photos as they are usually accompanied by some funny remark.

The service dog photos are a little different though.  Those I think he takes on the sly without letting the dog's owner know that he is capturing their puppy for posterity. I never thought about it until yesterday when I was stopped at Nature's Food Patch, our neighborhood grocery store and go to dinner spot for a quick salad.  I had put Jam into a down stay by the cold drinks and was taking a photo while I waited for Fred to get his salad from the amazing salad bar.  I was approached by one of the store managers.

Guide dog puppy in training Jam lying down.

"Hi!" He said as he strode up to me.  He was a little out of breath as if he thought he might have missed us and hurried out from behind a counter to talk to us. "You know I have a photo of him on my phone."

I looked at him.  "You do?" I smiled.  We go to Nature's Food Patch a lot. We like salads and even more, not cooking during the week. 

Encouraged, he continued, "Yes.  He or she?"

"He."

"He has a bag of treats in his mouth and is sitting." He smiled at me.  "He's so beautiful."

Now at this point, I could quiz him on the bag of treats he says are in Jam's mouth (Seriously! What?!! Fred says it never happened.), but I decide that quizzing this clearly besotted man is not the right thing to do, so instead I start talking about Jam's impending IFT date and how smart he is.  Jam is calmly lying down and being good and not lunging for crumbs under the drink holder. (Thank you!) 

Fred comes over to take Jam and the manager walks away with his secret photo of Jam.  

At school, during one of the all school convos, I happened to sit next to one of the girls who was taking photos of Jam with her phone.  She showed the photo to her friend.  I caught just a glimpse of it.  

"Oh, can I see?" I asked.

"Sure." She showed me.  It was a great shot of Jam.  I told her so.  She said she had a photo of Jam as her phone background.  I asked her to send me the shots she took of Jam.

It made me think of all the people who take secret photos of our puppies and think happy thoughts of them or dream big dreams for them.  They are so excited to get to know one of our puppies.  I know my student was thinking Jam would make it.  And the store manager will always ask about Jam.

Guide dog puppy in training Jam at the check out counter.

At the checkout line Jam was ogled by three checkout girls.  They commented on how pretty he was, how good he was and how calm he was.  We gave them our hopes for his bright future as a guide dog once he goes in for training and they nodded and looked down on him with optimistic gazes.  Yes, they believe in Jam.

We believe in Jam.

Jam Will Never Poo Again!

Today we had our meeting at Countryside Mall.  So, since Jam was still feeling a little snakey about the backyard, I took him for a walk before the meeting.  We went around the block.  Wouldn't you know it, as soon as it looked like he had picked out a spot and was about to do something, the people who owned the house came out the front door (grandma and grandchild).  The little girl wanted to pet Jam.

All thoughts of poo immediately retreated, so to speak.  Jam was now more interested in the approaching people and I felt a vague need to take my plastic bag out of my pocket and wave it like a white flag as if to say, "See, if he had poo'ed in your yard, I would have picked it up.  I am a good neighbor."  Instead, I stood there awkwardly and looked a bit shifty eyed.

I moved Jam out to the sidewalk and said in a rather loud voice, "OK, Jam you need to sit." And then I made Jam sit and go down.  Jam is much more controlled in a down stay than in a sit.  When they got closer I explained about Jam's situation and that Jam needed to be calm in order to be petted.

Our new neighbor was AWESOME!  Everytime she approached, Jam would pop up and she would step back.  I would make him sit and down and then she would try again.  Until finally, he was calm.  By then her granddaughter had decided that Captain Crazypants was to crazy to pet and she didn't want to pet him.  But Annette did and Jam was very good.

I was so happy to meet such a nice neighbor.  And Jam was really tired out.  We were able to walk on two or three houses down before he had to poo.  Those neighbors stayed inside, thankfully.  

Guide dog puppy in training Jam sitting at food court table.

When we got to the meeting, Jam was anxious to meet everyone.  Fred thinks that if Jam is able to at least sniff all the dogs he is much better able to stay in the circle of acceptance than outside.  I don't know.  I just know that Jam had a good poo and was in the circle of acceptance and life was good.  I was even feeling very good about myself because just that morning I had cleaned the dogs' ears and part of the obedience was doing some of the tests from the AKC Canine Good Citizen Test, which includes having someone massage the ears and paws.  Little did I know another paw massage was coming up later (dum dum dum! foreshadowing!!).

Soon enough, AC Carolyn had sent us on our way and we were off to see what we could find on her list.  We did have one marking problem.  GRRR.  We have been avoiding all upright and vertical surfaces and keeping an eagle eye out for any slight veering to the left, but Jam got a quick one off on a planter.  I was able to clean it up quickly.  ShamWows are very good at cleaning up pee-sasters. Even small ones.  He never marks inside, but Malls are tricky and dogs can feel like they are outside.

Guide dog puppy in training Jam sitting in front of noisy arcade games.

We were still making our way around the mall with our older dog group when I happened to notice Jam's butt.  Frankly, I look at his butt a lot just to make sure he isn't holding anything back.  And sure enough, he had the gopher butt.

"Fred! He has to poo!"  Fred started to speed walk towards Sears with Jam.  Sylvia followed with Denny.  Fred and Jam were really going and made it to the doors without any problems.  They made it outside and Jam took the opportunity to water some more plants.  I pointed out a spot that was wider than the small median where they currently were and it was mostly mulch and a couple of flowers, so this would be a different type of ground on which to relieve himself.

Jam and Fred and I walked over to it and Jam hopped up the curve and started to twirl.  It seemed a bit odd to me, that a dog who is normally really concerned about things "being right snakey" would just hop up on some strange median without even looking at it.  But he did.  He didn't look or smell or even take into consideration that there might be little flowers that he was crushing (he wasn't).

He poo'ed and then he did a crazy thing.  He did a little leap, a leap high into the air and landed by Fred. Then he stuck out his back leg, which was now the color of night and started to shake it violently.  You see, Jam had twirled and stopped to poo on top of an anthill and those ants were extremely opposed to being covered in excrement.  Or having their house stopped up with big logs of well, you get my point. So to express their displeasure they had run screaming out of their hill and raced up his paw.

"Oh my God!" This is me, not taking any photos of his paw and swiping off ants. I can't understand those photojournalists who are the only ones on the scene when someone is going to set themselves on fire and they just stand there and shoot film.  Really?  Get a blanket and stop, drop and roll that crazy nutjob!

"Do you see his leg?" This is Fred, equally discomposed and frantic knocking ants off his paw as Jam is trying to bite the little bastards as they are trying to bite him.

I went in between his toes and looked for every little ant I could find and we got them all.

Now Jam will never poo again!

Update:  Jam has pooped.  I'm so relieved.  It seems our backyard is safe now and he is perfectly willing to walk around all parts of it once again.  He is also willing to relieve himself on any and all spots in the yard.  I'm glad I am not a mind reader.  I would think a mind reader would get trapped in the tangled mess that is Jam's brain.

It's Right Snakey Out There

Fred's mother, when looking into dark, mysterious undergrowth, would say, "Looks right snakey in there."  Meaning in essence, she wasn't setting foot in that space as it was a possible snake pit.

Lately, we have begun to suspect that Jam has actually seen a snake. Or seen something that looked "right snakey" and doesn't want to step foot out in the side yard again.

At first he wouldn't step off the porch.  He would go to the edge, peer out into the distance and you could hear him say it.

"No Ma'am.  I will not step off this porch!  It is right snakey out there!"  

But gradually, after a bit, he would step off the porch and down to the side of the yard.

"No! I will not step off the stones! It looks right snakey out there!"

This attitude of course will not stand.  He must be able to walk around and go whenever and wherever we need him to go.  Wet or dry, he needs to do his business.

This morning, Fred and Jam had a small battle of wills.  Jam had determined that the edge of the deck was as far as he would go and he was unwilling to do his business at all.  This was after a full evening's sleep and breakfast, Jam was chock full of "business" so to speak.

Fred brought him inside.  After about half an hour, Fred tried again, only this time, he got the leash and tried to take him through the gate and into the front yard for some busy work.

Nothing doing.  Those orifices were closed for business.  Fred waited an hour and they went out again.

Nothing.

"It's snakey out there."  Jam hopped back onto the deck and looked longingly at the door inside.

A little later, I decided to try and walk him around the block.  We went out the gate and through the yard and over to the neighbor's yard.  It was now about 9:30 am.  Jam was bursting at the seams with poo.

We got to the tall, wet grass and Jam stepped out onto it delicately.  He stopped and stared off intently.  

"It's right snakey out there! No grass for me!" and he hopped onto the sidewalk.  Seriously?  There was no snake.  None.  Just wet grass.  I, however, had an evil plan.  On the other side of the sidewalk is more grass.  It was the neighbor's actual green, green lawn.  And there was a green lawn space between two oak trees that are bordered with oyster plants.  Jam immediately tried to jump into the oyster plants.  

I positioned myself firmly in the center of the lawn.  Equidistant from each bed.  The leash just reached the beginning of each bed, but it wouldn't allow Jam poo access to the planting beds.

Jam ran from side to side trying to contain his poo, all the while trying to figure out a way to poo on the oyster plants and not on the snakey grass.  Finally, it was too much.  The poo would not be contained and he had to let it out.  He did 5, count them 5, twirls and then a big poo.

I think I heard a sigh.

But later, when we got back out on the porch, it still seemed a bit snakey to him.

So, we will continue this desensitization plan until he is completely over this strange sensitivity to wet grass.

Or snakes.

It just might be right snakey out there. ;-)