All Quiet on the Halloween Front

Happy Halloween all!
It's that time of year again when little ghosties and witches roam the streets, knocking on doors and shouting:
"trick or treat!"
I've always loved Halloween and still do, but this year Halloween is going to be a fairly low key event at the Mr. and Mrs. K homestead.
To be honest, Halloween sort of snuck up on me this year. Usually I've thought of my costume months in advanced, but with my MSc program starting mid September, my brain has been mostly filled with research methods, coping/stress/control and so much more. Sometimes I feel like I hardly have time for my poor puppy dogs, or even for poor Mr. K, for that matter. I also have been focusing on Christmas since my parents are coming to visit and that will be the first time I've seen them in over a year and a half.
I have always enjoyed getting my dogs dressed up too. Some would disagree with that, and that is fine, but I don't have kids and never will. Thus, I need someone to dress up.
Jetta probably got the brunt of it with her having to be a ballerina princess (she ate the crown and peed on the shoes), my evil minion (she wore huge, black bat wings and I was a vampire), a Lost Boy (I was Tinkerbell of course) and a  wizard (her friend Cessna from Ruled by Paws got to share in that joy that year as we made their costumes for them). We really wanted to make them "My Little Ponies" that year, but couldn't quite figure that one out. So, wizards it was.
Glacier was a bit luckier with only having to be the donkey from Winnie the Poo twice. Aria was a lobster and Kyo was an athlete.
This year Hermione, Otis and Roscoe have managed to side step the costumes. We really don't have anywhere to go with them dressed up and so what's really the point? However, I think Otis would have made the cutest pumpkin with his gigantic puppy belly and squat little French Bulldog stature. Hermione most certainly would have had to be a princess because, well, she is a princess. And Roscoe? He probably wouldn't have tolerated it so well. So, perhaps a Halloween themed bandanna would have done for him. That is, of course, if we were actually dressing them up.
Halloween doesn't seem to be quite as a big deal here as in North America and so perhaps that is part of how it snuck up on me.
That's not to say we haven't done, or won't do, a few Halloweenish things.
First of all, I had a "ghost" cookie at the cafe this morning after I spent an hour and a half with my class instructor going over inferential statistics for my exam tomorrow. The cookie was quite cleverly made and was quite tasty.
Everyone needs a 3D ghost cookie after that much Stats.
Mr. K and I are also going to carve a pumpkin tonight. We've always carved pumpkins together; last year being the exception. One year he carved a scene from "The Nightmare Before Christmas" into the pumpkin. Quite impressive if you ask me. So there's a bit of our Halloween tradition. We can't do much tonight anyway with me having to write this crazy exam tomorrow.
 Originally, I had asked people over for a pumpkin carving party last night, but since my idea was last minute, no one was able to come. Again, probably for the better: it gave me more time to study.
So that is about it. It's going to be a quiet Halloween this year, but that's okay. There's always next year.

My Girl Is A Flake: written by Glacier

Hi everyone!
Glacier here; again! Can you believe it? I got full control of this blog thingy for two whole days! I'm here today because, as my title states, my girl is a flake. No, really. Hers is. Let me tell ya bouts it and you can see fur yourself.
*****
A lot of people thinks that it's me, but really, it's my girl. Hers is always trying to do too many things at once and then bad things happen; flakey things. This is not a new thingy apparently. So, it can't be me.
Backs when my girl was but a wee thingy-I thinks hers was at this place called high school-hers went on a trip with hers choir. Hers and hers friend, my Aunt, was sharin' a room and my girl was gettin' dressed for the day. Hers was half asleep because, as always, had tried to do too many thingies at once and hers did not get enough sleep. Hers friend, my aunt, heard my girl throwin' stuffs around hers bottom bunk and mutterin' to hers self and my Aunt asks hers what's hers pawblem. My girl says that hers can't find hers socks. Hers had looked and looked, but they were nowhere to be found. No socks! Socks were needed for the day! My Aunt, being the bright girl hers is, hung over the edge of the bunk bed and told my girl that hers socks were in hers lap.
In hers lap! With all hers searching, hers didn't even notice hers socks sitting on her lap. Good thingies my aunt was there or else my girl would have cold feets!
My girl's socks are not the only victim of hers thinkings too much. When the Kyo came to lives with my girl and I, him was a bit of a difficult dog. I tried to tell my girl that we were fine, just the two of us, but hers kept sayin' that him just needed some training. The thingy that Kyo was the worst fur was rushing the door when it opened. We thinks it's because him thought people would leave him by hims self too much befores him came to live with us. One night, my girl prepared us fur "park" time. I always went out first because my girl said that I was there first and Kyo had to know that I was a special dog. Well, of course I'm a special dog...erm...ahem...
So, my girl takes me out and didn't even notice the 85 pound moose of a dog sneak past hers out into the night. Hers lost an 85 pound dog! How does one do that? It was probably close to twenty minutes befores hers realised her mistake and hers went runnin' down to see if Kyo was still around. Hers was worried because him was a rescued dog and hers thought him would run away, but Kyo was sitting on the front steps waitin' for hers to let him back in. Hers loses everything! Even 85 pound dogs!
Now, you see, such incidents are not a thingy of the past. Oh nonono. Like I saids, my girl tries to do way too  many thingies at once and hers is thinking bouts a million different thingies at once and then flakey stuffs happen. Take the other morning for example.
My girl likes the morning. Hers gets up early and hers routine goes: use the human park place, feed me and brother Roscoe, turn the coffee on whiles we eatin', gives us water and then we go to the dog parkin' spot. My girl was so distracted the other day with hers own thoughts that hers managed to takes us out in hers slippers. Yep. Down 43 stairs, out the front door, down the street and across the street. Hers didn't notice hers was wearin' the slippers until hers was half ways cross the road. When hers reached the other side, hers made me stand and  wait for the light again and then cross back over so hers could wear shoes to take me to park. How hers got outside and across the street in slippers I don't know. I tried to tell hers, but hers imagination was takin' hers away somewheres else.
There are so many ways that my girl is a flake and it all comes back to hers brain doing too many thinkings at once. Hers has run the coffee maker without filter or coffee; locked Roscoe and me out in the foyer because hers wasn't payin' attention and left us out there for almost an hour; hers was so deep in hers thinkings that when the mail person knocked on the door hers jumped so high, whacked her elbow off of the water filter thingy and broke the lid. No matter how long my girl  has been in the door, hers always loses her stuffs. Hers will put the gloves down hers has just been wearin' and then ask the Daddy wheres they went and it's only like twenty-six seconds later. I swears, hers would lose her head if it weren't attached, or worse! Hers would lose me! Then what would hers do? My girl wouldn't know where hers had left anything and hers wouldn't have me to guide hers down the road; a very unsafe combination.
So, do you see? my girl is a flake. Hers would be lost without me; quite literally. As my flakey girl's guide dog, I have to work twice as hard just to make sure hers remembers impawtant stuffs like where my treats are at. Fur reals; my girl is a flake!

Grrrrrrr

That's right: I said, "grrrrr." If you can't tell, I'm slightly frustrated; not in the least bit surprised, but annoyed and a bit perplexed. Sometimes I hate political correctness or people being polite for the sake of maintaining a business-like manner. If you have something to say, just say it. At least that way, I can deal with the root issue. At least then, if  I feel so inclined, I can educate the ignorant and dispel some misunderstandings that seem to plague our society.
Last week, I got that itch of wanting to be involved with training dogs again. It's an itch that I have not really been able to scratch, and even though I know that realistically that is not a feasible career option for me right now, I thought that volunteering would be the next best thing. Not only would it give me the opportunity to work with dogs, but also to learn about dog training and give back to the community. I spent nearly an entire afternoon researching service dog organisations local to Edinburgh and sending out emails, enquiring about volunteer positions. I didn't say anything to anyone-not even Mr. K-because I had a sneaking suspicion I would run into the same bias I have practically everywhere else.
PAALS
where Kyo is currently still in training, was one of the only organisations to give me the opportunity to begin working with the dogs. A lot of my tasks were not dog related, but I was able to "pup sit" from time to time and also groom the dogs when I was on site. I was even granted the opportunity to watch different training sessions and ask questions.
It was no surprise to me then, when one of the emails came back denying my request to volunteer with the dogs. The only reason why  I was a bit taken aback was because the decision was made on a 12 to 15 line electronic form I filled out. There was no follow up call or enquiring email. The email just said that I was not suited to work with the dogs. I was informed though, that if I wanted to help the organisation, I could spend my time handing out posters or maybe working local events. Gee, thanks. "'Cause that is what I listed as my preferred work.
The reasons for not allowing me to work with the dogs?
Reason Number 1. Apparently I work too much.
Whoa. What? Where is this working too much that I am supposedly doing? I'd like to know because if I was working too much that would mean that I should be making a whole bunch of money and I would be able to purchase that 2 grand tandem bike I wanted, or that 250 pound wet suit.
I put on the application that I was working 2 hours a day, six days a week. This is about how much my triathlon training takes up as of right now. In total, that is twelve hours a week. Some people work that in a day! Who are they looking for? Retired people? Unemployed people?
Reason Number Two: We have working dogs already. Why do I bother telling people that? As soon as people find out I have a working dog myself, the answer is automatically no. One of the jobs I had checked off to do was to be a handler for a demonstration dog. That means, you take one of their dogs, bring him/her to events and demonstrate his/her training. And why can't I do that with a working dog? Glacier can stay home for such things and I can use a White Cane. There are ways to work around problems-it's called problem solving. Also, and I think this is what works me up the most, if I were accepting applications for volunteer positions and someone with a working dog applied, I would interview that person to see how he/she interacts with his/her working dog. If that person was a capable handler, with a successful dog, then perhaps they would be the best person to handle a demonstration dog. If they are already familiar with the importance of treating dogs as working animals and not pets, would they not be a good fit? That person would already know how to handle a dog/pup out in public and would know how to do it correctly. Sure, each organisation does things a bit different, but the basics would be there and new behaviors could be learned.
I just don't think either of these reasons are grounds to say no; especially if there isn't any follow up communication to gain some clarification. I kind of feel-and please excuse me puppy raisers because you know I love you and what you do, but I am just annoyed right now-that disabled people should be grossly involved in the raising of service dogs. We as disabled people know what we need better than anyone. I'm not saying go out and hire any disabled person just because they have a disability, but I feel strongly that "we" need to be involved in processes that eventually effect "us." It's something that I have been advocating for a long time now and the dog thing is just a byproduct of a greater problem: quite often, and not always, but  more frequently than is acceptable, able-bodied people think they know what disabled people need better than the person with a  disability.
Okay, my apologies for the rant. I'm sure they have reasons for doing what they do and please do not think that I devalue the work that puppy raisers and trainers alike do because I am not. I am just frustrated and needed to blow off some steam.

Who's That Dog?

Look very closely. Who could this be, training so hard?

Very Proud

It's been a while since we've had a   Kyo update, but through my powers of observation, I would say he is still in training and doing well.
Last night while perusing Facebook I discovered that a new photo of Kyo at a Chamber of Commerce meeting had been posted. All I can figure is that he is demonstrating his mad skills as a service dog in training, but as I can't see the photo I can't be one hundred percent sure.
The photo of the Moose at his very special meeting can be found
here.
For those of you who may not know, Kyo is a dog I rescued from the Guelph Humane Society in March of 2009. He came to me morbidly over weight, terrified of traffic and having no house manners. With a lot of patience and some training, Kyo became a well behaved, well adjusted member of society.
Upon our move to SC it became quickly apparent that our move had been too much and that I was not able to provide the stimulation he required as we were living in the middle of nowhere. Kyo was used to getting walked twice a day, participating in obedience training sessions with me throughout the day and just sitting out on the front lawn people watching. We had a huge backyard in SC, but he really needed structure and because of being blind and living in an inaccessible area, I was not able to give him what he needed.
He reverted back to his old habits of destroying things when he was bored and his separation anxiety also returned. He was becoming aggressive towards Glacier when out playing in the backyard and this was effecting mine and Glacier's working relationship. I knew that he was very trainable and a great dog, but that he needed a new environment. So, I started searching for the right home for the Moose, as he was fondly known.
In October of 2010, PAALS said they would take him after Mr. K and I had paid for his hips/elbows to be checked for soundness.
When I was living in SC I tried to volunteer with PAALS as often as possible and would get updates because I was there. Since being away, I haven't heard much, but was really excited to see this photo of him up on the PAALS' facebook page.
All I can say is that I am super proud of him and the people working with him. Kyo was a great dog for me, being the best snuggle bug a person could ask for, and I really hope he can go on to be a fully certified service dog in order to make someone else's life easier. Even if he doesn't make it and he becomes someone's pet, I know he will be well loved and he will thrive. There is no way someone won't fall in love with him: one snuggle session with that 85 LBS dog and you will never want to let go. :)
Good boy, Kyo! We miss you and are proud of you. :)

The Name Game

Ever since Mr. K and I found out we were getting a boy and girl Sugar Glider we have been trying to settle on the perfect names for our perfect little bundles of fur. Part of me thinks that we probably won't settle on anything until we meet them, but it's still fun to think of different names.
We have been going through famous girl/boy duos such as "Ariel and Sabastian," "Yoda and Padme," "Louis and Ella," (the singers), but none of the names have stuck.
Most recently we talked about "Gus," for the boy-inspired by the little mouse in Cinderella-and "Hime," pronounced He-may, for the girl. Hime means "princess" in Japanese and if you've been reading my blog for a while, you will know that the dog I rescued from a shelter and is now, as far as I know, in for service dog training in South Carolina was named Kyo. Kyo is "big" in Japanese. So, Hime would fit Mr. K's love of Japan and  Gus would fit my Disney obsession. Two of our Miniature Dachshunds who were  re-homed because we moved to Scotland, were named for Disney's Doc and Baloo. Aria, our little girl Dachshund also re-homed, didn't really fit either themes, but she was a character in a book series Mr. K and I both enjoyed.
I'm sure November 26th will arrive much quicker than we think and the moment of truth with it, but until then we will be playing the naming game.

Getting Closer

A month from tomorrow Mr. K, Glacier, Roscoe and I will be boarding a plane to the UK. About a week ago it seemed kind of far off, but upon thinking about it last night, I realised that a month really isn't that much time. This time next week will mean that we will have just over three weeks and that in itself is just amazing. Time has definitely flown since Mr. K and I made the decision to move to another continent. In some ways there is so much to do and in others there isn't anything to do but to wait. The couple of days leading up to our flight are going to be crazy with having a few vet visits and such to get all of our paper work in order.
It really hit me last night that we were really moving and soon when I gave the boys' Kong Wobbler and Busy Buddy treat dispensing toy to our friends. She just got a mini pig for her birthday and it would appear that they need a lot of stimulation. We haven't met him yet-his name is Jethro-but I am hoping we get to before we leave; very cool little animals. We've also promised our gigantic elk antler to them as they have a yellow Lab, a Fox Hound and a Weimerraner. Earlier in the week, Kyo's old crate was given to a friend with a Bull Mastiff and a bunch of our doggie supplies and office supplies were donated to PAALS. It's weird giving the dogs' toys and things away, but it just means I get to go dog shopping when we arrive in the UK.
Technically we could have shipped some things over, but the cost of shipping is hardly worth the price of the goods that we would have shipped. Putting all of the dogs' toys in our suitcases would have weighed them down significantly and since the Kong Wobbler did not cost fifty dollars, the price of an over weight bag, we'll be replacing it upon arrival in Edinburgh. We still have the Toughies Square Ball that is one of the boys' favourites and since that is soft, squishy   and light I'm sure it could make the trip. Besides that, I think their toys will go to other dogs.
The toys are not the only thing of the dogs' that we'll be leaving behind. I haven't quite figured out their food situation yet. I thought I may contact Orijen and ask them if there is any way we would be able to get samples as they would fit better in carry on luggage and the food would then be sealed in its original packaging. I'm not sure how picky the UK is about dog food coming in, but when crossing the Canada US border the food must be sealed in its original packaging and I believe lamb is not allowed. I figure since we'll probably run into some other weird issues once we arrive, having the dogs' food sealed may just avoid extra conflicts.
The dogs are also required to wear seat belts during take off and landing, according to DEFRA,, which is fine, but no one seems to know what style of seat belt is required. I haven't even figured out how we're supposed to fasten the dogs in. We've asked the Airline and they have no idea, so come tomorrow, I'll be phoning the UK to get a straight answer. All we need is to be kicked off of our flight just because we don't have or have the wrong doggie seat belt. Whenever I flew with Jetta into Europe the seat belt was never required, but then again, we never flew into London England; mostly because of the crazy strict restrictions they have placed on incoming animals.
Of course we have human preparations to consider as well: vaccuum packing some of our clothes/linens, selling/giving away the rest of our stuff, making sure we have rides to all of our appointments and to the airport Etc. Some of this stuff we'll get moving on this week, but other things cannot happen until the actual week we leave. It's all very exciting and a bit nerve wracking at the same time, but as I've said a million times before, it is going to be so worth it.

The Power of a Good Book

A while back I had it in my head that I wanted to be a dog trainer. All right, so perhaps that notion hasn't quite disappeared, but I have come to the conclusion that due to our move, it is not financially feasible for me to take a course right now. So, I found the next best thing; a book. Well, actually, I found a few books and have been deeply engrossed in one of them. I can't quite remember the title, I'm horrible with book titles, but it is basically about the applied behavior and psychology of dogs. It is a very good, but heavy read. There is so much information that I have to read it in little sections, put the book away and digest what I've just read. It started by outlining the history of the domesticated dog and moved into puppy learning and behavior. It was published in 2000 and a lot of the references are quite old-dating back to 1949-but I think some of the information is still relevant and the stuff that is not will give me a base of knowledge that I can apply to my style of training. If someone asks me "why" or "why not" I will be better equipped to answer those questions.
I personally like Operant Conditioning, which basically means you teach the dog to make decisions and to problem solve. This is the type of learning that service dogs-police dogs, guide dogs-under go. This book seems to promote Classical Conditioning, which means you teach your dog a bunch of things and just expect it to perform them. This works for some people, but I enjoy challenging my dogs and having them make decisions and do the right thing because they want to. For example, when Glacier and I approach a car parked across a sidewalk, he will pause letting me know there is something there. I praise him and then ask him to "forward?" Glacier uses his little doggie brain and eyes to select the safest path and takes me around the vehicle safely. Dogs who are classically trained wouldn't have the ability to determine what was safest and would need me to tell them which direction to go. This is problematic if you can't see anything and don't know which is the safest route. That said, I am only on Chapter two and may be wrong on the book's take on Classical Conditioning as there is another section labelled Instrumental Learning.
The psychology behind a puppy's learning has been absolutely amazing to read about. Even though I don't know much about Kyo's history, reading some of the psychological responses to being weaned too early and isolation from human or other dog contact makes me think that Kyo's behavioral issues were caused by these two things. Separation anxiety, excessive mouthing/lack of bite inhibition and hyper activity are all behavioral issues that can be caused by taking a puppy from its litter too early and/or not socialising it properly.
From what I do know of Kyo's past, his family crated him at least  eight hours a day while they were away at work. If this was done during his puppy development stages, it could have contributed to his crazy behaviors. I always knew that his issues stemmed from his past, and perhaps poor breeding, but it's interesting to actually read about it and have my inklings confirmed.
Taking a course would have been good in that it would provide structured learning, but just reading books can also be just as beneficial. I can read differing opinions, training methods and theories and draw my own conclusions. I can take different training practices and put them together to create a training method I am comfortable with. Some of the training programs I was reading insist that you do everything their way and some of the things that they teach I do not agree with. Eventually, when finances are a bit more stable, I will definitely enroll in an actual course, but for now I'll stick with my books and learn as much as I can on my own. I know that type of learning can be problematic in that anyone can read a book and think that they are an expert when really they are a moron and are not qualified to teach an ant to find a sugar bowl, but I'm hoping I'm not a moron and I am not attempting to train anyone's dog until I have an actual qualification under my belt. Reading just gives me a platform to build up from. Another route I thought I may try is to apprentice with a trainer once in the UK. I'm not sure if anyone would be willing to teach me or if this would be a financially viable option either, but it's worth exploring.
For now, I'll keep reading and learning as much as I can through that method. Mr. K is an internet Ninja and can find me practically any book I could want in an accessible format. So, thank you Mr. K. :) And as for my Blog, be prepared for me to yammer on about dog behavior/psychology/training at length because aside from training for the triathlon, it's the thing that is under my skin the most right now. :)

Life Sort of Things

So, here I am back in SC and it is stinking hot! Coming from Northern Ontario into this area was a bit of a shock to the system. We can't really go out unless it is early in the morning or late at night because it is way too hot for humans and dogs alike. It is due to this heat, and a few other things, that I look forward to our move to Scotland in 39 days. I'm not counting...really I'm not. :)
My parents, Glacier and I arrived back in SC last Friday night after an extremely long trip. I won't bore you with the details; just know it was long because we had to make a detour to Toronto for Portuguese passport stuff. We've spent the last week going through mine and Mr. K's stuff and pitching things we don't want/need or can't sell. We also packed up some things for my parents to bring back home with them, such as the Hope chest and roll top desk my grandpa made for me. They left this morning bright and early and the house seems very empty now. It is a fairly large place with only two people and two dogs and hardly any furniture. We don't even have a couch anymore. Mr. K managed to find someone who wanted it and it was whisked out the door even before I got back home. So, here I sit on a double mattress  on the floor in our living room with Glacier, Roscoe, a lamp, a small table and my coffee mug for company.
Surprisingly, it doesn't really bother me. I thought I may be sad getting rid of everything, but it really doesn't. The only thing that does bug me is that it seems like we have wasted a lot of money. We have a Queen sized bed that we purchased last summer and we won't even get half of what we paid for it, if we can sell it at all. That sort of thing makes me shudder, but the prospect of leaving here and getting to Scotland is incredibly exciting. We've definitely run into a few road blocks and I am sure there will be a few more, but we've also had a lot of help and fantastic things happen in order to help this process along. I've even found a "flat" (AKA apartment) online that is available August 24th, just five days after we arrive. It sounds like it is what we are looking for and it's in the right area. So, I am hoping that will work out for us.
Besides throwing items out, sorting through paper work, selling possessions and searching for employment/housing there isn't much to report from this end. I did donate a bunch of our dog stuff-leashes, dishes, wet food, toys and office supplies-to PAALS the service dog organisation that is currently training Kyo. When Miss A stopped by to pick up the stuff, she reported that Kyo is in advanced training and is doing well. Everyone loves him and wants him to succeed. There are even people lined up to take him if he fails out of the program. One couple in particular live on a farm and the man has already started building a seat just for Kyo on the back of his golf cart. The counter surfing is still a problem, as he managed to open a door and steal hot dogs just last weekend and it may be his downfall. I would love him to go on to be a service dog and work, but if he doesn't make it this couple sound like the right people for the now 85 pound Moose.
As you can see, things are coming together and the next little while is going to be a lot of waiting. My bike, who I have named Matilda, has not sold yet and I will be doing some indoor training for my triathlon goals, which I am about to do right now. First, seek and destroy apple and peanut butter, then cycle for half an hour. So, for now, I will leave you.

Good Morning

Last Saturday I wrote about how I love the mornings. I wrote about how I love the birds, the coffee and the prospect of having the entire day ahead of me, but I missed one important part that I think makes mornings even better.

I can't remember the last time I've awoke and not had an animal greeting me. There's something about a wagging tail or a loud purr to let you know that the morning is something special. Here are these creatures who are happy to see you. Now, part of their motivation is that they lack thumbs and  are excited about the kibble hitting the bottom of the food bowl, but I can't really blame them; breakfast is the most important meal of the day, right? I've moved a lot lately and we have another big move coming, but regardless of where I am there is always  a fuzzy saying "good morning."

Here at my parents', for example, Glacier and Jetta take turns being the first to wake me up. Some mornings I am brought back from Dream Land by Jetta head butting the door, demanding to come in. Other mornings, the door isn't shut tightly and in typical Jetta fashion, she barges in, leaps on the bed, stamps around a bit and then settles on my feet. If Jetta hasn't managed to rouse me Glacier makes a go of it. He gets up on the bed, lies on his back with all four paws in the air, rolls around snorting and shoving me with his gigantic head. Between the snuffing, head butting and stamping, one of them gets me motivated enough to get up.

Once up, I not only have two hungry Labradors to contend with, but two purring, meowing, ankle side swiping tabby cats. Glacier and Jetta prance around, their claws clicking on the floor, Loki the male cat, nearly tripping me. Sisu usually looks on from a distance, probably concerned that her beautiful fur will be mussed by the herd of hungry hippos.

We make it to the storage tub where the food is stashed and both Glacier and Jetta are asked and expected to wait in a "sit stay" while I dish out their respective servings. While they are scarfing their kibble, I get a scoop of cat food and go to the front window sill where the two cats' bowls are waiting empty. Loki jumps up on the sill ahead of me and has his head so far in the dish I can hardly dump his portion out. Sisu is much more dignified and usually waits for me to turn away. Then she hops up with her little "Prrrr" noise, that sounds like something between a meow, purr and singing. After everyone's appetites are satisfied, each dog takes a turn going out and drinking water and I make myself breakfast and coffee between the opening and closing of the back door and filling and refilling of the water bowl. It's chaotic for about twenty minutes, but then everyone settles in and it's calm and relaxing. I'll drink my coffee watching TV or reading blogs and there will be at least three fuzzies squishing me on the couch and I wouldn't have  it any other way.

Every animal I ever had has made mornings the things I love. Sasha, my first pet dog, would bound about and knock me over with kisses and huge paws. He was a ninety pound yellow lab and I was a tiny six year old. Until Flash, a dog I adopted for my parents after Sasha's trip to the Rainbow Bridge, learned how to go outside, every morning you would step in a puddle of pee at the back door. She always made it that far and then just couldn't hold it anymore. She'd look up at you like,"Oh no. Woops, but I still love you." And then she'd try to wash your face while you mopped it up. Jetta's always been the stamper and Kyo used to wake me up by being shifty and moanie in his crate. He was incredibly exuberant once let out because he knew it was walk time. Each Dachshund greeted the morning in his or her own way too. Once we had all three it usually consisted of me running down the stairs with one on  a leash and one in each arm to make sure they made it outside to do their business. Otherwise, one would escape me and go off in a corner and "potty." Then they'd run around like crazy fools once back inside and hop about like maniacs until I had breakfast served for them. After the crazy play session and breakfast, they would always go back to sleep for a few hours. Despite Roscoe not being technically my dog, seeing how he is Mr. K's guide dog, he still is a huge part of mornings. He yawns noisily and follows me around relentlessly until his breakfast is put down for him. He would hop around and talk to me and would only sit still quivering when the "food closet" was opened and he was asked to "sit" and "stay."

Mornings are meant to be enjoyed with wet noses, wagging tails and insistent ankle weaving. How can you not like mornings when you have such enthusiastic greetings, even if they are food motivated? 

Fun Fact Friday: Kyo

Another Friday is upon us and in that honour I have another fifteen fun facts. It's about a guy I haven't talked about in a while, but I found some pictures of him in training and I wanted to write about him today.

Fifteen Fun Facts About Kyo

1. Kyo is a Lab/Great Dane cross I rescued from the Guelph Humane Society in March of 2010.
2. He is all black with a white spot on his chest/neck and his face is a darker brown.
3. Kyo is nicknamed Moose because he is even bigger than Glacier. He doesn't have a bigger head, but is taller and weighs almost ten pounds more.
4. He came to me over weight and unruly, but just six weeks after having him he had dropped twenty pounds and had learned "sit, down and stay." His recall was always great, but I think it was because of his separation anxiety.
5. After moving to SC we were not able to provide Kyo with the structure and schedule he needed. He is a very high energy boy and while I was in Cambridge I was able to attend to his needs, but the move changed everything. He started sliding backwards and all of the training I had done seemed to come undone.
6. After a long agonizing search, we found the perfect place for Kyo. PAALS, an Assistance Dog organisation, temperament tested him and once his elbows and hips cleared, they accepted him into their program.
7. Kyo is an incredibly fast learner and loves to work. Within having him in the "training room" at PAALS for a few minutes,  he learned how to open the dryer without treats.
8. Kyo passed his Canine Good Citizen test in February and we were given the good news that he would be moving into advanced training. This meant he would start learning specific skills to an assistance dog and was able to go out into public for more training.
9. Kyo had some serious counter surfing issues when we got him and that was a habit he held on to. Once while out in training, he counter surfed in the mall. The woman who runs PAALS and is the head trainer said that was a first for her. I'm sure he has given her many more "firsts." He is almost too smart for most people. I am sure he has kept her on her toes the last few months. That is why I loved him.
10. Kyo was the best cuddler. With the exception of Baloo, Kyo was the best. He would lay on his side, drape his front leg over you and tuck his head up against your chest. Best 85 pound teddy bear around. :) This trait actually may help him if he graduates from the program. If he goes out to work with a child with Autism, his snuggling will be important.
11. Kyo is probably about two now. We don't know his birth date or anything really about him. He was dropped off by a family at the shelter because they had three little kids and the dog had grown too big for them. They crated him for over eight hours a day.
12 Remember that counter surfing I was talking about? Kyo once stole six sausage buns off of the counter and swallowed them all whole in less than 30 seconds.
13 Mr. K's introduction to Kyo involved a lot of blood. When I got him home from the shelter, I found a healing wound on the end of his tail. In his excitement that we were home, he wagged it so hard the scab flew off and it covered the entire apartment in blood. We cleaned the tail, wrapped it with some gauze and taped a sock over it until we could get him to a vet. She said he may have to lose the tail if we couldn't get it to heal. Tail wounds, especially on dogs with skinny  tails, sometimes do not heal, but with some sea salt and careful monitoring,  the tail healed very nicely.
14. I am not entirely sure how Kyo's advanced training is going as I have not had an update since February, but if you visit the PAALS website found
here
you will see pictures of Kyo at the Memorial Day Pool Party and a few others. You have to click on the "gallery" link. There are also pictures of Kyo up on the PAALS Facebook page. The most recent is of him at a bolathon. It's incredible that this dog who was afraid of traffic can now sit in noisy places like that.
15. Despite his short stay in my life, Kyo has left huge paw prints on my heart. He is my inspiration to start a rescue one day. His beautiful spirit and great, goofy self gives me hope for all shelter animals out there. When most people think of Service dog they do not think mixed breed, shelter dog who was rescued at almost one year of age. Even if he doesn't graduate, I know that he will change someone's life for the better.
And as a bonus
16. "Kyo" means "big" in Japanese and Kyo is quite big. So, we changed his name from "Tank" to "Kyo." :)

So there is a brief snapshot of a very special dog. I think of him often and hope that he is able to become a full fledged service dog because I know that working is where his heart lies. Just before he went off to PAALS, I started training him to pick up objects and was absolutely stunned at how quickly he caught on. The head trainer at PAALS was astonished that he willingly retrieved the telephone in such a short period of time. I hope you have time and are able to go and view some of the pictures of Kyo. If and when I get an update, I will make sure to write about it.
Happy Friday. :)

A Kyo Update

Some of you will remember Kyo and his short stay with Mr. K and I. If you don't know him, or need a reminder, read

this post
He has been gone from us for almost five months now and I had not heard from PAALS in a few months. I was beginning to wonder how he was doing and whether or not they would be keeping him in the program. Usually, I volunteer with PAALS and would often see Kyo, or get an update because I was around, but with us moving, getting out to the PAALS location has become even more difficult. I sent an email last week to inquire about him, but didn't hear anything back. This concerned me, but yesterday J phoned me with some good news.
Kyo was temperament tested over the weekend. Dogs are temperament tested when they first enter the program, if they are a donation, and all of the dogs in training are temperament tested at about a year and a half years of age. We're not entirely sure how old Kyo is, but he under went his year and a half old test over the weekend. According to J she was "pleasantly surprised" by him and he passed. This means Kyo will move on to advanced training. Advanced training means that his skills will become more specialised and he will gain public access. Watch out SC, there will be a Moose in your malls. :) (For those of you who don't know, Kyo's nickname was Moose when he was with us).
J says that there are a few things he still needs to work on, but hopefully with time and maturity, he will outgrow his bad habits, or be willing to be trained out of them. She told me yesterday that he went counter surfing in a mall. I nearly bust a gut laughing: that sounds like our Moose. She said that they have never experienced anything like that before. If nothing, at least he's been a learning experience for the PAALS trainers. :) J also said that he still has a hard time calming himself down once he gets worked up. Both of these issues we had with him as well, but as she said, perhaps with time and maturity he will improve. I can only hope and pray that this works out for him. Even if he doesn't become a service dog, I will just be glad to know he had that chance and I will feel better knowing that PAALS will find him the perfect family if he doesn't graduate.
So, here's to Mr. Moose and his hopeful future as a service dog. :)

Fun Fact Friday

Inspired by a comment I received on Glacier's Fifteen Fun Facts, I thought that for the next few Fridays, I will do fun facts on all of my dogs; just to give you guys an easier and interesting read. I thought I would start with the Dachshund that started it all.

Fifteen Fun Facts About Aria

1. Aria weighed 1.8 pounds when we brought her home at the age of eight weeks.

2. Aria's birthday is June 10, 2010.

3. Mr. K found Aria on a website through Pet Finder. The woman selling her said that she was selling all of her puppies and breeding stock because she and her husband were now expecting a baby. We met them in a parking lot and took Aria right away and realised later that she was riddled with worms, but a quick visit to the vet the next day solved that problem and she quickly began gaining weight.

4. Aria now weighs a healthy seven pounds and thinks she is the boss in the house.

5. Aria has green eyes.

6. Aria barks at cats/squirrels and I think she thinks she should hunt them. (Made for a very interesting trip to my parents' at Christmas as they have two cats).

7. Aria's favourite pass time, when she is not running as fast as she can, is climbing. She will scale couches, climb piled boxes and managed to figure out that if she used the lattice work of the little pen we bought them to stick her little paws in, she could climb out of that too.

8. When Aria is not running or climbing, she is shredding paper. She even tried to shred an empty box that we had left over from our move.

9. Like a typical Dachshund, Aria is a burrower. Once everyone is settled in bed, she finds a place in the blankets where she can shove her nose under and wriggles her way deep into the blankets.

10. Doggie toothpaste is one of Aria's weaknesses. If I am brushing anyone other than Aria's teeth, I have to put her in her crate or outside because she will try to get into their mouths so she can have toothpaste.

11. Big dog toys are the only ones Aria wants. She carries around beef femur bones like they are toothpicks and lays claim to most of the big dogs' toys if they happen to show interest. That said, she is not toy aggressive and knows "drop it" and "leave it." She will also share when she wants someone to play with her.

12. Toys are not the only things that Aria has plenty of. She has at least five nicknames I can think of off the top of my head. They are:

"Fluffers," because she is a long haired Dachshund

"Fluffer Nutters," because she is a crazy long haired Dachshund

"Puppy Love," the first nickname I ever gave her

"Aria Marie" used when she is in trouble

"DJ Pee Pee Pants," given to her by Mr. K when she was still a tiny thing and learning how to potty outside and not in her crate.

13. She is a very tough little thing. When she was maybe two and a half months old, she was playing with Kyo, her most favourite of her brothers. She bit him with razor puppy teeth and he jumped back from her, but when he came back down from his leap of shock, he accidentally landed on her; all 80 pounds of him. I was not home, but Mr. K thought she was dead, but within a few hours she came around and is still completely fearless.

14. Aria has the smallest  tongue width wise, but it is very long and if you are not paying attention, she will dart it up your nose. Yuck! :)

15. Aria is not only our only baby girl, but she is our little Snow Queen. Not because she is cold and frigid, but because if there is snow outside, she is not coming back inside until every inch of her little body is covered in ice. She'll even wait for you to put her coat on if it means she can stay out and play in the snow longer.

Now you know a little bit more about Aria. Isn't she fantastic? I may be a bit biased, but it's impossible not to love her; even when she is pulling Doc's diaper off in an attempt to shred it. (More on the diapers later). :)

Have a great Friday.

I Got to Thinking...

This past Tuesday was "Adopt the Internet" with Pet Finder. I had also visited Pup Love's blog where she encouraged bloggers to do a week long blog hop that revolved around promoting adoptable animals, but wasn't able to participate because I am still figuring out the wonder that is my Mac's operating system. I just learned how to cut and paste yesterday! :) You can find her here:
Pup Love
I am also a huge fan of Dog Foster Mom's blog and have been a fan of adopting animals from rescues. I adopted Kyo from a Humane Society in Ontario Canada and also got my parents' dog as a puppy from a local Humane Society. When I was in university, my roommates  and I adopted two cats from a cats only rescue organization. In high school I volunteered with my hometown's Humane society, playing with cats and walking/grooming dogs. So, as you can see, I'm a huge fan of no kill rescues and feel very strongly about giving to this particular cause. But ever since I moved to my current location, I haven't been able to get involved with animal focused organisations to the extent that I would like to; mostly due to transportation issues. I sort of put that stuff on the back burner and just assumed that I wouldn't be able to do any volunteering until we moved somewhere more accessible. But after reading Pup Love's blog and witnessing the enthusiasm for "Adopt the Internet," I became inspired and decided to get creative and find a way to volunteer. I started searching local rescue groups and found two that appealed to me.
The first I liked because it is fairly close to where I am living. I figure that if all else fails and I can't get a ride from someone, I can take a cab. I have sent emails back and forth with the head of the rescue and although she seems in need of volunteers, she seems a little overwhelmed. I have volunteered with this kind of organisation before, where there is hardly any structure and everything is helter-skelter. I am a little hesitant to get involved again because the volunteers just get shunted along and no one knows what is going on.  She even told me that they  don't have a volunteer co-ordinator. Perhaps that is a job for me?It also took me contacting her twice before she would commit. Originally, she said that I could come by the facility and meet the animals and get a feel for the place, but in the most recent email she said that she is glad I am volunteering with them and that I have been placed on their volunteer emailing list. I am a bit confused. What happened to me coming in? Doesn't she want to meet me? What if I am not the sort of person they want representing their rescue? I liked this organisation because I read on their website that some work can be done from a volunteer's home. This would work for me and save some cab fare, but I would like to have a bit more information first. I'd like to meet the person in charge too.
I understand that  she is also running a boarding facility/grooming salon on top of the rescue and so perhaps she is crazy busy, but I have volunteered twice to go out there and meet her in person and nothing has come of it. Is this odd to anyone else, or am I just being paranoid? I think I may email her back and say that I want a face to face interview or at least introduction before I commit.
The second rescue organisation is really cool and I am excited to work with them. The person I have been in contact via email asked e to fill out a paper volunteer application, but once I explained that this was not possible, she offered to call me instead. Their website is extremely organised and this person seems a bit more on top of it. I think she is busy too as her emails are quite brief, but they are not impersonal and I feel more comfortable knowing that there is an actual application that you actually have to fill out. I also feel better knowing that I am going to be talking to someone over the phone.
This rescue is breed specific and places their dogs in foster homes. I don't believe that they have a kennel, but I could be wrong. They list a lot of what they need help with on their website and have a full list of the adoptable dogs up.
The organisation rescues Border Collies. I honestly haven't had a lot of interaction with the breed, but it would be neat to get to know another kind of dog. I know they are incredibly intelligent and usually have a herding instinct. They also have a high energy level, which is why most of them get surrendered. Mr. K has talked about us getting one in ten to twelve years-when our fuzzy family has crossed the Rainbow Bridge-but I want more exposure to the breed before we go off and get one. I hadn't had much interaction with Dachshunds before we got ours. I only knew what I had read and although I love these guys with all of my heart, I still think I am a big dog kind of person. I'm not only blind, but deaf in one ear and I can hear big dogs much better than small ones. It's easier to know what they are up to. I also think it would be cool to train a dog from scratch for either Rally or Agility. A Border Collie would be perfect. So, it's with the future in mind, and a really big urge to to do more than just write about how wonderful rescue dogs are, that I have decided to apply to work with this organisation.
I love dogs and know that we can't take on anymore-I would go crazy-but I want to try to help dogs in need in a different way. There were so many Border Collies that were on the website that had been surrendered due to financial changes or people moving into places that would not allow dogs. I have the time right now, so why not use it in a more constructive manner?

Slowly Going Crazy!

My head is about to explode. I don't eve know where to start. This moving thing is just insane. I think I need a vacation. :) Don't get me wrong, I love the new house. There is a lot of closet and cupboard space and the lay out is really nice; with the two bedrooms upstairs and the living area downstairs. The neighbourhood is pretty quiet too, but there is so much to do and I find I get sleepier earlier each day.
The first issue is the Dachshunds thinking the entire place is their giant pee pad. Most of the house is carpeted, with the exception of the two bathrooms and kitchen, and so I think they just decided that carpet works as a good pee absorbent. So, with that in mind I have been hyper vigilant with them. I am constantly bringing them out to potty and when I can't watch them I put them in a doggie pen we bought that is attached to Kyo's old crate. They actually have a lot of room in there, but of course they are used to roaming free so they are not happy about it. When they are in there I don't have to worry about surprise poop or pee spots, but I am always reminding them to "quiet." They aren't barking exactly, but a more high pitched squawking, or chirping if you are Balloo. We live in a townhouse now and that kind of noise is not acceptable. I feel horrible penning them in, but I can't be cleaning up poop and pee every half an hour. Each day the messes have decreased, but they are still way too frequent.
Last night we did have some progress and today as well, when someone finally used the many puppy pads I have placed throughout the house. That made me feel so much better I almost cried with relief. LOL
The newest development that our resident monkey, AKA Aria, can climb out of the pen. I don't think she's the one pottying in the house, so I guess it's not a huge deal, but it drives the other two crazy when she is running free and they are in their little house. I put her in her own crate this afternoon while I unpacked to be fair to the other two, but she started squawking as well. I also feel bad that they are not able to run around as much as they are used to because I feel like they are not getting enough exercise. I thought of maybe buying a few hockey balls-incredibly durable-and playing fetch with them in our little back patio area for some entertainment. I am trying to have play and cuddle sessions with them to let them know they are still loved, but I still feel guilty. Practically speaking, the puppies pottying in the house is bad for several reasons, but the thing that concerns Mr. K and I is that the carpet will get stained and we won't get our deposit back. Not to mention, puppy potty in the house is stinky and unsanitary. Any of you Dachshund lovers out there have any suggestions?
We knew going into this that Dachshunds were particularly difficult to potty train. It's not that they aren't smart enough to learn. In fact, they are probably too smart for their own good. If I am in one room, they will sneak off to another to potty so I don't know it's happened. Being blind is compounding this problem as well. I know if I could catch them at least once or twice and take them out right away, they would learn that inside bathroom breaks are not okay. But I can't catch them until the deed is done and I think they know that.
What is frustrating is that Aria and Balloo were basically potty trained at the House From Hell. If it was raining, they would usually go outside but refuse to go and come in and use a puppy pad. Doc hasn't even been with us for three weeks yet and his "accidents" were getting fewer, but moving has brought us back to square one. Up until yesterday, they wouldn't even use the pads. It's like they forgot what the pads were. I know they're stressed and they probably can sense the stress coming off of me as well which isn't helping the situation. I would walk them to ensure that they went. I love walking, but I don't know the area and I'm afraid if I go out on my own I'll get lost-more on that later. They also can hide in a lot of places in the house because of all of the boxes.
Speaking of boxes, the unpacking is driving me nuts too. Just when I feel like I'm making progress, I find more stuff. I think this frustration stems from packing for two weeks straight, moving and then having to unpack it all again.
The getting lost thing is irritating too. I know all of this stuff will rectify itself with time, but sometimes I think, "if I could see this would be so much easier." That sounds bad and I'm not feeling sorry for myself. I have had a lot of opportunities in my life that I otherwise would never have had if I could see. I actually think my disability has been a blessing in disguise, but right now I wish I had a set of working eyeballs. :)
Glacier is worrying me a bit as well. Today we went out to drop our rent cheque off and his working wasn't very good. He jumped a few curbs and even jumped one when a car was coming. It scared me. I made him redo all of the curbs and he got them right the second time around. I knew he was going to be rusty and probably need a few reminders because we haven't worked properly in eight months. This was something I was concerned about living at the House From Hell right from the beginning. It's also hard because Roscoe is Mr. guiding Pro. He always has been. Glacier and I have had to work hard from day one. Not as much as Jetta and I had to: my goodness that little girl was a handful. It is difficult to watch Roscoe and Mr. K work so nicely knowing that they have had the same life experience in the last eight months and then watch Glacier jump a curb with a car coming. (For you non-guide dog people, "jumping a curb" means he didn't stop when he reached the curb. He just kept walking. Guide dogs are supposed to stop at the curbs to show their handlers that they have reached an intersecting street. At this point, the handler makes the decision whether to cross or not based on the flow of traffic). It doesn't help that almost everyone we interact with-our friends down here-talk about how horrible Glacier is in comparison to Roscoe. I am a good handler and I know that, but having Glacier making mistakes like that makes me feel like I am doing something wrong. I feel judged when people make comments about how good Roscoe is at "following" and how badly Glacier "follows." Glacier and I never did a lot of "following" up until we moved down here and most guide dogs don't "follow" as well as Roscoe does. (Following means that the guide dog follows the sighted person or the guide dog handler in front of them so that everyone can walk together). I know with some work he will improve, but I'm not sure how we'll get that work. I suppose I could just go out and wander around and hope I remember how to get back. It would be a great confidence booster if we make it back in one piece. The only problem with that is that if I don't know the route, I won't know if Glacier is making mistakes. This unknowing would not lend itself to me being able to correct him. Certain mistakes like jumping curbs or not taking direct orders I can fix, but if he crosses wrong I won't know if it was wrong or if it was because there was an obstacle or no curb on the other side of the street. I still may try to venture out on my own and see what happens. If you check in tomorrow and my post is titled something like "Where am I" you'll know I got lost. :)
Anyway, thanks to everyone who reads this post to the end. It's more of a *itch fest today than anything. I'm going to head inside because it's gotten cold out here and hopefully the puppies have pottied by now. LOL
See you tomorrow.

And Chaos Ensues

A lot of what goes on in this house is normal to me, but I'm pretty sure a complete stranger, or non-dog person, would look twice. We have puppy stairs leaning up against one couch; there is a stainless steel bole in the kitchen for water; an entire shelf in our laundry room is taken over by glass puppy boles that say things like "hungry" and "princess;" there is a wood stand a friend's husband made for me that holds another two stainless steel boles in the laundry room; there are nylabones, sterilised beef bones, rubber squirrels, bone shaped Kongs and every other toy imaginable strewn about the living room floor. We have a toy box, which is just a cardboard box for now, that houses maybe one or two toys at a time. Aria feels it necessary to drag them all out if I have put them away. There are leashes of varying colour/material/lengths and working harnesses hanging from a shelf standing near the front door and if you open a certain cupboard in the kitchen, you will find doggie toothpaste, a purple Zoom Groom, a brown flat collar, ear cleaning solution, a cow bell that can be attached to a collar, a metal comb and flea and heart worm treatments. Does anyone else's houses look like this? Not to mention, the two places we have wee pads put out for our newest family member.
The funny thing is, I wouldn't have it any other way. We've learned to wear slippers or indoor shoes and drag our feet so that we don't step on pointy toys. We've learned that doggie toothpaste and Mom's coffee stays out of reach. And that doesn't mean on the kitchen table because both Aria and Balloo can get up there. Just this morning he stole a piece of bread off my plate when I went to correct Doc for chewing on one of our packed boxes. I'm just glad I was done with my breakfast by then. I was shocked. Balloo my little baby is stealing things? That used to be Aria's trick-she once stole my passport from the kitchen table and we discovered it a month later under a couch with teeth marks in the corner.
Sure there is the danger of a visitor stubbing a toe on a bone and of course they will leave with some colour of fur-white, chocolate, tan, black, yellow...take your pick. You also run the risk of being run over by bouncing, racing puppies if you sit on the couch. But come on now, you were in their way while they were trying to battle. And perhaps the house is a bit stinky if they all have been out running and rolling in the dirt, but that is what air fresheners are for. And really I love these guys and the companionship and comic relief they bring is worth the doggafied house. :)

What about you dog people out there? Sure our dogs have changed our lives, but how have they changed your houses? Or cars, or yards?

Pup Sitters R' Us: Part Two

We've made it through the first night relatively unscathed. Everyone was very excited when Isis arrived last night and I spent twenty minutes or so running them all in the backyard in the hopes of "getting some of their beans out." Our pack had already settled in for the night even before she got here, but they all perked up the instant our friends' car pulled in the driveway. After our little romp in the rain, we came back in and I tried to put everyone to bed.
As I feared, bed time was a bit of an argument. It wasn't as bad as I thought, but I still had to do some creative thinking.
We started with Isis in the room with us, but she would not lie down. I think she was worked up because she had just been left by her parents for the first time and because all of our dogs were in the room and she sees them as her playmates. Remembering my Leader Dog days, I decided to make her a tie down. I put Glacier's flat collar on her and attached her nylon leash to my dresser. It kept her in one area, but she kept getting up and down and whining because she wanted on the bed. I also had to put Balloo in his crate because he kept hopping off the bed to go visit his "girlfriend." (He likes the big girls). :)
Finally, after a half an hour of soft whining noises that sort of sounded like squeaky brakes, I decided to try the crate. Our crate was bought for Kyo and since Kyo is much bigger than Isis is I knew she would fit comfortably.
I left her leash on her and lead her over to the crate. She stopped about two feet away from the open door, so I stopped too and waited for her to make a move. At one point, she turned her head towards me-I could feel the tension let up on the leash a bit-and I praised her. She took a few steps towards me and I praised. The whole time I did not give her more leash to move away, but didn't yank or pull her towards me. Finally, she was standing beside me with the open crate door just inches from her nose. I waited and talked happily to her. I might have called her a "daft cow," but it was in a happy voice so she didn't know. :)
We stood there for a long while, neither of us moving. I was tired and getting cranky and impatient, but I reminded myself that we wanted the crate to be a happy place and that my patience now would pay off for the rest of the weekend. Trying to think of a way to convince her to move closer, I sat down. I thought that if I was in a less intimidating position she would feel more inclined to trust me and move into the crate. It sort of worked. She took a few more steps closer to me and the crate. I patted the entrance and talked to her, still calling her a "daft cow" in a happy voice. I jut sat there, talking and patting and when she started moving some more I stuck a treat in the front of the crate. She stepped in and ate the treat. She was about to come out, but I gave her another treat and closed the door. I just turned around and walked away as if this was normal behavior. I didn't want her thinking it was a big deal or that she should be worried. She didn't protest. She just settled in and went to sleep. It was the easiest crate introduction I have ever done. I wouldn't say her crate "trained" since she has only been in there once, but it was a good start. I was surprised and couldn't believe it.
Normally crate introductions takes days or weeks. Normally dogs complain when you put them in at first. Normally it's way harder. She took to it as if she had been doing it all of her life. So, needless to say, we all got a good night's sleep; humans and fuzzies alike. I slept eaiser knowing she was safe and wasn't getting into anything-she has a history of ingesting entire socks.
I did learn a few things from last night though. First and foremost, if I am babysitting ever again, I will not receive dogs after seven PM. There wasn't enough time to let the dogs get settled and if she had been harder to crate introduce I would have been up all night.
I also learned, not for the first time in my life, that patience really is a virtue and will get you far in life. I'm not sure Isis's Mom and Dad will be happy about her being crated, but I would rather her be safe and they mad at me for crating her, than her going to the vet's office because she ate something while we were sleeping.
Sleeping arrangements and life lessons aside, there are a few things Isis's Mom will have to learn about when she returns. Isis is a counter surfer. She stole pieces of peach off the counter this morning. She also needs to lose weight. She is not just chubby, or fluffy, or round, or big boned. She is over weight. She is too young to be over weight and carrying that extra weight on a body that is already huge, is not good for her joints and organs. I am a bit fanatical wen it comes to dogs' weight for many reasons, but I know it stems from my days in guide dog training. A healthy, lean dog works and lives longer with less health issues. Mastiffs are prone to the usual big dog joint diseases and being fat increases the chances of developing one of these conditions, such as hip and elbow dysplasia or arthritis at a young age.
I've told them before that I thought Isis needed to shed a few pounds, but it seems every time I see her, she has gained more weight. I guess technically it's not my place to say anything, but on the other hand, who else will stand up for the dog's well being? She can't put herself on a diet. She's a dog-she'll eat anything put in front of her.
Anyway, enough of me and my ranting. All and all it's been a pretty good visit and let's keep our paws crossed that it stays that way until Sunday. :)
PS: I don't know the Bull Mastiff breed very well-are they all very gassy?

Maybe I'm Crazy, But...

All right, so everybody knows that Mr. K and I have two miniature Dachshunds and that we love them very much; maybe a bit fanatically, but that is what happens when you have fur babies instead of human ones. There have been fragments of thoughts floating around in my brain probably going back to when I adopted Kyo in March of 2010. I had thought of training Kyo and showing him. Sure, he was a mixed breed and was fixed, but the AKC has a category for such dogs now and I thought it could be something he would have been good at. I never got that far with him because life happened and he is now in a much better and productive place, but the thought of showing/training/breeding dogs has never really left my head. Up until now though, the thought pieces had not come together into that concise package of, I should do this.
Now, wait a minute. I haven't decided 100 percent that I am going to show/breed or train, but it is something I have begun to research. My research started on the wonderful thing we call the Internet and has progressed further to me emailing three different breeders to get information. I know that if this is something I want to do, I need to do it properly and since I am completely clueless, a mentor would be helpful. Dachshunds would be my breed of choice. Strange, since if you had asked me five months ago, I would have said labradors, but Aria and Balloo have changed that for me.
I love the challenge the miniature Dachshunds present in training. They are stubborn but incredibly smart and they aren't like a lot of other little dogs- they are tough. They are kind of like a big dog trapped in a tiny bundle of crazy energy and you never know what they are going to do next. For example, Aria has decided she is a monkey. She figured out how to climb onto the kitchen chair and then on to our island and help herself to Daddy's home made bread. Really? Who would have thought seven pounds could be so much trouble. :)
They're a really great breed and obviously aren't for everyone, but after seeing the way Aria was bred/raised until we got her, makes me want to make a difference. On the other hand, maybe I would rather train and show her, or I could start a rescue. So many options.
I'm not really sure. All I know is that this is something I have to be sure about before Mr. K and I jump in with both feet. It would be expensive and very time consuming. That is why I have contacted a few breeders.
One breeder has been in the business for seventeen years and the other 37 years. The third I can't remember how long, but it is Balloo's breeder and I asked her if I could apprentice with her. How will I know if this is for me if I don't have hands on experience? The breeder with 37 years is the only who has responded so far and although he is a bit impersonal, he does have a lot of experience. Until I hear from others, I'll continue my researching and perhaps contact a few more people. It never hurts to ask questions right?

The House From Hell

When we were told the house was a three bedroom with an office and laundry room, we thought that sounded good. When we found out it had a fenced in backyard, that made it sound even better. I was even more convinced when we were told it had a working wood burning fireplace and a dish washer. What really sold us, was how much the rent was. We should have known better.
When Mr. K and I moved to our current location, we were not able to travel to view houses/apartments before hand. Mr. K had friends in this area, which was one of the reasons for moving here, and we had them scoping out places for us. We told them what we wanted/needed and were told that there was a three bedroom house that was in an accessible area that would be great for us. It was right next door to two of Mr. K's friends and they were excited for us to move in. I was a little nervous, but I couldn't say why. Something felt wrong, but since I didn't know these people at the time, I didn't really have a valid argument. I let Mr. K know that something was bothering me, but since I couldn't figure out why, I just let it go.
Upon arriving I knew that my gut feeling had been right, but it was our first house. I didn't want to ruin it. I was also holding out hope that I was wrong and that I had tainted the place with my own pre-judgments. But the longer we lived here, the more I realised that we could not stay. We moved in August and by the middle of September I was begging him to move.
Not only was the house secluded with no bus stops to be found, the people next door sort of stopped visiting/phoning once the novelty of us being next door wore off. I think they also didn't realise that having two blind friends was more work than they bargained for. Not that we're a lot of work, but we do have two huge dogs that go everywhere with us and I don't think people are prepared for that. The pointing, staring and exclaiming when out in public can be too much for some to handle. Plus, we have to find space for our big furry acting Eyeballs and again, that can be too much for some.
There is so much wrong with this house and it was a relief to me when Mr. K finally decided that I was right and that we needed to move. To give you an idea of why we have to move, I have compiled a list of what is/was wrong.
1. When we first moved in the air conditioning unit did not work. When it is 100 F outside, the air must work. So we had to wait for a new one to be installed.
2. It is not energy efficient at all and we are either heating or air conditioning the outside. There is a giant rusty air conditioning unit in the wall of the kitchen that has not been sealed up. There is a swamp cooler (don't ask, I don't even know what that is). All I know is that it lets air in and out. There is an uninsulated attic that again lets air in and out. The bath tub in the main bathroom has a hole in it that,yes you guessed it, lets air in and out: not to mention, it's rusty. The weather stripping on both doors is basically non-existent. This not only lets in air, but creepy crawly creatures that I would rather stay outside. The windows are only storm windows...not real windows and they are ancient. I'm sure there is more that falls into this category, but I have more to write I won't waste anymore time here.

3. The windows in the living room have pellet holes in them. Yes, some moron was firing a gun of some sort from the inside of the house. Oh goody. The main window in our bedroom is falling apart. The glass is falling out! I wonder how this was missed in the house inspection. Oh maybe because this was the only window in the place that had window coverings. By law, landlords are required to provide window coverings and the only ones we have conveniently cover up a broken window. Mr. K taped it together with packing tape. Go hubby!

4. Remember that fireplace I was excited about? We can't use it. Surprised? No, I didn't think so. It leaks when it rains, which suggests to us that a fire in it would not be good.

5. And how about that fence? It's broken/bent/falling over/rusty. Glacier and Roscoe haven't managed to escape, but Kyo sure figured out he could just walk over the section that is basically laying down.

Now, here comes the fun stuff.

6. Let's talk about water. We've been without hot water once for three days and then without water for another three days on two separate occasions. You can't shower, cook, clean and how were we supposed to water the dogs or flush the damn toilet? Gross! And when Mr. K called to report the problem the last time, the landlord acted like it was his fault. Rude!

7. Electricity, another important thing in our day and age. We had a storm back in September which blew the electrical box off of the side of the house. We phoned the electric company and they fixed it back on temporarily. He told us we would have to get an electrician to do the job properly. Has it been fixed yet? Nope! We've been just praying it doesn't come off and either our house doesn't catch fire or the dogs don't go out and get mixed up in it without us knowing. Really safe.

8. We also asked them for a new fridge back in September and then again in November with no results. When we got back from our Holidays, the fridge had died and all of the stuff in the freezer and whatever little we had in the fridge was rotten. We had no fridge and no water at that point. Happy days!

9. The newest development has been that the washing machine connection was leaking. I don't mean a little dripping, I mean soaked the wall, drenched our stuff made everything stink like mold. The landlord tried to tell Mr. K that we were responsible for that. That didn't fly, let me tell you.

Like I said, there are a lot of other things wrong-like the mummified dog poop we can't get off the floor; the sink gushing from its elbow joint in the bedroom's bathroom; the new/used fridge we just got running constantly because it's a piece of crap; the disgusting cockroaches and mouse crap we had to get out of the house upon moving in-the list could go on and on. Thankfully, we have put an application in at a townhouse complex and will hopefully hear soon if we get the place or not. If we do, we'll be moving out at the end of February. We would move out sooner, but we are paid up until then and we'd rather not lose the money that we've paid. We would fight them for it back, but are pretty sure they will find some way to weasel it out of us. So, we'll count our losses and move on, hopefully sooner than later.
What have I learned from this mess? Trust my gut for starters. Most able-boded people don't have a clue what "accessible" means even if you explain it to them. Wait, let me rephrase that-most don't have a clue when they are people who work for a non-profit organisation and therefore think they are qualified to know what is better for you than you do. Whew. Did that make sense?
Mr. K and I have been to see this new place and the area and feel a lot better about it. The management seem like responsible people and are quie helpful. I also think that since they are a company rather than private landlords, they may be more inclined to get things fixed in a timely manner. They were doing some small projects, like putting in new outdoor lighting, when we were there. That demonstrates to us that they care about their property. A lot of the management staff live right on site and the woman who had just recently moved there, seemed satisfied. All I can say is, ppppllllleeeeaaaaasssseeeee let me be packing in the next couple of weeks. :)

Big Paws, Big Decisions

The theme "decisions" that is for this Assistance Dog Blog Carnival, is a nice broad theme that gave writers the opportunity to address almost anything in relation to service dogs.
I had a hard time figuring out what I was going to write about. I am currently working with my second guide dog and between my first guide and my second, each relationship gave me plenty of decisions I could write about. After much deliberation, and a few scrapped entries, I finally settled on the decisions that lead me to rescuing a dog that I had to give up and the decision to donate him to a service dog organisation. Let me start at the beginning.
I didn't go to the Humane Society with the intentions of having to give my dog up seven months later. I went because I wanted to add another furry family member to my life. I wanted a companion dog-one that I didn't have to be as strict with; I wanted a friend for Glacier (working dog number two); and I wanted a big dog that would make me feel even safer when I was out for walks.
When I arrived at the Guelph Humane Society, I had a particular dog already picked out. I had seen him online and he seemed to fill all of my requirements. He was a ninety pound or so, husky cross that was being rehomed. All bets were off when I met him though. Although he was a beautiful dog, I could tell by just meeting him for a brief minute and then later watching him play with another dog out in a fenced in area, that he needed a lot of things I couldn't give him. He was way too mouthy and didn't show any signs of wanting to learn how to behave. So I scratched him off my list. Ironically, the dog he was playing with was a gigantic black lab cross of some sort and I fell in love with him. I took him for a walk, and although he had no leash manners, I could see that he really wanted to learn.
"That is him," I told my classmate who had served as my driver. "I love him."
"He's big." He kept telling me. "Can you handle him? Maybe you should look for someone smaller."
"Nope," I replied, "that is my new puppy."
After filling out an application and a phone interview, I was told that "Tank" was now my dog. The shelter told me he was a year or so old and was a Bernese Mountain dog/lab cross. The only thing I think they got right about him was that his name was "Tank," which was the first decision I made upon picking him up-He would be forever more called "Kyo."
Kyo, meaning "big" in Japanese, came home with me on March 12th 2010 and remained with me until mid October of 2010. He was definitely a handful when I got him. He had no house manners whatsoever. The only thing he was good at was not relieving in the house-that was a start right? He was terrified of traffic, tried to push me out of his way so he could get outside and did not know how to ride in a car. Instead of sitting in the back seat and just looking out the window, he would race back and forth across the seat to see out each window, running Glacier over in the process. There was even one time when he tried to jump out a car window to go visit someone standing on the corner waiting to cross. You couldn't open the car door without him escaping, or rather, pushing you out of his way so he could get out. I had my work cut out for me. I spent time with him grooming, training and exercising him. He was twenty pounds over weight and definitely wasn't even a year old yet. He was nearly all black with two white patches on his chest and his face was a dark brown. He also had dew claws on his back paws. And I loved him.
As a quick version of our story, since this is about assistance dogs, Kyo learned how to "sit," "stay," "down," and many other manners that pet dogs should learn. He shed the twenty pounds in three weeks with a strict diet and a lot of exercise. I felt safe walking the streets at five in the morning sandwiched between my big black Kyo on my right side and my gigantic yellow Glacier on the other. But when school ended, and I had to move, things started going very wrong.
Kyo has always been a dog who required a lot of attention and stimulation. He was crate trained, which helped me have some down time, but he would push Glacier out of the way for attention and Glacier stopped coming to me. This was problem number one. With the move, the twice a day walks, which were 45 minutes each at the minimum, stopped and I wasn't even able to take him out to watch the kids walking home from school anymore. This had been one of his favourite pass times and it was enough stimulation for him. I was in a new area and didn't know where I could take him. I was also having to give Glacier more attention to ensure our working relationship was strong so that he would be able to do his job. Kyo started acting out.
It began with small things that I noticed. He got pushier with Glacier and would never let Glacier come near me. This is very problematic when Glacier is my eyes. Then it turned into him taking things-socks, shoes, spoons. Pretty much anything he could get his teeth on; problem number two. I felt bad. I knew why he was doing "bad" things. He was frustrated and so was I.
I kept the obedience up with him, but it didn't seem to be enough. He would go through his routine and learn new things I taught him, but the excitement to learn was gone. He was just going through the motions because he thought that was what he was supposed to do.
Our new house had a fenced in backyard and I would take all of the dogs out for play sessions. I would run around with them and spent some time grooming them out in the sunshine in the hopes that it would help Kyo. But it didn't. He grew increasingly more frantic every time we left him at home. He went from a dog who liked his crate and would go in willingly to a dog who would not come when called when it was crate time. He would bark and howl with this loud haunting sound that cannot be described. We're pretty sure now that he is part Great Dane/lab and he came with the Dane bark. He never used to cry when we put him in his crate; he never used to tear things up in his crate when we left him. I knew something was wrong and that something needed to be done. His habit of counter surfing had returned and no kind of corrective methods phased him. I tried everything from "time out" to obedience sessions after the unwanted behavior, but there were no improvements.
Finally, my partner and I sat down and had a serious talk. Here was this beautiful, loving, enthusiastic dog that we loved and cared for acting completely out of control. I would go to bed at night with pains in my chest because I felt like I had failed him. We knew we had to find him a new home, but it was so hard to give him up; problem number three. I was supposed to be his forever home: I was the one who was supposed to take care of him and love him. I had done so much research before adopting him and every site I read talked about how adopted dogs usually ended up back in shelters because of handler faults. I had always thought I was a good handler. I had a lot of experience with dogs and I wasn't going to just throw in the towel for a few stolen socks. But things just got worse. He started stealing food off the counters and again, no form of corrective behavior on my part changed his mind.
We sat down again and it was decided that Kyo really did have to find a new home. It was one of the hardest decisions I have ever made. I felt like I was abandoning him-what if I gave him a bit longer? What if I entered him in obedience lessons or something for him to do? But his impact on Glacier was getting even more noticeable. Glacier hardly got excited anymore and would rarely sit with me. It really was time for a change, but where would he go?
I spent the next two months telling everyone I knew about Kyo. We would go to vets' offices and I would tell them about him. I looked into getting him back to the city where I went to college because there was someone there who would have been a great person for him. I emailed friends and family; put an advertisement in pet stores' newsletters; I even told cashiers at Pet Smart about him and how he was looking for a home. It was at Pet Smart where an idea began to form.
One of the many cashiers I bombarded with the news of Kyo's home transfer told me about a local service dog organisation. She couldn't remember the name, but knew that they trained dogs for children with Autism. I was pretty sure the area didn't have such an organisation, but when I got home, I hopped right on Google. It was here that I found Palmedo Animal Assisted Life Serves (PAALS). I emailed them and said a million prayers, but didn't hear anything. Being the annoying, persistent person that I am, I emailed again; this time with some progress. The woman who responded said that they were in "team training" that week and they would get back to me the following week. (Team training occurs when a person is being matched with their service dog).By this point I was starting to feel the pressure-Mr. K, my partner, was at his wit's end and really wanted Kyo to find a new home. Mr. K is a guide dog user as well and Kyo's poor behavior was starting to impact Mr. K's dog as well. The week passed slowly and another half a week and I heard nothing. Again, being the annoying persistent person that I am, I emailed PAALS again, only with a little more panic in my email. The woman forwarded me on to J (name changed for privacy), and J got back to me very quickly.
She explained the process and advised me to think on it. I was just so overwhelmed that we had finally had an answer that I didn't care what it cost or what we had to do, but my logical brain told me I should discuss it with Mr. K first. I sat him down nervously, worried that he may say no. The process was going to cost us money and being on a fixed income, it might not be the wisest decision. This is basically what had to be done.
First step was to bring Kyo down to meet them and have him pass a temperament test. The test was to determine whether or not he would be cut out for service work. They took into consideration that he had not been raised as a service dog in training and would grade him on that. If he passed the temperament test, then he would have to get his hips and elbows checked for any diseases that would prevent him from working. The temperament test wasn't a big deal, but the test would cost 250 dollars and it wasn't a guarantee he would pass. We could go ahead, spend the money and he could fail due to hip dysplasia or something like that and we would be back at square one-big decision.The upside was that if he passed, PAALS would take him and put him on a trial run for six weeks or so. If all was good, then they would keep him and start his more advanced training.
At first Mr. K did not go for the whole 250 dollar thing, but after thinking about it a bit, he came around. He realised that it would be a small price to pay if this dog could go on to make a difference in someone else's life the way Jetta (my first guide), Glacier (current guide) and Roscoe (Mr. K's guide) had.
I called J back and told her we would do it. Kyo's temperament test was scheduled and I am proud to say he passed. The next step was the longest three weeks of my life. We took him in to have his joints X-Rayed and then all we could do was wait. I kept wondering if I was making the right decision-did I really want to give him up? Couldn't we find a way to make it work? All the while, I kept up his obedience and threw in some new cues and tried getting him used to picking up objects and bringing them to me instead of running off with them. I thought the more I could teach him and prepare him for, the better chance he would have. Just as long as those tests came back negative.
The weeks might have went slowly, but now that I look back on them, they went too fast: those were the last three weeks he spent with us as our dog. The tests were negative and Kyo was asked to join the fleet of dogs in training at PAALS. When Kyo entered the program, he was dog number nine and a few weeks into his training, it was announced that there was a litter of puppies on the way as well. I knew J had her hands full with all of these dogs plus Kyo, plus puppies, but I knew if anyone could turn Kyo into a working dog it was going to be her.
I had watched her a few times at training sessions and public events. I really appreciated her way of training and her manner with the dogs. Kyo seemed to take to her right away and had no problem bringing me J's shoe on the first day when I was demonstrating the things he knew.
PAALS does things a bit differently than other service dog organisations, but I think it really benefits each dog. The dogs stay at the training facility all week and then go and spend the weekend with foster families. Kyo spent his first few months moving around from PAALS' main training place to a few different foster/volunteer trainers to see how he would do. I volunteer with PAALS as regularly as I can and was able to see him from time to time. Every time I saw him, it seemed like he was improving. The horrific whining/howling stopped. There was one day when his separation anxiety was so bad, he ran to J when she was trying to leave and wrapped his front legs around her legs so that she could not leave the house. When she told me, all I could do was laugh because that sounded like my big Moose (a nickname we still fondly refer to him with). A month or so after hKyo moved to PAALS he was able to perform his training regiment with Glacier and I in the room. Thankfully, J let me squish him after his session and he was the cuddly guy I remember-Kyo was always the best cuddler despite weighing eighty pounds. He was so excited to be learning new things and seemed to be back to his happy self. J had taught him to walk on a loose leash, something I had never been able to do-heeling is a tricky thing to teach when you are blind. :)
The last update that I got was at the beginning of this week and J said that he is living with a volunteer foster mom who used to foster for Guiding Eyes, which is one of PAALS' partners. When he was at another foster mom's house, he did well with people of all ages and all sorts of events, but got a little too excited when she used a salad spinner and was not happy when people were hammering in front of him. If I know Moose, it's probably because he thinks those objects are hurting the person and he must save them-you should have seen him try to rescue me when I went swimming this summer. He hates swimming and doesn't know how, but insisted on trying to get to me any way possible; drinking the water, leaping over it, barking frantically at it. He was bound and determined he was going to play lifeguard.
If I were to return to the theme of "decisions," I would say that giving Kyo up was one of the hardest things I have ever done, but one of the most rewarding. There was so many things we had to gamble on-whether or not he would pass the temperament test, would his joints check out, would he make it through the first six weeks? I had to recognise that I could not give him what he needed and my pack of dogs was not suited to him. He needs someone who needs him as the centre of their universe. It took me a while, but I had to come to the conclusion that I was just a stepping stone to help him to get to where he's going. He traveled seventeen hours from his original city just to end up in a service dog organisation that I know will give him every chance they can. Kyo is a great dog that I hope can make someone very happy one day because that in itself is what would make Kyo the happiest dog in the world.

PAALS Facts

PAALS is an organisation that was started in 2006 and started with dogs from Guiding Eyes.
PAALS has one bitch named Akira and she had her second litter on December 12th 2010.
PAALS train dogs for five different jobs all of which fall into the "service dog" category. (For more specific details on these jobs please visit their website which is listed in my "links" section).
J would eventually like to expand beyond using just dogs and include horses and other animals.
PAALS is a non-profit organisation that is run with two paid staff members and the steam of a lot of volunteers.

I hope this has been interesting and, when you have time, you will visit the PAALS website for more information.