Creative Girl

Since I am currently unemployed, impatiently awaiting my massage therapy license to come through, I've decided to find a new way to keep myself occupied. I've been making jewelry here and there, but the problem with that is that it gets expensive to buy the materials and then do nothing with the stuff when I'm finished. I'm picky about my jewlwry materials as well, so I kind of refuse to buy cheap stuff. I love going to bead specialty shops and picking out beads. I particularly enjoy semi-precious stones like Jade and Tiger's Eye. I also am partial to glass beads. I've made a few things with wood and that is cheaper to buy, but I thought I should find a hobby that isn't so expensive. So, I am trying my hand at writing.
I have had an idea for a book floating around in my brain for the last month or so and yesterday I sat down and started committing words to paper-or at least to computer memory. :) The first chapter isn't quite finished, but I've got about 3320 words so far and I'm actually quite happy with it. Today I'll put the finishing touches on the chapter and maybe add a bit more detail and then, if I haven't run out of steam, I'll start designing my second chapter. Sometimes the chapters just pour out of me, but others, I have to actually think about where I want the story to go next and how I'm going to do that; so I write out ideas and write a few thing out in rough before continuing on.
I don't actually know if I will finish the book, but it is worth a shot. :)

Good Changes

It's been a week since Kyo moved out and into the PAALS training program. There have been a lot of changes around here, both big and quite subtle.
The biggest changes I've already talked about-quieter, takes me less time to feed everyone, no more counter surfing which means we aren't always having to worry about closing the baby gates we installed...Etc. One of the more subtler changes that I've noticed in the last seven days is Glacier's energy and affection levels.
When I first got Glacier, he was a big goof who liked to curl up on my lap if I sat on the floor with him. We used to sit together on his sleeping mat at Leader Dog and I would hold his bone for him. I even read him a Hardy Boys mystery just to get him used to my voice. lol
When we got home, our bonding continued. He would follow me around the house after I had taken his leash off a few weeks after returning home. He would sit on my feet and bring me toys to play with. When I got Kyo a lot of this behavior stopped. It was so subtle that I hardly noticed it. I was so caught up in training Kyo on how to be a good companion dog, that I barely noticed Glacier becoming very subdued. I was also incredibly busy with my massage program and I also thought Glacier was just maturing. Glacier was barely a year and a half when I got him, so I thought he was calming down with age.
Ever since Kyo left, some of his personality traits have come back out. He follows me around and checks out what I am doing. He sits with me and squishes himself up on my feet as small as he can get. It's like he can't get close enough. He's started bringing me toys again and dropping them on my lap. He's also become a little mischievous again as well, but I fell in love with all of Glacier and I am glad he's back.
Roscoe seems a bit different too. He dances around a lot more like he used to and talks to us when we're getting ready to go out. He doesn't bark, just sort of sing/growls when the harnesses come down from where they are hanging.
I may have been Kyo's stepping stone on his way to greater things, but he definitely taught me a lot too. It's okay to have pet dogs in the house with working dogs-Aria doesn't bother these guys at all or alter their personalities-but when your pet dog's personality is bigger than your two working dogs' combined, then there is a problem. :) That is part of the reason I finally decided to give him up. I am all for adopting dogs, especially older dogs because they often get over looked, but adoption may not be as much of an option for guide dog users. You only get twenty minutes with a dog and then you have to decide whether he/she is for you or not. The Humane Society said I could have a trial run for a week, but you can't really get to know a dog in seven days-especially if that particular dog has a lot of potential, but has no manners. :)
It was definitely a learning process and I'm glad I just figured it out before it was too late and Glacier turned completely inward. He was never unhappy and he still worked well, but he just wasn't his normal silly self.

Our Little Graduate

Kyo is not the only dog making waves around here. Aria completed her last puppy class last night and passed her test "with flying colours." At least that is what her trainer said. :)
The trainer would call out things we had learned and we had to show him each cue. Aria learned about ten cue in total: sit, down, stay, come when called, shake, walking on a loose leash, drop it, leave it, puppy push-ups and hoop. She wasn't quizzed on "hoop" since that was just a trick to teach her to jump through a hoop and wasn't actually part of the basic obedience routine. She had to sit and stay for at least thirty seconds and down and stay for the same amount of time to pass. Her stays were great. The trainer's great dane was moving around in his crate when she was performing her first stay and she looked at him, but didn't lift her bum up off the floor. I was impressed.
She had to do a long recall where he took her out into Pet Smart and I had to call her from the training room. It takes her a wile to get there because her legs are so short, but she always came running.
I was mostly proud of her "leave it." He had me put her in a sit stay and then place a treat on the floor in front of her. She did fine and then she was put in a down stay and the cue was repeated. She was excellent. We did a few other cues and then came back to "leave it" in a sit stay and he told me to put two treats on the floor. I did and she didn't budge. I was floored! I don't think her nose ddid not dip down at all to even look at the treats lying on the floor at her paws. I think that is pretty awesome. She refused food when she was sitting two inches above it. (I told you she was short. lol).
The trainer that we had excellent and I would recommend him to anyone. His teaching manner is fantastic and he is great with the dogs. He even let us practice long distance recall with Glacier and Roscoe the week we learned it. He said that he would love to see her go on to advanced obedience, which is more loose leash walking and some other stuff. Loose leash walking is what she really needs work at, so we may enter her. Just because she is small and can't pull us over, does not mean she gets to be a crazy yoyo on the end of the leash. :) He said he was impressed we got her to go down and to come when called because usually her breed refuses to do both of these things. I think the difference though, is that we use the cues in real life all of the time.
I would do formal training sessions where I put ten minutes aside a day for practice, but her obedience was reinforced by getting her to do something and then giving her a life reward. For example, if she wants outside I have her sit and stay at the door, then give her the release cue to go out. For meals she must sit and stay as well and to spice it up, I'll get her to down or sit and shake a paw.
That said, I think we just lucked out and have a really good puppy. :)
Graduation pictures were taken with the puppies wearing hats. Aria had to wear her graduation hat like a turtle shell because they didn't have any small enough for her. Glacier and Roscoe got to wear hats too for the pictures. The trainer said they participated by behaving during class. I would agree with him-other puppies were getting attention and treats while they had to lie still and be on duty. So congratulations to all of my fuzzy children. You made me proud. :)

A Moose On The Loose

Well, it's been four days since Kyo went off to save the world. Based on the updates I've gotten, I'm not sure he's quite there yet, but he may get there. :)
Today was a fundraiser/awareness event for PAALS, so I went and volunteered some of my time. I was there from about 10:00 AM until about 2:00 PM. It was actually chilly and we were all bundled up against the wind.
A few of the dogs in training were present-Casper, Spirit and Grace-but no Moose. He has been spending a lot of time with J and she said they bonded quite a bit last night. When she got home, they cuddled on the floor, which makes me happy because Kyo is a fantastic snuggler: it's one of his favourite activities.
She said he's been "catching on" quite well, but his separation anxiety is getting the better of him. He barks very fervently when left alone and today, when J tried to load Spirit and Casper up in the car, Kyo wrapped his front legs around her legs so that she couldn't go anywhere. It was all very comical to hear her tell it because she had to drop everything in her hands and physically drag him to his crate. He was not letting her go out without him! She said he bark/howled as if someone was murdering him when she finally got out the door, but they are working on it and hopefully it will get better.
We both figure it's because it's a lot of change and it has only been four days. He probably thinks she's leaving him randomly too. Poor big guy.
Yesterday he played outside with everyone all at once and it went well. She said some dogs get him more worked up than others, but that is normal. Spirit is a sweetie when she is out working, but get her out playing and all Hell breaks loose. Either way, he is making some progress and it's all about baby steps. If he makes the initial six week evaluation, then he's got another ten months or so ahead of him. So, four days is nothing. :)

And There Were Three

Today has been a very quiet day around this house. Well, as quiet as it get siwth two labs and one miniature long haired dauxhund (sorry dont' know how to spell that lol). Now, you would think that meant that it wasn't very quiet, but it was quieter than normal because we are minus one 80 pound lab great dane cross. Kyo went to PAALS yesterday.
I dropped him off yesterday morning at 9 and stayed until about 5:30. It was my day to volunteer, which made it very convenient for me to bring Kyo with me and stay for his first day. He seemed to settle in very nicely J was very patient with him.
From our arrival up until about lunch time, we hung out in the kitchen, gated off from the rest of the house. Glacier layed on a dog bed in his harness while I folded and packed poop bags into ziplock bags for the PAALS clients. Kyo was given free range of the kitchen. He spent some time sniffing around and listening to the other dogs who were out in the gigantic kennel area. He chewed on a few bones and tried some counter surfing, which I warned them about, but other than that he was pretty well behaved. He did chase the household cat once, but J said it would be something they would work on and that if the cat swatted him, he'd learn not to do it anymore. I agree. :)
Two dogs of the dogs-Chloe and Sparks-went out on an outing to the grocery to get peanutbutter so we could make treats and I got to "dress Chloe. It's kind of cute. You say, "Let's get dressed" and she sits in front of you and waits for you to put her working collar, coat and seatbelt on.
After J returned with the peanutbutter, we started smearing it into kongs, PCV pipes and other dog toys to be frozen. At that point, she gated Kyo off in another little area and let each PAALS dog in training in one at a time to meet him. He did very well. He tried to mount one their dogs named Grace, but J said it was because she oozes alpha dog. Funny thing is that Grace is the smallest dog they have. Sparks wasn't quite sure she liked him, but after a few minutes they settled down and she didn't seem to mind.
After all introductions were done-that took about an hour-we moved inot the living roomand Kyo was placed in a crate to have some calm down time. We got each dog out individually and groomed him/her. We brushed teeth, combed coats, wiped paws/faces/eyes with wipes and cleaned out ears. Kyo made a bit of a racket for the first fifteen minutes or so, but eventually settled down. J brought him back into her office with her and practised "down stay" while we continued grooming.
After grooming we moved upstairs to the "training room" while Kyo was put back in his crate with a peanutbutter Kong. I watched some of the training they do and was so impressed. Grace and Spirit went through their practice training opening dryers, retriving fallen items, presing emergency 911 buttons on the phone and a bunch of other things. A few other dogs went through basic obedience practice and Kyo got to go out and play with Akira.
After training, Kyo got to come upstairs and I showed J and her intern C what he knows. She was very excited, but he kept trying to put his paws on the counter and climb up the shelving unit. She laughed and said that if they get that behavior under control, it would actually be helpful. She also trained him to open a dryer in about two minutes. It was sort of by chance, but he did it over and over and was having fun.
There is a piece of material hanging from the dryer door. It is so that the dogs can pull it open. He was investigating it and she asked me if he had a "tug" command. I said he sort of knew "pull" so she told him to "pull." At first, he wasn't sure if he should, but with some encouragement from J, he pulled the door open. It was incredible. She got him to repeat the behavior a few more times and he did it without treat rewards. I was very impressed.
After that session which also consisted of J massaging him and cuddling with him on the floor to get him more comfortable with her, we headed downstairs and J, C and J's husband took all eight dogs out to the back to play off leash in a giant fenced area. They all ran for about fifteen minutes and when they got back, J said he did very well.
I was waiting for my ride by this point and all of the dogs were being shephereded back in for supper. I was a little worried about leaving with Kyo watching, but another volunteer showed up to walk dogs. So, J sent Kyo out for a walk. The volunteer sounded a bit nervous because he was so big. In fact, when J told her that I had donated a new dog, she thought it was Glacier. I told her she couldn't have that one. lol She agreed to take Kyo and his gentle leader was put on and off they went. He never knew I left.
He was supposed to spend the rest of the evening with J's husband while she went out to do a presentation. J's husband plays the guitar and practises every night, so Kyo was going to go hang out with him in the guitar room.
I feel so much better about Kyo being with them now. He is going to get the exercise and attention he needs. I wish him all the luck and will post updates whenever I get them.

The Paw Print On My Heart

Today is the last full day that Kyo will be with us. I woke up very early just thinking about how far he's come in the last seven and a half months and where he will go in the next seven and a half months.
The last couple of days made me realise that I am making the right decision. We went out to a Halloween party for dogs on Saturday afternoon and he was amazing. For a dog who used to be terrified of traffic and completely dog distracted, he did wonderfully. There were at least 60 or so people and about as many dogs. All of the dogs were dressed up and was so Kyo. This didn't seem to phase him at all.We were outside on a busy street with kids going by with Halloween costumes on. He didn't even flinch. He would meet dogs when I said it was okay and would sit patiently by my side when it was time to behave.
Yesterday he was a complete angel in the house. He just needs a lot of stimulation and I think becoming a working dog will suit him well. He will get the attention he needs and the stimulation and a lot of his behavioral issues-like counter surfing-will just go away.
The woman who runs the service dog organisation-I will call her J-loves him to death and seems excited to have him. She was introducing him to everyone and commenting on how handsome he is. It relieves some of the guilt and sadness I feel about giving him away to know that she is thrilled to have him. It's comforting to know that he will be loved and given a real shot to make it. I think I was a stepping stone on his journey.
He came to me at least 25 pounds over weight and completely out of control. He lost all of the weight on a strict diet and a lot of exercise and was happy about it. He could finally run and keep up with Glacier and Roscoe. He couldn't sit, down, stay or anything related to obedience. He used to run me over to get out the door and would jump up all of the time. He had some food guarding issues. He never snapped or anything, but he would suck his food down as fast as possible whenever you came near. Kyo also had mouthing issues and quite would often put your skin in his mouth and bite hard when playing. That is completely gone now. He snatched treats out of your hand, nearly taking your fingers with it. The list could go on and on. But now, his basic obedience is almost flawless, he no longer snatches cookies and I can put my hand in his food bole. Some of the behaviors I could not get rid of, like the excessive counter surfing, will be addressed at the service dog organisation and he will make someone very happy.
I was struggling with leaving him on Tuesday after I volunteer at the service dog organisation, but I've become more comfortable with the idea thinking of what both Jetta and Glacier went through and how well they did. I remember how much they loved their trainers and how they eventually bonded to me. This will happen for Kyo as well and he will be a happy guy. :)
We'll probably spend the rest of the day cuddling, playing outside and eating lots of treats. I want his last day to be great. :)
Every dog in your life leaves its paw print on your heart and teaches you something. Kyo has taught me patience and that even though things don't go exactly as planned, new plans can come along and be just as, or even better than, the first plan. :)
So, go forth and make me proud my gigantic Moose. lol

"Good Things Come to Those Who Wait"

So good news all around. It would appear that all of my worrying about Kyo's results was unnecessary. His joints/hips/elbows all check out and he will be joining the ranks of puppies in training. His training will start Tuesday and then he'll be in training for six weeks. After the six weeks, they will re-evaluate him and see if he should continue on. If he's doing well, then he will finish out the year and then hopefully be placed with a person. If he has too many issues they can't work through, then they will place him as a "companion" dog with a good family.
Of course I want him to make it all the way through and be some sort of service dog, but if he doesn't make it and is placed with a family I will still be quite happy. The organisation he is going to trains a variety of service dogs: mobility assistance dogs, Autism assistance dogs, seizure alert...Etc. I'm thinking that since he is so big, that he might do well as a Mobility assistance dog. Plus, I've already taught him to pick things up that I have dropped and bring them to me. He can even bring me a telephone.
I am so excited and a little sad all at the same time. I am ecstatic that he is going to a great place and will get the attention he needs. I am sad that he is leaving us, but that little bit of sadness is erased by the possibility of him becoming a working dog.

Still Waiting

Yesterday we saw a glimmer of hope-for a few short sweet minutes. One of Kyo's hip/elbow evaluations came back. He is listed as "fair" according to OFA, which means he shouldn't breed or be used as an agility dog or a police dog; basically nothing that requires a lot of jumping. That is fine because as a service dog, Kyo would not be leaping through hoops or launching himself at bad guys. The only roblem is that the woman who runs the service dog organisation wants to see the PEN Hip evaluation before making a decision. She said that "fair" is on the cusp and the PEN Hip should let her know if he will be ok or not.
I understand her hesitation and I appreciate her thoroughness. I would hope that guide dog shcools would be as meticulous, but it sucks when you are the one waiting holding your breath. She said that the other evaluation should arrive in the next fews days and we will know then.
All I can do is hope and pray that Kyo's hips check out and that he will be abe to move on to bigger and greater things.

As I stirred my coffee this morning, I contemplated today's post. There were a few thoughts floating around in my brain, but the one I decided on is one that I've been meaning to write about for a while. I'm sure it's something that will make some uncomfortable, but I figure, what the hell? I don't think anyone reads this blog anyway. :) Not to mention, when I was in university, my filter that kept me from offending people was much thinner. So, if there is someone reading this, consider yourself warned.
This month, as I am sure you are aware, is Breast Cancer Awareness month. Originally, I was going to write about breast health and alternative ways to take care of your breast tissue-which I still may write about later-but instead, I have decided to enlighten you on the wonderful experience of PMS as a blind woman. "How is it different from any other woman?" you ask. Allow me to fill you in.
First of all, PMS is different for every woman. Each body is different and therefore, each experience is very different. There are many varying factors that make up the premenstrual experience. Body composition, such as weight, fat to muscle ratio, level of physical activities...the list could go on and on. That said, I have yet to find a study that examines PMS and its variations with relation to disabled women. Maybe it's just me it impacts so greatly; perhaps all other disabled women experience PMS the "normal" way. Regardless, PMS is a pain in the ass-at least for me it is.
Some women are very lucky and do not experience any symptoms. Menstruation doesn't phase them either. To those fantastic women, I say count your blessings. For others, it is painful, exhausting and a myriad of other things. Think of all of the symptoms that some women present with: exhaustion, clumsiness, forgetfulness, crankiness...now apply those to someone who can't see and you have a very interesting seven days.
For an entire week before menstruation, I am a train wreck. I don't really get moody. I guess I'm just lucky that way, but I am the most clumsy and forgetful person you would ever meet. Sometimes it gets annoying because I am expected to function as per normal, but I just can't. For example, I make important phone calls about viewing houses or to the vet to check on Kyo's hip check and I get confused and flustered for the simplest reasons. I phoned the vet today to ask if Kyo's hip evaluation had come in and he approached the conversation as if I were looking at the evaluation in front of me. Instead of explaining that I am blind and cannot see the evaluation, I just blundered through the conversation and didn't learn anything of any use. I almost need to call the man back and try the entire conversation again. Since I am blind, I rely heavily on memory for everything. I memorise phone numbers, where I put every day items like shoes/dog leashes, but when I'm PMSing you can forget it. I hardly even remember my own phone number. It's frustrating, and sometimes, humorous. I will forget where my shoes are and spend fifteen minutes racing around the house trying to find them so we can get to where we are going.
Memory dysfunction is not my only problem. I am so clumsy you would think my feet were three sizes too big and made out of bricks. I bang my toes off of chair/table/couch legs, graze my shoulders off of door frames, trip over sand granules and drop things right out of my hands. As a blind person, I rely on spacial awareness, which basically means, my body remembers how far away something is or how wide a hallway or door frame is. It also means that I "listen" for objects like walls, door openings, pretty much that is face level and that keeps me from banging into them. A lot of this has become second nature and I don't even realise I'm doing it anymore. That is, until I stop doing it. For about five to seven days I am a walking disaster. Today, for instance, I tried to put the sugar bole up on the shelf that I put it on every day and I completely missed; whacking the bole on the side of the shelf instead and nearly knocking the lid to the floor where it would have most certainly shattered. What do I do about this crazy annoying phenomenon? I laugh-well, at least most of the time.
Some days, I get frustrated and annoyed, but most of the time, it's just another part of my crazy life. I mean, really, what else can you do when you try to pick up your puppy and carry her to the back door to potty and you walk into a wall? You laugh because your puppy promptly looks up at you as if to say, "what is your deal?" No matter how you spin it, PMS is a pain for most women, but there are a select few that it makes life even more interesting and whacky for: me being one of them.

Not Glacier or Roscoe Approved

It seems like in the last two years of having Glacier and Roscoe we have switched their food countless times. Sometimes it was because the food din't agree with the dogs' digestive systems, others because we could no longer access that particular food. Most recently they have been filling up on Fromme's Salmon based food and doing quite well with it. Well, at least Glacier was-Roscoe's ears have been absolutely stinky and gross. They smell yeasty and like they are on the verge of ear infection more often than not. I emailed a dog nutritionist to ask what we could do and she suggested we put him on a grain free diet. The food she recommended was crazy expensive, but we decided to give it a shot. Our philosophy is treat your dogs well and put a bit of money into them now, so they will be healthier guys for longer; hopefully with less vet visits.
The food we switched them to was "Evo." Everything I have read online says it's a good food, but its high protein content and lack of anything else made me a bit nervous. I have been told that dogs don't need carbohydrates to function-I'm not saying they do or they don't, but our boys did horribly on this food. It was 72 dollars for 28 pounds of food and they were going through it in about two weeks.
Not only were they consuming more food with the Evo, but they had other bad side effects. I was feeding them 3 cups a day and whenever I got the food out they acted like they had never eaten. Now, I realise I am saying this about two labs, but this was bad. Glacier started salivating so bad that if I stepped in it, it would drip off the bottom of my foot when I lifted my foot back up. At first we weren't sure if they just liked it or if they were hungry, but the longer we fed them the food, the worse they got. I had to up their food intake because they were both losing weight, which in turn made them go through the very expensive food even faster.
Their coats were disgusting. Roscoe started blowing his entire coat. It was thin and brittle and if you touched him, clumps of fur came flying off in your hand. Glacier was losing fur too. Peeople said that when he shook, you could see fur flying everywhere. Glacier's never been a big shedder. Their coats were no longer glossy and soft, but more coarse and dull. I thought they were dirty so I washed them and it diodn't make a difference.
Not only were their coats undesirably dry, but their breath was horrible. I know dog's breath stinks, but this smelled like their stomachs were rotting. I'm not sure if it was because their stomachs were empty, or if the food just wasn't agreeing with them. When they gave us kisses their salva was particularly thick and gloppy. There was a definite difference.
The worst part about it was that Roscoe's ears continued to be waxy and smell horribly of yeast. So, needless to say, we switched them. The food was supposed to get rid of the the yeast, not make it worse.
There was one nice sie effect though, both boys were becoming incredibly muscular, but we can keep that nice physique up by exercising them.
I'm not saying that Evo is a bad food-each dog is different with varying biological systems-but it definitely was not a good choice for our crazy labradors. We've switched the boys over to Blue Buffalo's Wilderness Salmon and they are both doing much better. It's not the most premium dog food out there, but you look for what works for them. Within three days of the food switch, Roscoe's coat started growing back in and Glacier's glossiness returned. A week and a half later, Glacier's coat is back to its usual thickness and Roscoe is fluffy again. Of course they still have bad dog breath, but it's better than before.
I'm not sure why the yeast infections are happening. I know the food we had them on originally is a pretty decent food-Froome Salmon-but for some reason Roscoe's ears were not happy. I find myself still cleaning out his ears, but they aren't too bad. Hopefully this our last food switch, or else we may create some very spoiled, picky eaters. :)