Ten weeks

Announcing the 10th Assistance Dog Blog Carnival (ADBC)! Sharon Wachsler, founder of the ADBC, is hosting this edition over at her blog, After Gadget. The theme this round is "Perfect 10."

The following is my submission.

Ten weeks ago a blond bundle of Golden Retriever puppy bounded into our lives and stole my heart. Future Leader Dog (FLD) "Dutch."

When strangers ask me, "How can you give them up?" I've taken to answering, If I didn't give up my last one, I wouldn't have this one!

In keeping with Sharon's "Perfect 10" theme, here are 10 "snapshots" from the last ten weeks of raising Dutch, even if they aren't "perfect."

1. Sweetie-pie

I relish that first scent of puppy-breath when he is handed over to me and I press my face to his. I know that sleepless nights are in my near future, but right now I don't care. I'm glad we live three hours from Leader Dogs for the Blind. This will be the only time I'll allow Dutch to sit on my lap in the van instead of on the floorboard of the passenger seat where he belongs.

But Dutch doesn't snuggle. He is a wiggly almost-13 pound wire-bale of fuzz. After our third rest stop on I-75 north, he conks out in my arms. An hour later, when we pull safely into our garage, my arms are dead.

FLD Dutch looks up at me as if he's wondering, "Where are we going?" We are in the van heading home after picking him up from Leader Dogs for the Blind.

2. Mr. Peabody

He can't be trusted. What goes in must come out. Even when you take him out to "park," if he's been slurping water, he'll pee again in what seems like seconds. "I just took him out!" my husband exclaims as Dutch relieves himself on the living room carpet with no warning. We think we should buy stock in Nature's Miracle. And paper towels.

Dutch rolls over on his back. Mr. Innocent.

3. Rocketman

In the beginning, I think I'll never get mister-springs-for-legs to "sit" for longer than a millisecond when it's mealtime. Morning, noon and evening, I balance his puppy-chow bowl over my head in my left hand and hold his collar with my right. Dutch, sit, I say. He does, but as soon as his bowl loses elevation his feather paws scrabble on the kitchen laminate and he's the roadrunner on ice. Up goes the bowl. Down goes his butt. I spread my right fingers to support his back in the "sit" position and set the bowl down. Left hand now free, I snap my finters to break his stare-down with the kibble. We have eye contact. Blast off at my command. OK!

Dutch sits on the mat with Gus while waiting for breakfast. Gypsy reluctantly sits too. Dutch had gained seconds on his "sit" every mealtime. After a week of feeding in his x-pen, we decide to let him eat with the big dogs. The first two days, Andy holds him while I feed Gypsy and Gus. Then it is his turn. I am amazed how quickly he figures this out. In spite of being a whirling dervish when I get the food buckets out of the clostet, Dutch wiggles his butt onto the mat with Gus and waits his turn. No more holding!

4. Dutcherino

It takes FLD Dutch about 30 minutes to settle under our table at Randy's Restaurant. We've been working on "down" so I give him the cue and he drops to the carpeted floor. He pops up and plops his snout in my lap. I reposition him so his nose is poking out from under the table and he is lying down behind my legs. He squirms around until he is facing me from the aisle. I scoot him back under the table. Our coffee hasn't even come yet.

FLD Dutch stares up at the table as if he has x-ray vision.

5. Mr. Awwwwwwwsome

I take FLD Dutch and Andy to a Christmas concert at the Rose City Middle School. Unfortunately, the concert is actually at the high school, five miles away. When we arrive right at curtain time, we see a crowd at the entrance to the auditorium. Someone fell and EMS was called; the concertgoer's bad luck delayed the performance. We weren't late after all.

With the doors blocked by the paramedics and a gurney, our only choice was to enter by the stage. As I coaxed my golden fur ball past the front row seats a harmonic "awwwww" rolled out ahead of us. The "awwwwws" resonated to the back of the room like a wave as we turned up the main aisle to find two empty seats. I doubt that anyone minded that the choir started singing late.

FLD Dutch poses next to a Christmas toy colletction box, courtesy of the Rose City Lions Club.

 

6. Dutcher

It is early evening. Dutch paces through the living room, his pads slap the kitchen floor, he slurps a bit of water and returns. He wanders into my writing room and pauses at the x-pen section that is blocking off our bedroom. He tries to slip under the footrest of the couch where Andy has the recliner raised, but he's getting too big to fit. He squeezes behind the couch and bumps against the end table as he squeezes out the other end. I take him out to "park" but once back inside he still paces. I have him do a few rounds of puppy push-ups (a series of quick sit, down, sit, down, sit, down, etc.). He paces. I sit on the floor with him to encourage a "settle" but he squirms away. I get up and move the x-pen from our bedrooom doorway. He races inside. His crate is in there. When I open the crate door, he zips in and whips around for the bit of kibble I always toss in behind him. I latch the door. He's down for the night (although I take him out for a last "park" when we head for bed).

A sweet Dutch catches some Zs in his crate.

 

7. Dutch-man

On assignment at the Ogemaw Hills Snowmobile Club's 45th Anniversary Open House, I take Dutch out back to "park." He dives into the snow with a vengeance. With a ferocious wrinkled nose, he take offense to whatever it is he senses under the snow.

FLD Dutch sniffs in the fluffy snow with a wrinkly nose, one which he usually reserves for when he is playing with our career-changed Lab, Gus.

8. Buddy

Gus is twice his size, but that doesn't stop Dutch from scrunching his snout, ducking his shoulder and barreling into the gentle black Lab. "He's a tuck and roll kind of wrestler," Andy says. Dutch is relentless. He bites at Gus's back legs. He stands up on his hind legs and grabs a mouthful of Gus's neck fur. One day I notice Dutch chewing on something black as he lay on the floor near Gus. What do you have? I ask as I walk over to take it away. Dutch looks up. He has Gus's tail between his front paws. When they wrestle, more times than not it's Gus who yips "too much" when things get rough. By evening, Gus takes refuge on the couch, where Dutch is not allowed.

Dutch and Gus take a break under Andy's desk. Light and dark, they are still best buds.

9. FLD Dutch

We arrive about 15 minutes early. FLD Dutch and I check out the cafeteria at Surline Elementary School where we'll be presenting to three of five classes of second-graders. We'll be back tomorrow to talk to the others. Dutch is happy the janitor hasn't  mopped the floors yet. We work on "leave it." I lay his mat out at the far end of the room and practice obedience while we wait. Before long the kids file in. Dutch lets rip a golden "whooooo, whooooo, whooooo." The kids giggle.

FLD Dutch holds a stay on his mat while I talk about Leader Dogs for the Blind and the important job that Dutch is being raised to do. I ask for a volunteer to demonstrate "Juno" training. When blind or visually impaired clients come to Leader Dogs, the trainers work with them for a couple of days before the dogs are issued. In "Juno" training, the Leader Dog trainers act as the dog, guiding the clients with a harness. They evaluate how the clients react if the dog misbehaves; this helps to verify the match.

Arms fly up, the kids can hardly hold their butts to the floor. I pick one little girl who seems a little shy, but still had the courage to raise her hand. I ask her to take hold of the harness handle and close her eyes. As I slowly guide her I whisper to the other kids, Now I'm going to be a BAD dog. I jerk the harness to the side. The little girl screams, but doesn't drop the handle. Dutch jumps up from his mat and bounds over to us. The kids can't contain themselves.

FLD Dutch doesn't take his eyes off of me as we pose with three classes of second-graders at Surline Elementary.

 

10. Mr. Bigfoot

FLD Dutch gains 11 pounds in one month. I'm raising a golden bigfoot! When I picked him up 10 weeks ago, he weighed 12.8 pounds. During training this past weekend at Leader Dogs for the Blind, I tried to get him to settle on their old-style scale with a gigantic dial. The wobbly pointer was difficult to read, but I'm guessing he weighed in at about 34 pounds! Do the math. He's growing at more than double the typical rate of one pound per week.

A relaxed FLD Dutch hangs out on his mat in the training room at Leader Dogs for the Blind. It is the end of our weekend seminar, and he is tired. Yay!

Ten weeks down. About 40 more weeks to go...

 

What do you think they want?

Herding with their eyes.

Guess it's time to get off of the computer and take the dogs out into the woods...

Announcing...the 9th ADBC!

How time flies! Martha, over at Believe in Who You Are, has called for submissions for the 9th Assistance Dog Blog Carnival.

Martha's theme is MOMENTS. What a wonderful theme. As she suggests, participants can write a blog post about a single moment in time...

• The moment when your puppy or dog learned a task
• The moment you and your dog felt like a team for the first time
• Last moments working with or being with your dog
• Favorite moments, funny moments, embarrassing moments, ETC

Anyone who is involved with raising, training, using, or otherwise involved with an assistance dog can participate.

The deadline is October 31.

To enter the 9th ABDC visit Martha's blog post here, and comment with:

1. Name of your blog: E.G. Believe in Who You Are
2. The title of your post: E.G. My Favorite Moments
3. The link to your post: E.G. http://learninbabysteps.blogspot.com/my-favorite-moments.html

I am excited, not only to read all the submissions, but...I already have an idea!

Stay tuned...

 

ADBC--it cometh again!

The 8th Assistance Dog Blog Carnival (ADBC) has just been announced by Brooke, at her blog "ruled by paws".  (For background information about the ADBC, and links to past issues, visit this link: About the ADBC.)

Brooke works with a guide dog and her blog is about her adventures with all of her pups. She is hosting this edition of the ADBC and her choice of topic is...drum roll please...

"Marchin' to Your Own Drum"

Brooke listed some examples on her post to help us get started. Here they are!

• Does your assistance dog fit the traditional mold? (does he or she have any special quirks or behaviors?)
• Does your dog do things differently from past partners (or the partners of friends)?
• Why did you choose to go with a program dog after your owner-trained one retired? (or vice versa)
• Why did you choose a non-traditional breed for your partner?
• Did you have to overcome any sort of resistance from family, friends or employers when deciding to partner with an assistance dog?
• Have you witnessed any unique or special assistance dogs in action? (what made them stand out?)
• Did you have preconceived notions of what an assistance dog should look like, only to have them changed by witnessing one in action or reading about one?

As a puppy-raiser, and not an assistance-dog handler, I might add a few more ideas:

• If you've raised multiple puppies, how have they been different?
• Are there "required" techniques that you struggle with? (For example, loose-leash walking.)
• Have you ever experienced a conflict for your decision to raise puppies (either within yourself, family members, or at work?) How did you handle it?

Visit Brooke's post (ADBC Call for Submissions) to submit your entry to the Carnival. You will need to comment on her post with the name of your blog, your name, the name of your post, and a URL to your post. Deadline is "7:47 pm" on July 29, 2012. Brooke will compile and "publish" the 8th edition on July 31st.

Thank you Brooke, for hosting!

Stay tuned for my entry!

It's here! The 7th Assistance Dog Blog Carnival!

As promised, here is an overview of the 7th ADBC. For those of you not keen on the ADBC, check out Sharon Waschler's post, "About the ADBC" on her blog, "After Gadget."

 

While there was not a huge response to my chosen topic of EFFECT/AFFECT, or "How has a working dog in your life IMPACTED other people and/or the relationships in your life?" the posts that were submitted are thoughtful and honest.

To those who tackled this sensitive topic, I thank you for sharing.

It was interesting to me that two bloggers, who are handlers of assistance dogs, remarked that people are often more interested in their dogs than in them. Even as a volunteer puppy-raiser I get a taste of this when out and about in my small town with Future Leader Dog "Scout." My husband Andy says, "I don't even exist. First it's 'Hi, Scout' and then it's 'oh, it's that lady with the puppy.' Who am I?!"

At any rate, I pass the hosting baton on to Tori, at her blog "The Average Blog by an Average Blogger" for the 8th ADBC in July. Stay tuned!

THE 7TH ADBC POSTS

Lyssa, at her blog, "Downunder Assistance Dog," wrote "The Knightly Effect." Knightly is a nine-month-old Golden Retriever that she is training to be her assistance dog. Lyssa's post explores the many effects that Knightly has had and continues to have on her life (and her husband's life)...from getting her out of bed in the morning to keeping her out of the hospital.

Khills writes about how training her mobility assistance dog, Shai Ezer, "suicide proofs her." Her blog is "Shai Ezer-Helper Beside Me: Training My Service Dog," and her post for the ADBC is "Not Easily Broken: Dancing With Shai." Khills uses pictures to illustrate the journey she's taken with Shai after a 2009 diagnosis of the "intruder" MS (her term for the disease). Because everyone in her family "had to deal with it (MS)," Shai helps maintain the "family's equilibrium."

Sharon, over at her blog, "After Gadget," is responsible for starting the ADBC way back in the fall of 2010. (Where does the time go?) Her post "Service Dogs & Friends: Familiarity Breeds...Confusion?" is a sincere exploration of how the "raising, training, and handling" of her own service dogs has had a negative effect on the relationships with people in her life. In turn, these relationships have made it more difficult to actually train and work with her "dog partners."

L^2's post, "Impacts on Relationships," at her blog, "Dog's Eye View," examines the positive and negative impacts that working with her guide dog, Jack,  has had with people in her daily life, and "those I encounter once in a blue moon." Although Jack has eased the worries of her parents, L^2 says it has been difficult to get her family members to NOT treat Jack like a "pet." Read how this makes her feel toward spending time with them. Dealing with the general public has been negative for the most part--L^2 says she feels as though she and Jack are a "form of entertainment." Still, she likes the idea of raising awareness and hopes she has smoothed the way for other guide dog teams.

L^2 brings up an interesting take on how having her dog take center stage affects her interactions with "friends" and how she has established "new relationships" within an on-line community of handlers and others who are involved somehow with assistance dogs. That the blogging community sometimes acts as a "second family" is one of the benefits I wasn't expecting when I began blogging a few years ago.

My post, "The affecting effect of dogs..." is a personal note on how my love of dogs makes the relationship with my aging parents a sometimes-uncomfortable situation to manage. Yet, it always amazes me how these creatures demonstrate the true meaning of "unconditional" love.

READERS! Please take a few moments to meet my blogging friends by following the links above to their posts and their blogs.

Looking forward to the 8th ADBC Tori!

The affecting effect of dogs...

...on people who don't like dogs.

This post is my submission to the 7th ADBC.

Sometimes, those of us who DO like dogs have a hard time understanding those who DON'T. What's not to like about the undivided attention our dogs give us (most of the time) ; their always-ecstatic-to-see-you greetings, whether you've left them for 5 minutes to walk out to get the mail, or you've been gone on another overtime work day; their curious way of sensing the world, knowing when laying a head on your knee is just the right thing to do; their joy in the moment--when you grab the leash and head out the door, they don't care where you are going, they are just happy to go. With you.

With you. Isn't that the best?

Sometimes, I find it hard not to be suspicious of those who DON'T. There's something wrong with that, I want to think.

And yet.

I find I must respect those who DON'T.

Perhaps a traumatic experience created a fear of dogs. Years ago, when my nephew was less than two years old, he was bitten in the face by a neighbor's dog. He developed a fear so severe he would not go outside to play if he even saw just a squirrel on his lawn.

We can understand that, can't we?

Perhaps an unpleasant experience somehow got associated with a "dog" and the very thought of a "dog" brings all kinds of suppressed feelings to the surface. When my father was a young boy, his father's bulldog would wake him up in the morning with a snorting, slobbering face wash. My father detests dogs. I wish I had a nickel for all the times I heard him say, "At least kids grow up and change their own diapers." Sometimes I wonder about my father's young life with a father who drank, a father who died when his son was only 17, My father left school in his senior year to get a job to help support the rest of his family. Later, he worked hard to care for his own family, which turned out to be seven kids! Dogs were an unnecessary expense and he could not/does not understand the attraction. I knew better to even ask for a dog when I was a child. Dad always said, "You can get a dog when you move out."

I guess I can understand that. To each his own.

My parents don't like dogs. 

There. I've said it.

Well. My dad doesn't like dogs. My mom, well, I think she's interested, but she lives with my dad. (Don't let her hear me say this!)

So this is what happened. I moved out. I got a dog. And then another dog, and another one after that. And 35 years later I have two dogs PLUS I raise puppies for Leader Dogs for the Blind.

Needless to say, this situation can sometimes be uncomfortable for me in my relationship with my parents. They don't like to visit, and now that we've moved so far away that a visit means: "overnight," I doubt they'll ever be back. (They came for one night last summer.)

I understand that my parents are getting older, and can't get around very well. My dad's back doctor told him he'd be in a wheelchair by the time he was 80. My dad will be 85 this June and still no wheelchair. My mom had her hip replaced in 2011. My dogs are big and a bump could mean a tumble. I take care to keep them out of harm's way. (My dogs, not my parents.)

I do NOT expect my dogs to be welcome at their house. If I visit for a few hours, I might bring the dogs to wait in the van. (They love coming with me, even if they are stuck in their "mobile" crate.") If I visit overnight, I come alone. My sweet husband, Andy, holds down the dog-fort back home.

And yet.

There's a curious thing.

(You know that "dog" spelled backwards is "god," don't you?)

My nephew grew up with my first dog. I lived around the block and "Aero" was less than six-weeks-old when I brought her home. The little black ball of fur won over his heart. Aero grew up to be a big strong dog (she was part Lab and Irish Setter, we think), and my nephew grew up to be mad about animals.

The dog did that.

Maybe 15 years ago, when my parents lived in Florida and we had a big house in the city, they came to visit. We only had one dog at the time, "Stoker," a small yellow Lab/beagle mix mutt who was an angel in disguise. Stoker's gift was making everyone feel that they were her best friends--even my parents! Andy and I came home after a long day of tending our business to find my mom and dad cuddled up on one of our oversized LazyBoy chairs. They were covered to the chin with an afghan my mom had knit for me as a high school graduation gift. Stoker was curled up on a corner of it at their feet. My mom was quite taken by her affection. My dad said, "She's alright. For a DOG."

The dog did that.

Now when I stop by with the dogs in the back of the van, my mom likes to come out to see them when I leave. Dad always follows. My old mutt, "Gypsy," howls and moans in greeting, like she knows that these people-who-don't-pet-her are "family" and part of her pack. I love to see my mom grin like a second-grader when Gypsy does this.

The dog did that.

My parents don't understand my love for dogs, but they accept me. And sometimes when we go out to eat I bring my Future Leader Dog puppy along. Mom is quick to tell everyone she sees, "That's my daughter. She raises puppies for Leader Dogs."

The puppy did that.

My mother and father snuggle on our love-seat during their visit last summer. FLD Gus was in his crate and you can just see the back end of Gypsy curled up in her bed on the floor.

ADBC Deadline One Week Away!

Only one week to the deadline for the 7th Assistance Dog Blog Carnival!

As of today, I have three submissions.  

I NEED MORE

I'm guilty myself of pushing the deadline, so I know there is still time.

To spur some thought on the subject ("How has a working dog in your life IMPACTED other people and/or relationships in  your life?"), here is a comment my friend made after I posted a link to the ADBC on FaceBook:

sorry I wasn't following this...my favorite topic...I would hope that the working dogs do not crush or bruise the people or relationships in one's life...

Looks like I am not the only one who likes wordplay! Subsequently, my friend sent me the following email, expressing her dislike of the word "impact." (FYI, she is not an assistance dog puppy-raiser, trainer, or handler. Her exposure to the working dog world is through me--and she is very supportive!)

Hi patti:

I apologize for joining the discussion late. In fact, I don't know if this is relevant at all, but here is where I landed on "impact." Thank you for the indulgence of my personal spin.

OK, I give....but not without a fight. I'll chalk it up to the general disdain a "child of the 60's" had for business and it's warped use of language. Living in the business world for several decades does not lessen the skin crawl, it neutralizes the affect (or is that...impact) somewhat. New twists on words are created and popularized annually.

Here's what the OED [Oxford English Dictionary] says, after, of course, acknowledging the use of "impact" as a verb (adverb, as well):

The phrasal verb impact on, as in when produce is lost, it always impacts on the bottom line, has been in the language since the 1960s. Many people disapprove of it, saying that make an impact on or other equivalent wordings should be used instead. This may be partly because, in general, new formations of verbs from nouns (as in the case of impact, action, and task) are regarded as somehow inferior; in addition, since the verbal use of impact is associated with business and commercial writing, it has the unenviable status of 'jargon,' which makes it doubly disliked. Compare with enthuse (usage).

I'll continue to "doubly dislike" the overuse of that rather violent word, but will not crusade (OK, it was a gentle protest) against its use any more. I know that my personal use of language has deteriorated through osmosis...to the degree that I probably don't even recognize my own errors.

Oh, what we won't give up! But at least I now know why.

So, here are additional thought provokers, inspired by my friend:

Does your assistance dog "crush or bruise the people or relationships" in your life?

How does the raising, training, or handling of an assistance dog make an impact on your "bottom line?"

How has the presence of a working dog (whether raising or handling) affected your work life?

Let's get those submissions in!

 

ADBC Call for Submissions--TAKE 2

Today was to have been the deadline for the 7th Assistance Dog Blog Carnival. (To learn more about the ADBC, visit Sharon Waschler's blog post: "About the ADBC.")

Unfortunately, I have received only one submission (thank you Lyssa!), and a few requests for a deadline extension.

So.

A NEW DEADLINE.

TWO weeks from today.
Mark your calendars!

MAY 9.

To (hopefully) make things simpler, I will clarify and narrow the topic for this edition. I apologize if my convoluted sense of humor with the always-pesky words effect/affect caused anyone grief.

The following question is really what I intended.

"How has a working dog in your life IMPACTED other people and/or the relationships in your life?"

This can be how raising a puppy, training a service dog, or being the handler of a service dog has effected the people around you. Good and Bad. Better or Worse. Fun and/or not-so-fun. If you'd care to, share how it has impacted your relationships with them and what you are doing to deal with the situation.

A comment made on my blog by a handler's spouse about the effect of "having an animal in the house" is what set me thinking.

By scarletsfire on my page "Why I Raise Puppies for Leader Dogs for the Blind"

As the wife of a LD partner I can tell you that our lives have indeed been enriched. We are blessed beyond measure and greatly reap the benefits of the work of fabulous volunteers and trainers. As hesitant as I was to have an animal in the house, thanks to all the work it has been smooth sailing. Who knew there was such a thing as doggie etiquette? But thanks to the teaching that our LD come to us with, there hasn't been much to adjust too. But there have however been a lot of things to love about having a LD around. You all really make it easy for us non-partners to get accustomed to having a LD around.

To read my original post calling for submissions, follow this link: 7th ADBC.

Lyssa took my original topic to heart and wrote about the effect of raising and training her own assistance dog. Check out her insightful story,  "The Knightly effect."

To participate in the 7th ADBC, make a comment on this post with the following information:

1.  The name of your blog (for example: "plays with puppies")

2.  The title of  your ADBC post (for example: "My Father Hates Dogs")

3.  The link (URL) to your ADBC post: (for example: "http://yourblogname/postname")

I am up to the task of compiling the overwhelming amount of posts I will get on this topic. BURY ME WITH POSTS!

I will publish a synopsis with links to all posts by MAY 15.

Only 2 More Weeks!

I am disappointed.

Two more weeks until the deadline for submissions for the 7th Assistance Dog Blog Carnival and thus far I have had NO takers.

I hope this fact does not have a negative effect on me.

Of course, I myself have not yet written my affecting post on the topic. (I promise to get right on it!)

To submit a post to this ADBC, leave a comment below (or at the above link) by April 25 with:

1. The name of your blog (example, "plays with puppies")
2. The title of your ADBC post (example, "The startling effect of puppy-breath")
3. The link (URL) to your ADBC post (example, "http://yourblogname/postname")

Come on, bloggers, I know you can do it!

The 7th ADBC IS COMING!

A CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

to the

7th Assistance Dog Blog Carnival (ADBC)

This quarterly carnival started in October of 2010 by blogger Sharon Wachsler on her blog, After Gadget. For more information about just what a blog carnival and the ADBC are, and for links to the six prior issues, check out this link to a post on Sharon's blog:

http://aftergadget.wordpress.com/about-the-assistance-dog-blog-carnival/.

I am honored to host the 7th issue of the ADBC. Part of my responsibilities is to choose a theme. This is harder than it seems. In struggling to come up with a topic, I first considered the theme of LOSS. Retiring a working dog, making the difficult decision to put down an ill and suffering dog, or returning a puppy to the organization that will teach the puppy its job.

But, April evokes feelings of spring, and new beginnings. I wasn't sure I wanted to tackle such a dark topic in a month that begins with April Fool's day.

It just so happened that on March 1, I received the following comment on my blog page, "Why I Raise Puppies for Leader Dogs for the Blind," from the wife of a Leader Dog handler.

scarletsfireMar 1, 2012 11:18 AM

As the wife of a LD partner I can tell you that our lives have indeed been enriched. We are blessed beyond measure and greatly reap the benefits of the work of fabulous volunteers and trainers. As hesitant as I was to have an animal in the house, thanks to all the work it has been smooth sailing. Who knew there was such a thing as doggie etiquette? But thanks to the teaching that our LD come to us with, there hasn't been much to adjust too. But there have however been a lot of things to love about having a LD around. You all really make it easy for us non-partners to get accustomed to having a LD around.

The concept of the effect of a working dog on family members of the handler had never occurred to me before. It got me to thinking about some of the things the family must adjust to by having a dog in the house, where perhaps there had never been. Feeding, "parking," dog hair, vet bills--even the new independence of the the handler might prove challenging for some. Luckily for my commenter, the effect of her husband's new partner proved to be an easy adjustment, and a positive one at that!

As for myself, accepting my career-changed puppy, Gus, back into our home had an unexpected effect. The addition of Gus increased our four-legged family members to three (my old mutt Gypsy, and my 4th Future Leader Dog puppy, Scout).

Three big dogs is something to manage when it's time for taking a walk, or traveling. Our recent trip to Green Bay, WI via the U.P. brought home the effect of having three, instead of two, dogs--a "lifestyle" change we didn't anticipate!

Couple all this with being the "writer" that I am, I decided to play around with those pesky words, "affect/effect."

How's that for an April Fool's topic?

AFFECT/EFFECT

Which word do you use?  Here are some definitions that might help you decide.

Affect: (noun) used in psychology, emotion or desire as influencing behavior or action, a psychological term referring to an observed emotional state, After surgery, still under the influence of the anesthetic, my puppy wagged her tail without affect. (transitive verb) have an effect on, make a difference to; touch the feelings of someone, move emotionally, a more general term that suggests moving one to tears or some other display of feeling, The affecting blog post about the loss of a working partner.

Effect: (more common as a noun than "affect") a change as a result of something, Helping raise a Future Leader Dog puppy has had a positive effect on my nieces., (verb) cause something to happen, Leader Dogs for the Blind effected a list of "In-for-Training" standards to give puppy raisers a training goal.

Affect and effect are both nouns and verbs, but the word effect is used more often as a noun than is the word affect. Affect as a noun is most often related to the field of psychology. And, the two words are used differently as verbs--affect means "produce and effect on" or "influence," whereas effect means "bring about." (Seems like a small difference to me.)

I don't know about you, but even with all these examples, I still get confused with AFFECT/EFFECT.

So, in spite of that, how has working with, training, or being exposed to a working dog affected your life, or those of your loved ones? Has the introduction of a service dog or puppy-in-training had a positive or negative effect on your family members?

Use AFFECT/EFFECT any which way you please. Just have fun and let us now the effect of your experience in the assistance dog world!

Who can submit posts?

From Sharon's initial post about the ADBC:

Anyone who meets these criteria can submit a post:

• You have a blog (or someone who will let you post on their blog);
• Your post relates to the topic of guide, hearing, or service dogs (including psychiatric service dogs, autism service dogs, medical alert dogs, and any other task-trained assistance dog), even if your blog is not typically about assistance dogs;
• Your submitted post relates to the theme for that particular issue.
• Note: You do NOT need to be an AD partner (or puppy raiser or trainer, etc.), to contribute. Any blogger, regardless of whether you are affiliated with the assistance dog community or not, can submit.
• Note: Although it is not required, you are strongly encouraged, if you do submit a post, to make the post and your comments section as accessible as possible to people with diverse disabilities.^[1]

In other words, posts can be about puppy raising, service-dogs-in-training (SDiTs), assistance dog programs/schools, retired SDs, perspectives on ADs from people with disabilities not partnered with ADs, or anything else relating to the topic of assistance dogs. Posts from personal blogs as well as from AD organization blogs are welcome.

To participate in the 7th ADBC, make a comment on this post with the following information:

1. The name of your blog (example, "plays with puppies")
2. The title of your ADBC post (example, "The startling effect of puppy-breath")
3. The link (URL) to your ADBC post (example, "http://yourblogname/postname")

"Captcha" is disabled on my blog, but I do monitor comments. Please be patient for the publication of your comment. If you'd rather email your post, send it to pattibrehler (at) gmail (dot) com.

The deadline for the 7th ADBC is April 25th, so you have six weeks to submit a previous post that fits the theme at hand, or (preferably), write a new one!

I will compile and publish all submissions on April 30. (If you can't make the deadline, let me know and I'll add it as soon as you get your post "live.")

Assistance Dog Blog Carnival Links

Cyndy Otty, blogger of Gentle Wit has hosted the 5th Assistance Dog Blog Carnival. The theme for this edition is Achievement. Please visit her post with brief descriptions and links to posts from participating bloggers at: Assitance Dog Blog Carnival #5: Achievement.

Take a few moments to peruse these posts, they will give you a new perspective on the role these amazing assistance dogs play in real people's lives.

I was a Guest Blogger!

I recently wrote a "guest post" for a fellow blogger, Jenny, over at Paws for Thought. (If you click on the title of her blog it will take you right to the post I wrote for her!)

Jenny has been blogging since 2007 when she was paired up with her very first guide dog, OJ. Jenny had to wait two years before Irish Guide Dogs found her a match with "the lovely black Labrador Retriever." She started her blog to document her experience with him.

Thank you, Jenny, for sharing your life working with OJ with all of your readers, and for letting me share a little bit of my life raising Future Leader Dog puppies with you.

Here's a picture that should have gone along with my post on Jenny's blog!

A very well behaved FLD Scout was a big hit at the Lions' Club Zone meeting held in West Branch on October 25. All thanks to a long walk in the rain.

4th Assistance Dog Blog Carnival!

The 4th Assistance Dog Blog Carnival (ADBC) is up!

Click on over to Kali's blog, Brilliant Mind Broken Body to read submissions from service and guide dog handlers, trainers, and puppy-raisers on the topic of THE DIFFERENCE.

This summer edition of the ADBC couldn't come at a more appropriate time--this week is the International Assistance Dog Week!

Thank you Kali, for hosting this engaging event!

My post for the ADBC is titled "Living the DIFFERENCE."  Click on the title and you'll be right there.

To learn more about what a "blog carnival" is (and catch up on the first three ADBCs), visiit Sharon Wachsler's website:  http://aftergadget.wordpress.com/about-the-assistance-dog-blog-carnival/.

 

HAPPY READING!

Introducing: JESS, Guest Blogger!

Fellow blogger Jess and I might have unknowingly passed each other in the halls of the Polk Residence at Leader Dogs for the Blind last April.  I was visiting with LD Mike's new handler, Eric (see my post from April 20, "REACTIONS") while Jess and her 2nd Leader Dog, Glacier, were attending a "12-day retraining excursion" (to quote Jess).

Jess and I met in the virtual world of Internet blogging!  (Catch up on Jess's blog:  At a Glacial Pace.)  As time progresses, both of us are amazed at how small our world is--one of the members of our UP Puppy Group (Frank) works with Jess's uncle in Sault Ste Marie, Ontario.  And FLD Gus is LD Glacier's half-brother!  (They share the same father, Sy.)

When Jess commented on my "HELP WANTED" post last week, I asked her to write a "guest" blog for me.  I thought that perhaps her story, in HER voice, would inspire readers to consider raising a puppy for Leader Dogs for the Blind.  Jim Platzer's talk last year at Puppy Days did just that to me; well, he inspired me to KEEP raising puppies!  (See my post from August 5, 2010.)

'Nuff said from me.  Get out your handerchiefs....

.......heeeeeerrrrreeee's JESS!

There are two people in this world who will probably never realize just how much they have impacted my life. They are both strangers and I have never even talked to them in person or over the phone. They live far away from me and our paths have never and probably will never cross. Their influence has touched my life so intimately and I don't even know what their voices sound like, what they look like, where they live, their hobbies, their likes or dislikes, their interests.

And yet, a part of me is closely linked to them. These two people have changed my life forever and they will never know just how truly grateful I am to them.

"Because she's stubborn and always hungry-just like you."

This is what my first Leader Dogs for the Blind trainer told me when I asked him why he had matched me with a 53 pound, Black Labrador named Jetta. He wasn't kidding when he said she was stubborn, but it was this hard headedness, her confidence and zest for life that bonded us in such a way that words cannot describe.

She was my companion, friend, eyes and safety net for six wonderful and action packed years. She guided me around the world-literally-and made being a blind, independent person much easier. I was never good at staying in one place and Jetta made my dreams more of a reality. She accompanied me to swimming training camps and competitions all over Canada and the United States and in Belgium and Greece; just to name a few places.

She never ceased to amaze me.

Once we were in an airport and she guided me back to my suitcase when I exited a bathroom. If my bag was moved in the change room, nine times out of ten Jetta could take me to it. We went to the Grand Canyon together; clamored through ancient Greek ruins; went whale watching in Vancouver British Columbia; and she pulled me out of the way of a semi-truck that almost ran us over on my university campus.

It was through my experiences with Jetta I learned that life must be lived and it is  much easier with a four legged set of eyes jauntily trotting by your side.

When Jetta retired herself in August of 2008, I spent a month without a guide dog.  It was a strange feeling and I recall refusing to attend some outings because I was not comfortable traveling without a guide dog. 

I always knew, from the first time I picked up the harness handle, that I would not go back to using a White Cane. Guide dog travel was more of my style, but it was this time that I spent guide dogless that I realized just how much of an impact little Jetta had had on my life.

On September 24th of 2008 the next life altering being came bounding into my room at Leader Dogs for the Blind and planted his gigantic paws on my chest. He covered my face in kisses and danced in tight circles about my knees.

His name was Glacier and he was a 75 pound, Yellow Labrador who thought the world was his chew toy. He also thought putting his harness on and taking me places was even better than pulling toilet paper off the roll in my room.

Glacier was and still is a huge contrast to little Miss Jetta. Jetta was/is reserved and had an independent streak, whereas, Glacier is a big goof who just wants to please you. He's fit perfectly into my life and although we've run into a few hiccups along the road, our bond as a working team is stronger than ever.

In fact, it is with this big Yellow Fellow at my side, I have the confidence and courage to move from my comfortable home in the United States to Scotland where I don't know any of the laws, streets or customs. We are moving to the bustling city of Edinburgh and there is no doubt in my mind that if Glacier and I weren't a strong working team, I would not be embarking on such a huge adventure.

Both of these dogs have come into my life and changed it for the better. They have taught me about loyalty, love and commitment.

Jetta didn't leave me standing alone in the parking lot with the semi-truck backing up at me: she dragged me into the lawn and planted her paws, refusing to move until the truck had stopped. She didn't say,"too bad for you. I'm saving my own furry behind."

Glacier never lets me go out the front door without him. He insists on thrusting his head into his harness with vigor and this small act lets me know that I do not have to travel, physically and metaphorically, alone.

And even though these two have impacted my life so much, I know their faces, voices, interests, likes and dislikes. I know where they live and their hobbies.  I am grateful for both Glacier and Jetta, but there are two other people who have made our relationships possible.

It is to these two people I say thank you. It is to these two people that I know I could never explain just what they have done for me.

When these two people made the decision to raise a puppy for Leader Dogs for the Blind, I really don't think they knew just exactly what they were providing.

They couldn't have known that their dogs would be world travelers. There is no way they would know that their puppies would grow up and pull a person out of the way of oncoming traffic.

They couldn't have known the magnitude of the gift they had given by dedicating a year of their lives to raising a little fluff ball into a full fledged working dog. They couldn't have known all that.

I don't know if they even know it now, but if they don't, I want them to know that my life is better because of their efforts. I am safe because they decided to raise a puppy and give it back to Leader Dogs for the Blind. They have given me the greatest gift of all, independence, and for that I will be forever grateful.

Even when Glacier retires and I get a new working dog, I will never forget what his puppy raiser did for me. I don't forget Jetta or her puppy raisers.

I know taking on a puppy and raising it to be a future Leader dog can be intimidating. I know the thought of having to give it back is excruciating. I can understand the hesitation people may feel when considering taking on such a large responsibility, but please know that if you do decide to do this incredible thing that there are not words to express the gratitude that the future handler will feel.

Without puppy raisers there aren't potential guide dogs, without potential guide dogs there aren't guide dogs and without guide dogs there isn't independence, confidence and quality of life for those of us who choose to work with guide dogs.

Thank you, Jess, for a wonderful post!  I hope that someone, somewhere will read this and decide to take on the "incredible" challenge of raising a puppy for Leader Dogs for the Blind.  At the very least, your words inspire those of us already raising a special puppy.

If you are inspired by Jess to consider raising a puppy for Leader Dogs for the Blind, please apply HERE, or call  888-777-5332 for more information.