A Letter From Leader Dog Maddy

As we slide into our booth at the Hometown Grill (curses, caught eating out again), I ask Andy, Do you want me to read it to you?  "Yes," he replies.

I don't get very far into the letter before my eyes well up and I can't read the words anymore.  Great.  I can't believe that the letter Leader Dog graduate, Jim Platzer, read to us (from his Leader Dog, Maddy, to her puppy-raiser) at Puppy Days a couple of weeks ago still has the same effect over me.  Sandy in Puppy Development at Leader Dogs for the Blind emailed me a copy this morning and I printed it so I could share it with Andy.

I remove my glasses, wipe my eyes with my as-of-yet-clean napkin, and try again.  When I get to the sentence, "You left a great impact on me, and as such, I have chosen to live an exceptional life," I can't continue.  A woman having coffee at the counter turns to look at me and smiles; I glance up and try to laugh.

That's when I notice Andy.  He's got his glasses off, wiping his eyes, too.

We both fall about laughing, if for nothing else to keep from bawling.  Neither of us seems to care what fools we are making of ourselves.

Andy is an amazing man.  I think I fell for him the very first time he came into my house.  He stopped over right from work, dressed in a  nice suit.  I had two mutt dogs at the time, and when he saw them, he dropped to his knees for a double face licking.  Never mind the dog hair, never mind the slobber.  I remember standing there thinking to myself, Who IS this guy?

Back to Maddy's letter.  I have to pause at "The most rewarding endeavor in life is to care for others."  (I think of my brother Jim's sermon.) And pause again when Maddy worries about when she can't work for Jim any longer, and that the only thing that saves her is the knowledge that her raiser "will be out there...raising another puppy that will follow in my footsteps."  

When I am finally able to finish, I tell Andy, There wasn't a dry eye in the building when Jim Platzer read this to us, including him!

Jim Platzer, accompanied by his guide dog, Maddy, gave a moving speech before he broke us all up with his letter "from Maddy."  Jim was articulate, funny, inspiring, and informative as he spoke of his journey from sight to insight dealing with the degenerative disease, Retinitis Pigmentosa.  He shared stories and feelings and told what all of us puppy-raisers in the room needed to hear--that our efforts in raising puppies impacts other people's lives in ways we can't imagine.

If there were any puppy-raisers listening who thought they weren't going to raise another puppy, they certainly changed their minds after hearing Jim speak, I added.  While Andy is very supportive of my puppy-raising activities, I know he looks forward to the time in-between puppies!

"I never expected you NOT to raise another puppy," he says. 

Meanwhile, FLD Mike is snoozing comfortably under our booth, undisturbed by my emotions.  Thanks, I suppose, to our four-miles-plus trek earlier this morning.

FLD Mike is due to return to Leader Dogs for the Blind on September 13 to begin his formal training.  Not so far away.  Not so very far away at all.  But thanks to Jim Platzer, and his Leader Dog Maddy, when I shed my tears when "giving up" Mike, I will think of Jim and LD Maddy.  I will remember that FLD Mike is following in Maddy's footsteps as he masters new skills.  And like Maddy, if he decides "to live an exceptional life," he will persist to provide "independence and mobility for someone who is blind." 

Thank you, Jim Platzer and Leader Dog Maddy!

Poetry: A FIB for the Dog Days of Summer

Too hot for my liking, or FLD Mike's either, I think.  A short walk early in the morning and Mike plops to the floor as soon as we re-enter the house.  He is more content to hang out in the air-conditioning!  Here's my "torrid 10-month-old," another "FIB" inspired by FLD Mike's reaction today.

torrid 10-month-old

freight

train

lab drools

cool on tile

sprawled beside the door

summer swelter shortens our walk

Tuesday's Training TIP: MIND EXERCISES

Last night, Andy and I took Gypsy and FLD Mike on a short walk to a nearby park.  Both dogs dragged home to flop down on the cool kitchen tile, but this morning Mike is restless.  Sometimes it is hard being a 10-month-old un-neutered black lab.

At 7:30 am the temperature is already 78 degrees and rising with the humidity.  It is not going to be a good day to walk a big black dog any distance, so I initiate plan "B" to tire out FLD Mike (remember my adage, "a tired puppy is a good puppy?").  Plan "B" is what I dub "mind exercises."

FLD Mike follows me to the basement.  As I transfer clothes from the washer to the dryer, I say, Mike. Sit.  He sits in anticipation.  He's familiar with our little game.  Good sit, Mike.  Stay.

I leave Mike holding his sit in the laundry room and walk into the next room.  Mike.  Come.  He races in, stops in front of me, and looks up.  His tail wag wiggles his whole body.  I wait.  He walks around me to come into a "heel" position at my left side.  We've been working on this one.  Good come, Mike, I say and hand him a morsel of food.

Mike. Down.  He drops to the floor.  Mike. Stay, I command, and go back to finish my task at the washer.

Mike. Come.  This time he runs in and immediately places himself on my left side.  Good boy, Mike! I praise with more emphasis and pass another treat.

We repeat several commands this way, incorporating an AROUND so he can practice SIT from a different position.  After less than 10 minutes, FLD Mike follows me back upstairs and finds a cozy place under my desk to settle while I do some computer work.

Later, I take FLD Mike out to "park," put his working jacket on, and practice loose-leash-heeling on the way to our townhouse office to drop off a check.  I abruptly chance pace, pause, and run Mike through a few commands before turning RIGHT toward the office.  Once inside, FLD Mike's tail wags furiously and he squirms with excitement, but he holds a SIT while I chat a few minutes with Virginia, the lady who works there.

Spending just a few minutes several times a day like this will exercise your puppy's mind, and tire him or her out as if you had taken a long walk!

Here is a video of me working FLD Mike one morning when he was "restless."  Notice that he is still able to follow my commands, even though I whispered them!  (Also notice my patience at the end when I gave him the OK release.)

To recap:  WHAT TO DO WHEN IT'S TOO HOT TO TIRE YOUR PUPPY OUT WITH A LONG WALK.

• Obedience exercises in the house.

FLD Mike thinks our "mini-training-session" is a game.  Use treats and praise, gradually weaning away from the treats.  Practice SIT or DOWN STAYS, MAT, COME, NAME RECOGNITION, GIVE, TAKE, FIND IT--whatever  your puppy already knows!  Or, teach him or her something new.

• Short walk (10 or 15 minutes) early in the morning or later in the evening when it is cooler.

Vary your pace, pause and practice SIT or DOWN from various positions.  Take advantage of natural distractions, or stage a "LEAVE IT."  Corral a neighbor to help you work on MEET-AND-GREETS.

• For Future Leader Dogs:  walk indoors at a mall or store.

Concentrate on distractions, and practice all the commands your puppy knows.  Find stairs to work--remember to have your puppy SIT before ascending or descending each flight.

• Indoor exercise.

For non-Future Leader Dogs, play fetch up and down the stairs.  Roll a ball or toy down the stairs and have your puppy chase it and return it to you.  For any puppy, play "hide-and-seek"  (NAME RECOGNITION).

If anyone else has ideas they would like to share, please send a post or email.  I'm sure I haven't thought of everything!  Thanks!

Random Thoughts

NPR BROADCAST

Heard an interesting story by Bruce Gellerman on NPR's "Living on Earth" about "blind-birding."  Bill Gette, Santuary Director of Massachusetts Audubon's Joppa Flats Education Center, leads a group of vision-impaired people on a walk through the Parker River National Wildlife refuge in search of birds.  (Click here to hear the story "Birding by Ear.")

I never thought about "birding by ear," but it certainly makes sense, as so often birds are heard before  (or if ever) they are seen!  Take a listen to the broadcast, and enjoy.  I was surprised that none of the hikers used a guide dog, though.  Perhaps if any had dogs, they left them home so as not to disturb the birds?

SATURDAY AT THE MT. CLEMENS FARMER'S MARKET

FLD Mike and I got to the Mt. Clemens Farmer's Market just as the farmers were packing things up to leave.  Rats, but I did manage to buy some potatoes and cabbage. As this last stand closed up, Mike and I met a woman who had many questions about raising Leader Dog puppies.  She is a recently-retired school-teacher looking for a volunteer career.  I suggested she check out the Leader Dogs for the Blind website for opportunities when it seemed that she was not yet ready to take on the commitment to be a puppy-raiser.

While speaking with the retired-teacher, another woman approached with a two-year-old mutt she had rescued this past spring.  FLD Mike, who had been sitting calmly at my side, leaped up to play.  She stopped about 10 feet away from us.  I got Mike under control and said, "This is great training for him."  She said, "Tell me how to help."  I asked her to stay where she was until I got Mike under control and while the three of us chatted.  After the retired-teacher left, I asked her to take a few steps closer because FLD Mike had settled down.  She approached.  Mike stood up; he did not get crazy; he reached out with his nose to sniff.  Eventually, the woman was able to come right up to us and the dogs met nose-to-nose.  Very nice.  

 

I was sorry to have missed shopping the market, but pleased to have the opportunity to work with FLD Mike on a "dog" meet-and-greet.